Tagged With "coronavirus survivor"
Blog Post
2 Webinars from Strategies 2.0
Empower Latin American Communities to Prevent Sex Trafficking 10am to 11:30am on 6/13/19 A 90-minute webinar focusing on the scope and overview of sex trafficking of Mexico and Latin America and how it connects to the United States. This webinar will increase awareness of the vulnerabilities Spanish-speaking populations face, increase access to human trafficking victim and survivor services, and highlight resources/tools to educate Mexican and Latin American communities. Weaving in theory...
Blog Post
37th Annual Child Abuse Prevention Symposium Recap
"Speak Out! Confronting the Culture of Child Sexual Abuse and Secrecy" was the theme of Santa Clara County's 37th Annual Child Abuse Prevention Symposium which featured a Keynote conversation with Olympic Gold Medal winning gymnast and current UCLA Assistant Gymnastics Coach Jordyn Wieber. Jordyn, and other athletes and survivors of former USA Gymnastics team doctor and serial child sex abuser Larry Nassar, earlier spoke to a U.S. Senate Subcommittee about a “culture of silence” more...
Blog Post
A Fresno family got coronavirus. Advocates say language accessibility could've prevented it [fresnobee.com]
By Brianna Calix, The Fresno Bee, April 22, 2020 Government agencies and interpreters have rushed to make sure information about COVID-19 is available in various languages — but some hospital patients are falling through the cracks, according to at least one Fresno-area advocacy group. Naindeep Singh, the executive director of the Jakara Movement , says he’s heard several accounts in which medical providers rely too heavily on bilingual staff rather than provide interpretation and...
Blog Post
Bay Area educators help families in school districts hurt by coronavirus shutdowns [edsource.org]
By Theresa Harrington, EdSource, April 17, 2020 Even before the coronavirus struck, many families in Oakland Unified struggled to get by. But with residents forced to stay home and non-essential businesses closed, circumstances have turned dire. In response, many educators and community members are going far beyond their normal duties in these far-from-normal times. They are helping needy families with food, financial aid and technology through donations and fundraising campaigns. At some...
Blog Post
Become an Echo Trauma Trainer
I wanted to tell you about our SUMMER ACADEMY - TRAIN THE TRAINER - your opportunity to become a facilitator for Echo's Trauma & Resilience training. In June, we will be holding a 3-day intensive to train future Echo trainers and others who want to become facilitators in our 6-hour Trauma & Resilience training. Covering the basics, such as the Adverse Childhood Experience Study, the triune brain, the impact of trauma on the nervous system, trauma responses and trauma-informed care,...
Blog Post
Being homeless during coronavirus adds hardship for California college student [edsource.org]
By Marisa Martinez, EdSource, April 17, 2020 Mornings for student Cristina Zetino at California State University, Los Angeles are as normal as they can be. Before she packs up her things, she checks in with the family that offers her an occasional place to lay her head for the night. The self-described “couch surfer” alternates between three different homes throughout the week while juggling work and classes. Always in her possession are three bags: “One bag for school, one for clothes and a...
Blog Post
Bipartisan trauma resolution passes the House unanimously
In the late afternoon on Feb. 26, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H. Res. 443 , a resolution recognizing the importance and effectiveness of trauma-informed care and calling for a national trauma awareness month and trauma-informed awareness day. The impetus for the resolution resides with the First Lady of Wisconsin, Tonette Walker, who has taken a strong leadership role in advancing trauma-informed policy and practice statewide through Fostering Futures , and has elevated...
Blog Post
Butte County's low-income children suffer in coronavirus pandemic [chicoer.com]
By Natalie Hanson, Chico Enterprise-Record, May 11, 2020 It’s not unusual to see Chapman Elementary’s Principal Mike Allen driving through neighborhoods in the Chapman neighborhood, knocking on students’ doors and bringing food, toiletries and other supplies. Since the California shelter-in-place order, Allen said to keep making physical contact with children, he has made home visits to about 20 households. After calling every family, the school is trying to get back in touch with 15-20...
Blog Post
California may start next school year sooner if coronavirus is under control [sfchronicle.com]
By Alexei Koseff, San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2020 California schools could reopen this summer to help make up for a “learning loss” that early closures forced by the coronavirus pandemic caused this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Schools typically start the academic year in mid- to late August, but the governor said that might be moved up to as early as July if the pandemic is under control. “We recognize there has been a learning loss,” Newsom said at a news conference. “We...
