Blog

PC Reacts is a new series by PACEs Connection in which we look at current events through a trauma-informed and PACEs science lens. In the next episode in this series, we will respectfully and mindfully discuss issues that are adjacent to Britney Spears' public struggle with mental health, human rights, as she fights to end her conservatorship with her father. The emphasis of our conversation will be on positive and adverse childhood experiences and potential trauma experienced for children...

By Amanda Merck, ¡Salud America!, June 28, 2021 For the first time, the Healthy People 2030 guidelines have added four objectives on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a step to recognize the systemic impact of childhood trauma on health. ACEs, such as abuse and poverty, are a public health crisis . None of the past Healthy People editions ─ 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 ─ had an objective to address ACEs as part of its national guidance to promote health and prevent disease. [ Please click here...

“Imperfect Storm: Lessons Learned from a Traumatic Year" The 2021 Global Health Virutal Summit on Violence and Abuse provides a collegial environment for participants to have a virtual front row seat to the latest science and practice in violence and abuse treatment and prevention from a very traumatic 2020. Last year, our world experienced trauma in many areas such as racism, a pandemic, political unrest, human trafficking, and more. This year's summit encourages lessons learned to foster a...

By Jocelyn Weiner, Cal Matters, June 30, 2021 En una tarde de finales de mayo, los miembros de la clase de último año de Madison Park Academy se pusieron relucientes vestidos blancos y gorras con borlas decoradas con flores de tela y mensajes de celebración. Para la mayoría, fue la primera y última vez en más de un año que habían caminado en su campus de East Oakland. Entre ellos se encontraba Eduardo Mendoza Miguel, un inmigrante guatemalteco que pasó el año pasado practicando su inglés...

CalEndow Live Virtual Programming Presents Maria Hinojosa Storytelling for Impact A Virtual Event Wednesday, August 25 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Pacific Join CalEndow Live in conversation with media trailblazer Maria Hinojosa about lifting community voices and crafting stories that make a difference. Maria has hosted Latino USA on National Public Radio for nearly 20 years and created The Futuro Media Group in 2010 to harness the power of independent and community-based journalists. Maria will share...

By Linda Grabbe, Melinda K. Higgins, Marianne Baird, and Katherine M. Pfeiffer, Trauma Resource Institute, July 2021 Background: Front-line workers (FLW) are at risk for secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and related psychiatric sequelae: depression, anxiety, suicidality, posttraumatic stress disorder, and sleep and substance use disorders. FLW are in need of self-care programs to support their mental health. Methods: Quasi-experimental study to assess the impact of a simple mental...

By Jocelyn Wiener, Cal Matters, June 30, 2021 On a breezy late May afternoon, members of Madison Park Academy’s senior class donned shimmery white gowns and tasseled caps decorated with fabric flowers and celebratory messages. For most, it was the first and last time in more than a year they had set foot on their East Oakland campus. Among them stood Eduardo Mendoza Miguel, a Guatemalan immigrant who spent the past year practicing his English watching Youtube and TikTok videos, and struggled...

By Deja Thomas, Public Policy Institute of California, August 4, 2021 In the year since George Floyd’s murder led to widespread protests, racism and discrimination have remained very much in the news. The uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare racial and ethnic disparities in health care, education, and employment, and a recent surge in anti-Asian sentiment has generated concern. While discussions about these and other important issues have spurred some state and federal...

By Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee, July 21, 2021 Fresno has one of the most intense urban heat islands in the country , according to a new report by the nonprofit news organization Climate Central. Fresno stands with other California cities such as San Francisco, Sacramento , and Salinas on a list of the top 20 urban heat islands in the United States. Generally, urban heat islands calculate the temperature difference between a city and its surrounding areas. However, temperatures can vary...

By Avram Goldstein, California Health Care Foundation, August 2, 2021 In this extraordinary era of pandemic isolation, social distancing, and masking, it makes perfect sense that loneliness and its impact on mental and physical health would garner literary attention. Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, the US surgeon general, released a book early in the pandemic saying America is experiencing a loneliness epidemic . Murthy reported that chronic loneliness works this way: Persistent stress increases...

By Natalie Bettendorf, Crosstown, August 2, 2021 In the past year, the Los Angeles Police Department has come under intense scrutiny, as advocates for racial justice demanded it reform the way it interacts with Black, Hispanic and other communities of color. But in one significant way, the LAPD has altered its approach to law enforcement: It is putting fewer people in handcuffs. Though the roots of this change can be traced back a decade, the decline in arrests has accelerated recently. In...

By Heather Forkey, Moira Szilagyi, Erin T. Kelly, and James Duffee, American Academy of Pediatrics, August 2021 Abstract Most children will experience some type of trauma during childhood, and many children suffer from significant adversities. Research in genetics, neuroscience, and epidemiology all provide evidence that these experiences have effects at the molecular, cellular, and organ level, with consequences on physical, emotional, developmental, and behavioral health across the life...