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It might seem odd that President Theodore Roosevelt, who was described as “aggressive,” ”over-engined” and had a talent for delivering insults, would be hailed as a proponent of nurturing relationships. But that’s exactly how Dr. Andrew Garner referenced him in describing a paradigm shift in policy by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “They don’t care what you know until they know that you care,’” said Garner, referring to a quote often attributed to Roosevelt. Garner , who is a...

When thinking about the start of yet another unpredictable and unprecedented school year, the word that keeps repeating itself in my head is “grace.” The dictionary defines grace as “a disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency.” Kindness, compassion, lenience, and mercy. Grace for the educators and all student support staff, grace for our administrators. Grace for our youth, grace for our families, grace for the school board members and policy makers. Our own...

PACEs Connection's Race & Equity Workgroup is examining historical trauma in the United States of America and its impact on American society in a series of virtual discussions. This series, which began in July 2021, highlights each unique region within the United States and outlines how unresolved historical trauma has impacted every aspect of American life and directly shapes the socio-political landscape of today as well as the overall well-being of Americans. The purpose of these...

By Celia Jiménez, Monterey County Weekly, August 31, 2021 Everything from how to use a tool to installing drywall has been part of the curriculum for students in the construction academy at Rancho Cielo in Salinas. The nonprofit provides a high school diploma program and vocational training for real-life job skills to young adults ages 16 to 24, in lieu of a traditional academic program. The construction academy has evolved over the years with the building of transitional housing, a solar...

The PACEs Connection team will be taking a week of rest following the Labor Day holiday on September 6. We will be out of the office from September 7-10. We will not be checking or responding to emails or calls. We will not be publishing the Daily Digests and Weekly Roundup during this time. Although the field of Adverse Child Experiences and child trauma has always been a stressful one in which to work, we have been feeling especially overwhelmed lately. Our capacity for feeling, both...

By Padma Nagappan, California Health Care Foundation, August 25, 2021 For the better part of a decade, Barbara Cheiker made her home in squalid conditions next to a busy Northern California freeway. The hardships were unimaginable. Even as she prevailed in a hard-won battle for sobriety, Cheiker was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and various mental health crises. Each time she was discharged from a hospital or rehabilitation center, she returned to her place without a plan or an...

By Michelle Robertson, SF Gate, August 17, 2021 One thousand two hundred and seventy. It’s a number Felisia Thibodeaux can list off the top of her head. That’s because it's the number of people she has gotten vaccinated by direct referral so far — and the number keeps growing. Thibodeaux is the executive director of the Southwest Community Corporation, which operates out of the I.T. Bookman Community Center in San Francisco’s Ingleside Heights. Before the pandemic, Thibodeaux’s job entailed...

By Claudia Boyd Barret, East Bay Times, August 21, 2021 Krista Hayes, 32, of Oakland was delighted when she found out she and her husband were pregnant with their first child together. But she was also scared. She’d seen statistics showing that, as a Black woman in America, she was far more likely to die in childbirth, suffer labor complications or have a preterm baby than other women. She feared entrusting the momentous process of having a baby to a medical system that she felt had often...

From Vote Save America, August 2021 *Interactive website with voting information for California voters. California! Back in the day, people searched your state for gold. Now, they search for a place with oat milk (which is just as expensive.) But California has a lot going for it. So all you shiny, happy people running on beaches better be exercising YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE as well. Here’s everything you need to know in the Golden State. You may have heard about this "recall election." You may be...

By Rob Waters, California Health Care Foundation, August 17, 2021 When the coronavirus pandemic struck California in March 2020, community health workers at a group of school-based family resource centers in Chula Vista made a pivot. The schools where they worked closed abruptly, and it was no longer safe to meet clients in person. They started working the phones, reaching out to families to find out what they needed. As it turned out, they needed a lot. “They are desperate. They don’t have...

It's time register for the 2021 Virtual Latinx Health Policy Summit, “ #NuestroFuturoNuestroPoder : Advancing a Just COVID-19 Recovery Plan and Achieving Latinx Health Equity through Systems Transformation.” happening September 29th & 30th. The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California invites you to its 2021 Virtual Health Policy Summit! The 2021 Virtual Health Policy Summit will bring together grass tops and grassroots public health leaders from throughout the State of California for a...

By Ninez A. Ponce, Susan H. Babey, Tara Becker, et al., UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, August 27, 2021 Summary: Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, providing health insurance to Californians with low incomes, including about 40% of the state’s children, half of Californians with disabilities, over a million seniors, and about one in six working adults. In total, the program covers around 13 million Californians, nearly one-third of the state’s population. However, coverage...