Blog Post
'We're Petrified': Immigrants Afraid to Seek Medical Care for Coronavirus [nytimes.com]
By Miriam Jordan, The New York Times, March 18, 2020 LOS ANGELES — The coronavirus was not on the agenda when a legal-aid group two months ago invited farmworkers who toil in the date groves, lemon orchards and vineyards of California’s Coachella Valley to an information session about immigration issues. But when Luz Gallegos and her team showed up over the weekend, they were cornered by people who peppered them with questions about the virus. On Monday, public health authorities announced...
Blog Post
Webinar Slides and Recording: The Human Impact of Climate Change
Recorded live November 13, 2019. Find the slides attached below. Speaker: Elaine Miller-Karas, MSW, LCSW, Executive Director and Co-founder, Trauma Resource Institute. Guest: Kelly Doty, MA, Strengthening Families Program Manager, Youth for Change Host: Carey Sipp, Southeast Community Facilitator, ACEs Connection. Climate change emergencies are real and the human toll during and in the aftermath impact children, teens and adults. This webinar will hear from Kelly Doty, a survivor, who lost...
Blog Post
Webinar: The Human Impact of Climate Change
The Community Resiliency Model Disaster Relief Program Climate change emergencies are real and the human toll during and in the aftermath impact children, teens and adults. This webinar will hear from Kelly Doty, a survivor, who lost her home in Paradise and is working in a community-based program to help the children and their parents in the aftermath. Elaine Miller-Karas, the key developer of the Community Resiliency Model Disaster Relief Program, will explain the program and how it helps...
Blog Post
What California Parents and Students should know about the Coronavirus: A Quick Guide [edsource.org]
By Theresa Harrington, EdSource, March 16, 2020 This Q & A is being updated to reflect latest developments. It was last updated March 17 at 2:08 pm. Q:How many districts have closed schools in California? A: More than 99 percent of the state’s school districts (939 districts) announced they will close this week due to the coronavirus as of noon on March 18. Schools will be closed for at least 6,065,337 students in California, about 99 percen t of all K-12 students in the state. Gov.
Blog Post
What Will It Be Like When the Lockdown Lifts? [psychologytoday.com]
By Bryan E. Robinson, Psychology Today, April 15, 2020 Although we don’t know exactly when, at some point in the future self-isolation will end, and many of us will return to offices, restaurants, and houses of worship. But what will that look like? One thing for sure, we will never return to normal; we will return to “a new normal.” And each of us will have repair work to do as we re-enter the world of physical proximity to coworkers and reconnecting with friends, neighbors, and loved ones.
Blog Post
When Being Trauma-Informed Is Not Enough
Trauma-informed care is the new gold standard. For the last several years, Echo has been providing professional development in trauma-informed care but we’re beginning to notice a worrying aspect of the new push to train staff and transform systems. Some human service professionals are seeing ‘trauma-informed care’ as another skill to add to their resume or a box to check off on a grant proposal. But if the information stays with the professionals and is not used to empower survivors, then...
Blog Post
Why California native tribes are cautious about ending the shutdown. 'We can't lose a single elder' [sacbee.com]
By Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler, The Sacramento Bee, May 6, 2020 Sherry Scott joined the rebellion in some parts of the state against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order at a protest with dozens of others in Crescent City on Friday. The next day, buoyed by the experience, Scott and her business partner invited customers to eat at her Log Cabin Diner in Klamath, an outpost along Highway 101 at the mouth of the river that gives the town its name. “In those three days, we’ve had people...
Blog Post
Why not share information on trauma and resilience directly with survivors?
The Echo conference is known for shining a light on new developments in the trauma field, and this year, our "And Still We Rise" conference will be no different. Only the difference this year is that we will be doing something revolutionary in our field - providing information on trauma and resilience DIRECTLY TO SURVIVORS . Historically, the conference audience has been service providers and - as any trauma survivor will tell you - it is imperative that our services, systems, and...
