April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the most recent data from the Florida Department of Health shows Charlotte County with the fourth highest rate of child abuse in the state for children ages 5 through 11.

Introducing the Healthy Charlotte elevator speech!

Trauma. “A widespread, harmful and costly public health problem. It occurs as a result of violence, abuse, neglect, loss, disaster, war and other emotionally harmful experiences. Trauma has no boundaries with regard to age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, geography or sexual orientation.” To say that COVID-19 has in some way been a traumatic experience for everyone would be an understatement. It has had far reaching effects on individual health and well-being and economic...

The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County (DOH-Charlotte) is pleased to announce that the 2021-2023 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is complete and now available. Healthy Charlotte, an initiative of the Department of Health in Charlotte County, composed of local community agencies and county residents, has come together to address Adverse Childhood Experiences through the community's health improvement plan. Recent data on child abuse and neglect, opioid/substance abuse,...

Good morning PACEs Connection! One of the ways our local community is working to raise awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is through an upcoming week-long awareness campaign in November. We are collaborating with Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) through various media campaigns and we need YOUR HELP ! We would like to get brief testimonials of positive childhood experiences. They can be: 20-30 second video clips of you, friends, or family (that would like to participate),...

Monday, November 15 th , 2021 marks the launch of Charlotte County’s ACEs awareness week to raise awareness about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and to highlight the importance of fostering Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) in the lives of our children and youth. Last year, the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners granted an ACEs awareness county proclamation; however, still in the throws of COVID-19 precautions and response, our community was unable to celebrate the...

Visit our FB page today and every day this week to follow our ACEs Awareness Campaign 2021: Healthy Charlotte County - Posts | Facebook ..........and remember to register for FREE screenings of Resilience: The Biology of Stress and The Science of Hope on Wednesday, November 15, 2021 and One Nation Under Stress on Friday, November 19, 2021. Both hosted by Health Planning Council of SWFL . Register for FREE using the links below: Resilience:...

Good morning PACEs Community, Today begins a full week-long campaign of raising awareness about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) that make all the difference! Visit the Healthy Charlotte Facebook page throughout today and each day this week to find more videos like the one below: https://youtu.be/1YEuiwHVpoY #JOINTHEVILLAGE! #CharlotteCountyACEsAware2021

Upwards of 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states have reported experiencing at least 1 ACE. In Florida, as of 2019, 65.3% of adults surveyed for the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) reported having experienced at least 1 or more ACEs. This is an increase from 49.7% when surveyed in 2010. #JOINTHEVILLAGE! #CharlotteCountyACEsAware2021

#JOINTHEVILLAGE! #CharlotteCountyACEsAware2021 #BreaktheCycle of #AdverseChildhoodExperiences

#CharlotteCountyACEsAware2021 #JOINTHEVILLAGE !

For Charlotte County's Day 2 ACEs Awareness Campaign, our Featured Agency is Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity. FEATURED AGENCY: Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity Housing is the foundation to healthy living. Secure, stable, clean housing gives families the chance to maintain security and stability in other areas of their lives including mental health, work, and school. In 2017, inadequate housing accounted for 14.7% of child removals from homes in Charlotte County, FL. As of July...

Positive Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Shared. They make all the difference! #CharlotteCountyACEsAware2021 #JOINTHEVILLAGE !

For Charlotte County's Day 1 ACEs Awareness Campaign, our Featured Agency is the Charlotte County Substance Exposed Newborn (SEN) Task Force. Substance Exposed Newborn (SEN): Charlotte County Substance Exposed Newborn (SEN) Taskforce formed in May of 2017 as part of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) taskforce on Maternal and Child Health. The group consists of nurses and community partner representatives from various agencies including Bayfront Hospital, DOH-Charlotte, Charlotte...

The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County (DOH-Charlotte) will be hosting our second Community Conversation Friday, December 3, 2021 in partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Department of Health Sciences, Marieb College of Health & Human Services. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Shelby Gilbert, Associate Professor of Public Health at FGCU. Dr. Gilbert will present and lead us in a discussion on community health disparities and inequities in transportation access...