June 2022 Newsletter

June is Pride Month!

In recognition of Pride Month, we are shining a light on the LGBTQ+ population in this edition of the ACEs Aware newsletter. While Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact all communities, we know that some populations, such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ+) community, are affected disproportionately. For example:

• One CDC study found that participants who identified as LGBT reported significantly higher exposure to ACEs than comparison groups.
• According to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 56 percent of LGBTQ+ people reported that someone in their household had experienced job loss, furloughs, or a reduction in income or hours due to COVID-19, compared with 44 percent of non-LGBTQ+ people.
• Data from the CDC released just a couple of months ago found that LGBTQ+ youth reported greater levels of poor mental health, emotional abuse by a parent or caregiver, and suicide attempts than their counterparts.
  
  

Understanding how to heal from adversity and toxic stress is more critical than ever for LGBTQ+ communities. We invite you to join us in raising awareness and committing to realize a more equitable world in which healing from childhood adversity is possible for people of all genders, sexualities, and orientations.

Updates and Opportunities

New Video: Healing from ACEs – A Parent's Story

Today we launched the second video in the ACEs Aware Storytelling Series, featuring public health leader Linda Baggio in conversation with California’s first Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Linda discusses her personal experiences with ACEs, and her commitment as a parent to disrupting intergenerational transmission.

[Please click here to watch the video.]

ACEs Aware in Action: Highlights from the Grantee Conference

On May 16-17, more than 200 people attended the first-ever ACEs Aware in Action: Innovations and Lessons Learned grantee conference in Long Beach, California.

Attendees had the opportunity to network, choose from nearly two dozen sessions, and listen to an inspiring keynote presentation by Dr. Roy Wade, Jr., addressing exposure to racism and discrimination as sources of trauma and toxic stress. The conference concluded with a panel discussion on the future of the ACEs Aware initiative, featuring UCAAN CEO Emily Williams, UCAAN Co- Principal Investigators Shannon Thyne and Eddy Machtinger, and Matt Schueller, Chief of Staff for the Office of the California Surgeon General.

Check out more conference highlights at the link below.

[Please click here to read more highlights.]

PRACTICE Grant: Webinar Recording and June 13 Deadline

On May 11, the Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) held an informational webinar about a new ACEs Aware grant opportunity called PRACTICE: Preventing and Responding to ACE-Associated Health Conditions and Toxic Stress in Clinics through Community Engagement. (Watch the recording)

The Request for Proposal was issued on May 2. The deadline to submit a required Letter of Intent was May 25. Full proposals are due on June 13.

[Please click here to read more about PRACTICE.]

Webinar: Toxic Stress in the LGBTQ+ Population

For Pride Month, we are sharing a recorded webinar developed and hosted by ACEs-LA, which is funded by an ACEs Aware Network of Care grant, with Dr. Katherine Gardner (she/they) on the topic of “ACEs/Toxic Stress in the LGBTQ+ Population”.

Dr. Gardner is a family practice physician who works with transgender and gender expansive people of all ages to provide needed medical care and services. They also lead the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services’ Care with Pride initiative to improve access to services for LGBTQ+ patients.

[Please click here to watch the webinar.]

ACEs Aware Community Spotlight

Dr. Edward Machtinger is Co-Principal Investigator of the UCLA/UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN), the new University of California multi-campus organization implementing California’s ACEs Aware initiative.

He is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center to Advance Trauma-informed Health Care and the Women's HIV Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

He is also a primary care doctor caring for women living with HIV.

Dr. Machtinger earned an M.D. from Harvard University and completed his residency in primary care internal medicine at UCSF.

What considerations should providers make when working with LGBTQ+ communities?

I grew up during a time when I didn’t know anyone who was gay, and it didn’t feel safe for me to come out as gay. I know how isolating and dark that experience can be emotionally.

I think it’s important for providers to really think about and try to understand the ongoing stigma, shame, harassment, fear, and physical violence that LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities face. That has a huge impact on your health and well-being, which I know from both my personal and professional experience.

[Please click here to read more.]

Events, Resources, and Research

Quarterly TIPC Meeting Recap
April 2022 | Virtual
Slides and a meeting summary from the quarterly Trauma-Informed Primary Care (TIPC) Implementation Advisory Committee meeting held on April 20 are now available.

[Please click here to view the slides.]

Podcast: How to Handle the Effect of the Pandemic on Your Child, with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
March 2022 | Uncommon Ground with Van Jones
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris joined Van Jones to answer a series of listener questions, such as, “How can we help to make sure our children are still socialized during periods of isolation?” and “How do we help our young ones grieve?”

[Please click here to listen to the podcast.]

LGBTQ+ Health Care Equality Index
2022 | Human RightsCampaign
The national LGBTQ+ benchmarking tool that evaluates health care facilities' policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors, and employees.

[Please click here to view the tool.]

LGBTQ+ Health and Community Resources
2022 | Los Angeles County Health Services
A list of resources to help promote the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ communities throughout Los Angeles County, and across California and beyond.

[Please click here to access the resources.]

Differences in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Quality of Physical and Mental Health between Transgender and Cisgender Sexual Minorities
December 2019 | Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 119
The findings of this study show that neglect is a common experience among LGB/TGN and needs to be assessed along with other ACE domains. Further, there may exist unique adverse experiences among this population during childhood resulting from social stigma.

[Please click here to read more.]

Have you trained to become ACEs Aware?

The more health care providers that are trained in ACE screening
and trauma-informed care, the healthier California will be.

[Please click here to take the training.]

“All young people, regardless of sexual orientation
or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment
in which to achieve their full potential.”

- Harvey Milk