Blog Post
You Can't Be Trauma-Informed If You Can't See the Trauma
Trauma-informed care should be like universal precautions – in the same way you wouldn’t clean up a blood spill without wearing gloves, you should always assume that someone has experienced trauma and treat them accordingly. Only it doesn’t happen that way. Once our indignation or any other parts of our wounded selves come into play, that usually goes out of the window unless you have been conditioned to wear a trauma-informed lens. And even then, there will be times we fail. Let me give you...
Ask the Community
CA AB 989: Bill to combat Institutionalized Child Abuse in Public Education
AB 989 was announced today. As a survivor and now activist- this bill is a "boots on the ground" oversight program to act as first responders, case managers and provide procedural guidance to victims and their families of Educator Sexual Misconduct and prevent child endangerment by the common practice of cover-up. We will be going to committee in Sacramento within the next month but if anyone is interested in further information or curious about supporting the legisation- please contact me...
Blog Post
Sheltering in Place: ACEs-Informed Tips for Self-Care During a Pandemic
Millions of lives have been affected in unprecedented ways by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are all grappling with uncertainty—our daily routines interrupted, not knowing what is to come. For those of us who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), these times can be particularly distressing. At the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), we know that childhood trauma can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and well-being – both physiologically and psychologically. Since the...
Blog Post
Six Bay Area counties extend coronavirus school closures to May 4 [sfchronicle.com]
By Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, March 25, 2020 Officials in six Bay Area counties announced they will shutter all schools until May 4, extending coronavirus closures for what will be at least a seven-week stretch. The coordinated decision aligns the closure schedule for hundreds of schools and nearly 1 million students in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The decision follows an announcement by Los Angeles Unified last week to close...
Blog Post
Solano County launches its ACEs and resilience initiative inviting all to take action
Elizabeth Huntley recalls the day when her family’s life was turned upside down. “One day my mom woke up and she packed up all of our clothes, all five of us…and she took me and my younger sister who had the same father… down to my paternal grandmother’s house…and she left us there. She took my middle sister to a town near Birmingham, Ala., and left her there. She took my only brother and an older sister back to Huntsville and left them at a sister’s house. Then she went back to that housing...
Blog Post
"Someone will contract the virus here:" Meet homeless Californians trying to survive a pandemic [calmatters.org]
By Byrhonda Lyons, Cal Matters, April 30, 2020 The vast majority of people who were unhoused in California before coronavirus swept across the state are exactly where they were. Encampments still line the streets. Shelters feel more like a risk than a refuge. And affordable housing is as elusive as ever. Watch as they capture moments from their everyday lives — and talk about how they struggle to stay safe and healthy under circumstances that have often grown only more hazardous. For the...
Blog Post
Speaking and training services from a first-hand, tenaciously resilient experience
My name is Rebekah Couch and I am a former teen mother of five children, the youngest child being my only clean & sober pregnancy allowed to remain in my care. I am a survivor of multiple sexual assaults and was afflicted with untreated mental health issues as an adolescent. My destructive journey began with self-medicating and illegal activities in Jr. High and a daily cocaine addiction by the age of fifteen that eventually advanced to methamphetamine abuse. My addiction and criminal...
Blog Post
Spirituality in Post-Traumatic Growth
One of the five domains of post-traumatic growth is spirituality. Helping us understand the role of spirituality in recovering from trauma at the Echo Frontiers of Resilience conference is Shaun Tomson . If you think the name and face look familiar then perhaps you know him from his days as a world champion surfer. Shaun needed every single one of the lessons he had learned about facing challenges in the form of towering waves and overcoming wipe-outs when he lost his 15-year-old son to a...
Blog Post
Sacrifices Californians Make Together to Slow Spread of Coronavirus are Worth It [chcf.org]
By Sandra R. Hernandez, California Health Care Foundation, March 16, 2020 We have entered an important new chapter in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic: After a week filled with school closures and the cancellation of major public events of all kinds, Congress and President Donald Trump are hopefully close to a deal to address the spread of the dangerous coronavirus. This clear-headed collaboration by our political leaders is welcome for the immediate relief it will bring and because it...
Blog Post
Survivor Stories to Build Partnerships: Tools for Domestic Violence Service Providers [jsi.com]
By John Snow, Inc., April 2020 The connection between domestic violence (DV), social determinants of health, and other pressing issues may not always be clear to potential partners who do not work in the DV/trauma prevention fields. JSI developed a set of tools for domestic violence service providers—in the form of stories—to address this gap. The first three stories depict the connection between DV and a key social issue (housing instability, economic insecurity, or childhood adversity).
