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The California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) in collaboration with ACEs Connection is hosting a three-part webinar learning series for advocates and policymakers interested in addressing childhood adversity through public policy. Advocates across the country are asking how best to address childhood adversity at the local, state and national levels and support the right policies to advance these efforts. Momentum is growing across the country to do just that. In this learning...

Millions of low-income Californians eligible for food stamps are not receiving the benefit, earning the state one of the lowest rankings in the nation for its participation in the program. About 4.1 million Californians, or 70 percent of those eligible, are enrolled in the food assistance program known as CalFresh. That leaves about 2 million who could be getting the benefit but aren’t, according to the 2015 federal data. The national average is 83 percent. Several states — including...

With her husband and two young children, (Dr. Candy) Stockton packed up and moved hundreds of miles north to rural Shasta County. Today, Stockton, 42, practices family medicine at the Shingletown Medical Center in a tiny town in the shadow of Mt. Lassen, 30 miles east of Redding. The majority of Stockton’s patients live in poverty. “The economy is terrible,” she said, adding that the lack of educational opportunities for kids creates a cycle of despair that can afflict families for...

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee unanimously approved The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 Act on April 24. Significant provisions were included from the Heitkamp-Durbin Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S. 774), including creation of a task force on trauma, and grants for trauma-informed schools.

On Friday, April 20, 2018, the AB 340 Workgroup, otherwise known as the Trauma Screenings Advisory Group, met for the first time to discuss the legislative charge to update, amend, or develop, if appropriate, tools and protocols for screening children for trauma as defined, within the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit in Medi-Cal. Both Children Now and Center for Youth Wellness were appointed members of the Trauma Screenings Advisory Workgroup, and we...

This is a press release from Senator Mike McGuire: Sacramento, CA – While there is a lot more work ahead, much has been accomplished in the 18 months since Senator McGuire, First 5 Humboldt and state and local leaders gathered for a town hall to discuss reports detailing the impacts that adverse childhood experiences have on Humboldt County’s kids. Since then, First 5 Humboldt has partnered with community organizations and local leaders to tackle the issue. Later this month, Senator McGuire...

As the judge climbed the watchtower stairs in Pelican Bay prison, he heard muffled gunshots below. When he reached the top, he looked into the prison yard and saw bodies lying in the dirt. One was his law clerk, spreadeagled on the ground in his suit, alongside dozens of inmates. Guards stood over them, guns aimed. “My clerk was thinking he’s gonna die and this is his last day on earth,” Judge Thelton Henderson recalled. What appeared to be the taming of a riot was actually an audacious...

To read the online magazine, click here . Enjoy our Spring 2018 Mental Health California Magazine with articles on student mental health, the Arthur A. Benjamin Health Professions High School, tips on how to meditate, spring cleaning for your life, and a special feature on the new, spectacular Compton High School. We hope you enjoy this issue. Thanks for reading and sharing!

By Brandon Miller , CNN April 23, 2018 (CNN) California is known for its Mediterranean climate. Dry summers and wet winters providing the perfect conditions for a robust agricultural economy, world-renowned wineries and idyllic weather make it the top tourist state in the country. But these same factors leave California vulnerable to shifts in climate, and the weather patterns that traverse the region are conducive to dramatic swings between drought and flood, a sort of "weather whiplash."...

AB 2528, a measure that incorporates four state watersheds into the triennial California’s Climate Adaptation Strategy report, has passed out Assembly Natural Resources on a 7-3 vote. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), will help the state create more climate resilient habitats and protect the state’s largest estuaries and most pristine river systems. AB 2528 identifies climate resilient habitat areas that offer the best opportunity to remain ecologically...

Data on homeless children and youth in California are now available on Kidsdata. Over a quarter million , or 4.4% of public school students, were recorded as homeless at some point during the 2015-2016 school year. Most homeless students stayed with friends or relatives because of loss of housing ( 85% ), and the remainder were in a temporary shelter, motel, or were unsheltered. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (Point-in-Time Count), Ages 0-17: 2017 Recording homeless students during the school...

Every evening, I try to engage my daughter in reflection, gratitude, and hope. I try to practice the same, but tonight, I felt the need to share with you all. Today I had the opportunity to attend the Toward a Trauma-Informed Northern California Summit 2018 – it was an incredible experience. We were welcomed with a moving, informative, and engaging keynote speaker, Dr. Isaiah B. Pickens , who laid the foundation for what would be a day of growth, reflection, connection, and peer support. He...