ACEs Aware in Action

Summaries of ACEs Aware Grantee Activities Now Available

On June 16, 2020, ACEs Aware awarded grants to 100 organizations to expand the reach and impact of the ACEs Aware initiative. A detailed summary of the ACEs Aware grantee activities has been posted on the ACEs Aware Grants page, which includes a brief description, location (region or county), and target population for each grant. Grantees have already started their important work, and they will receive ongoing technical assistance from ACEs Aware over the next year.

CALQIC Announces Grantees for ACEs Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative

The Center for Care Innovations (CCI) and its partners have announced grant recipients for the California ACEs Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative (CALQIC).

Led by the UCSF Center to Advance Trauma-Informed HealthCare, in partnership with CCI, the California Office of the Surgeon General, and the Rand Corporation, CALQIC is the learning and quality improvement arm of ACEs Aware. This initiative is led by the Office of the California Surgeon General and the Department of Health Care Services to give Medi-Cal providers training, clinical protocols, and payment for screening children and adults for ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). CALQIC will identify promising practices, tools, resources, and partnerships that will inform future phases of the ACEs Aware initiative.

“The goal of CALQIC is to integrate screening and response for ACEs in health care settings in a way that enhances connection between patients and providers, helps connect patients to services they want and need, and leads to better outcomes, reduced disparities, and more positive care experiences for all involved,” said Edward Machtinger, MD, CALQIC co-director.

To see a list of the clinics that received grants to participate in the program, click here.

ACEs Aware Budget Update

The existing ACEs Aware budget has not been impacted by reductions included in the state’s fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 budget. The ACEs Aware initiative is a vital part of the Medi-Cal program’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, helping providers identify, treat, and prevent the secondary health effects caused by the stress of the pandemic. The ACEs Aware initiative will continue to provide critical resources during this difficult time to support health care providers, including monthly webinars on ACEs screening implementation and trauma-informed strategies to treat and respond to patients.

Mark Your Calendar for

August 26

Sign Up Today for the ACEs Aware August Webinar: "Regulating the Stress Response in Kids: Practical Tips for Primary Care Providers"

This webinar will offer practical tips and examples on how providers can incorporate stress regulation strategies into their treatment planning for pediatric patients.

Presenters will:

Share definitions, research, and the clinical response to address toxic stress through stress regulation strategies.
Review the Six Stress-Busting Strategies and other ACEs Aware resources.
Provide concrete examples and specific strategies on how to speak to patients and caregivers about mindfulness, supportive relationships, and mental health prior to the need for a referral.

Panelists Include:

Dayna Long, MD, FAAP

Attending Physician, Primary Care

Medical Director, Center for Child and Community Health

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Hilary M. Bowers, MD, FAAP

Director of Behavioral and Mental Health Services, Children’s Primary Care Medical Group

Pradeep Gidwani, MD, MPH, FAAP

Medical Director, Healthy Development Services and First 5 First Steps Home Visiting Services

American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3

July Webinar: "Fundamentals of ACE Screening & Response in Adult Medicine"

With an introduction from California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the webinar featured Dr. Brent Sugimoto and a cross-disciplinary group of providers from North County Health Services, a federally qualified health center in San Diego County. All providers have extensive experience with ACE screening and clinical response in family and adult medicine.

The webinar covered:

The value of ACE screening and clinical response in family and adult medicine
The science and physiological impacts of ACEs and toxic stress
The ACE screening tool and the ACEs and Toxic Stress Risk Assessment Algorithm
Four case studies on how screening for ACEs and toxic stress can inform evidence-based treatment plans

Have you completed the ACEs Aware training?

Eligible Medi-Cal providers: It’s not too late to self-attest to completing the ACEs Aware training. As a reminder, eligible Medi-Cal providers must self-attest to completing the certified ACE training to receive payment for ACE screenings conducted after July 1, 2020.

Don’t Forget to Self-Attest

ACEs Aware has answers to your attestation questions in our Operational FAQs. After finishing your training at Training.ACEsAware.org, you can find the attestation form at Medi-Cal.ca.gov/TSTA/TSTAattest.aspx.

In the Spotlight:

Julianne McCall, PhD

Julianne McCall, PhD, from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, discusses the science behind toxic stress in children and the importance of understanding the impact of early experiences on the developing brain.

Children will pay long-term stress-related costs of COVID-19 unless we follow the science

STAT News; August 4, 2020

STAT News published an opinion piece from California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris in which she calls for using the science of early childhood development to address the COVID-19-related stress in children’s and caregivers’ lives. She writes that by screening for ACEs now, we can get ahead of the toxic effects the crisis could have on the physical and behavioral health of children for years to come.

A conversation with: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California Surgeon General

California School Board Association; July 15, 2020

California Schools spoke with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris about how ACEs can impact education, what schools can do to help lessen toxic stress in children, and how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting student well-being.

Regional media reports from the last month that ACEs Aware grantees, Lake Family Resource Center, Hillsides, and Sutter County Children and Families Commissions, received grant funding from the Office of the California Surgeon General and the Department of Health Care Services to support their activities to inform and educate Medi-Cal providers about the importance of screening for ACEs and responding with trauma-informed care.