Blog Post
‘Survivor strong’: Resilience follows trauma [Recordnet.com]
STOCKTON — Life goes on and you can have a positive impact on the world after a traumatic loss. That’s the message many survivors and family members of violent crime victims shared Monday at the Stockton waterfront as they walked or ran a 5-kilometer course to remember a loved one lost to homicide. Roshan Campos never misses the opportunity to support victims and family members. The mother of Carlitha Villalobos, who was 19 when she was shot to death with two other young people in north...
Blog Post
The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of California
While the impact of maltreatment on a child and their family is devastating, child maltreatment also has serious effects far beyond those for the victim. Maltreatment results in ongoing costs to taxpayers, institutions, businesses, and society at large. Local communities bear the brunt of these costs in the form of medical, educational, and judicial costs, though more tragic signs are seen in homelessness, addiction, and teen pregnancy. To create a concrete understanding of the widespread...
Calendar Event
Origins Training Facebook Live
Calendar Event
Strategies 2.0 Webinar
Blog Post
'This is a cry for help': ICE detainees beg California lawmakers to intervene after coronavirus death [sfchronicle.com]
By Tatiana Sanchez, San Francisco Chronicle, May 13, 2020 More than 40 immigrants being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego are alleging that a detainee’s recent death due to COVID-19 was caused by reckless and inhumane conditions, according to a letter begging the governor and other California lawmakers to intervene. “This is a cry for help,” said detainee Oscar Nevarez, one of 43 immigrants at Otay Mesa who supported the letter after detainee Carlos Escobar Mejia died on...
Blog Post
UCSF sends doctor and nurses to largest Native American reservation, hard-hit by coronavirus [sfchronicle.com]
By Mallory Moench, San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2020 UCSF sent 21 health care workers - seven doctors and 14 nurses - Wednesday to treat patients in the Navajo Nation hard-hit by the coronavirus. UCSF-trained doctors working on the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. asked San Francisco colleagues for help as the outbreak strains the health care system. Navajo Nation, where around 175,000 people live spread over 27,500 square miles in New Mexico and Arizona, has recorded...
Blog Post
UCSF sets up coronavirus hotline [sfchronicle.com]
From San Francisco Chronicle, March 25, 2020 UC San Francisco is using a hotline to deal with patients with suspected coronavirus. Health care navigators have been taking about 250 calls a week — 466 on March 17 alone- since the virus outbreak. Navigators screen and classify patients as negative or positive and have escalated up to 100 positive cases in a single day. More advanced practice nursing students will soon join the six current navigators to deal with the demand. [ Please click here...
Blog Post
Echo Conference March 11-12, 2020: And Still We Rise! — Early Bird Pricing Ends Friday
EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS FRIDAY, FEB 28! $90 /individuals; $150/ professionals* . *Professionals are those attending on behalf of their organization, and Individuals are those attending of their own accord.* The Echo conference, which is being held in Los Angeles next month, is known for shining a light on new developments in the trauma field, and this year, our "And Still We Rise" conference will be no different. Only the difference this year is that we will be doing something revolutionary...
Blog Post
Ella Baker Truth and Reinvestment Justice Teams underway in 8 CA Counties
There are various forms of emergency preparedness for natural disasters. From an early age, one learns how to put out a fire, board up their home if a hurricane or tornado is coming, or drop under a desk if an earthquake hits—but low-income communities of color have little to no response to more frequent incidences of state violence in the streets and inside of jails. The Justice Teams for Truth and Reinvestment will be the local rapid response networks inside of eight different counties...
Blog Post
Equity on the Mall
On behalf of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund (SJVHF), we invite you to join state legislative and community leaders in a day of advocacy entitled Equity on the Mall, taking place on February 9 at our state capitol in Sacramento. Thursday, February 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. California State Capitol 1315 10th Street, Sacramento The day will include a powerful program at the West Steps of the Capitol on the movement being built in the San Joaquin Valley. Highlights will include remarks by elected...
Blog Post
Event at Sacramento State: A Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Victims
Mark your calendars: On January 16, 2018 My Sister's House hosts event at Sac State, on trauma informed interventions for human trafficking victims.
Blog Post
FREE Resilience Workshop (8/16/19) on How to Support Someone Who Has Experienced Trauma
Join us at Berkeley City College for a free workshop, How To Support Someone Who Has Experienced Trauma. Event flyer attached.
Blog Post
From One Survivor to Another, Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking Escape and Stay Safe [sandiegotribune.com]
By Lisa Deaderick, The San Diego Tribune, December 22, 2019 Marjorie Saylor remembers a woman who was looking for help leaving her trafficker. The woman was pregnant and waiting for a bed at a shelter to open up, but she had to wait on the street, alone and in the cold. Her trafficker found her and took her with him. “I never heard from her again. She only had a week left to go before her bed opened up, but the two weeks she toughed it out waiting on the street kept her in harm’s reach,”...
Blog Post
Latino's coronavirus burden [sfchronicle.com]
By Joaquin Palomino and Tatiana Sanchez, San Francisco Chronicle, May 8, 2020 As people came into San Francisco General Hospital with chest pain, dry coughs and fevers — telltale signs of the new coronavirus — Dr. Vivek Jain noticed an unsettling pattern: The vast majority of people so sick that they needed to be hospitalized were Latino. Jain, an infectious disease specialist who is part of the team directing the hospital’s COVID-19 response, was prepared to see an influx of low-income...
Blog Post
Long Lives Cut Short [sfchronicle.com]
By Lizzie Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, May 15, 2020 He shuffled out of the house on Innes Avenue, shoulders hunched and legs trembling. The early spring day was clear and breezy. Sunshine baked the driveway. But Wilbur Morris didn’t notice. He settled into the front seat of his daughter’s gray Mercury Mirage, too weak to buckle the seat belt or shut the door, so she did it for him. Wilbur had been a healthy 80-year-old. His preferred drink was nonalcoholic beer. He jogged 3 miles every...
Blog Post
Love in the time of Coronavirus: HOPE-informed thoughts for parents
reposted from https://positiveexperience.org/ This has been quite a week, and we are now facing major disruptions in our own family lives. There is no doubt that the events of this winter and spring will be memorable for children. In that spirit, here are a few ideas to help make those memories (at least somewhat) happy. Addressing Children’s Fears Parents can do a lot to answer children’s fears. Here are the facts as we know them: although COVID-19 is certainly frightening, it is very...
Blog Post
Love in the TIme of Coronavirus: Inequities and Supporting Children
This blog is re-posted from positiveexperience.org/blog/ Link there for associated resources, and for the other blogs in the series. Having safe, stable, and equitable environments to live, learn and play forms the second of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE. Children need homes where they feel safe and secure and have their basic needs met. Children thrive in an environment that encourages curiosity and provides opportunities for learning to play and interact with other children. Today’s blog...
Blog Post
Most California voters say coronavirus is increasing inequality, especially among blacks, poll finds [latimes.com]
By Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2020 A strong majority of California voters believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased inequality in the United States, with many noting that the crisis has had the greatest impact on black people, according to a new poll. The poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies documents the hardship caused by the pandemic and the economic disruption surrounding it. The survey found that 70% of registered voters in the state somewhat...
Blog Post
Native People and Coronavirus: Maintaining community while separating [nativeorganizing.org]
From Native Organizers Alliance, April 22, 2020 We hope you and your loved ones are in good health. During this Coronavirus pandemic, we are all finding ways to support our families and communities in difficult circumstances. Native communities are adopting new ways of meeting the urgent needs of our communities, both physically and spiritually. We are using digital tools to maintain community and ceremony while physically separating for our safety. Please join us for a video conference to...
Blog Post
Nearly 124,000 sign up through Covered California; plans include free coronavirus testing [sfchronicle.com]
By Rusty Simmons, San Francisco Chronicle, May 20, 2020 Nearly 124,000 people have signed up for medical insurance through Covered California since March 20 as the state grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and startling unemployment numbers. According to the state health care marketplace, 123,810 people have sought insurance during Covered California’s special open-enrollment period. The exchange is generally open from Oct. 15 to Jan. 31, but it extended the period amid the crisis. “When...