Join the Illinois ACE’s Response Collaborative and Andrea Ortez of Partnership for Resilience to discuss how organizers, educators, and clinicians can utilize community partnerships to provide trauma-informed support to both teachers and students. Partnership for Resilience, originally known as the “Southland Education and Health Initiative,” works to increase the capacity of teachers, administrators, and health care professionals by establishing meaningful and impactful partnerships between...

Perhaps it wasn’t the optimum time to update the network’s vision and values statements: a virtual meeting held in the midst of a global pandemic. But a record number of people—51, compared to the typical 30—tuned in for the May 1 Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) Collective Impact Council, and they gave the new values statement, which highlights inclusivity and collaboration, an enthusiastic thumbs-up. At the virtual table were members from key state departments—Children...

Patients would carry soda into Dr. Gerard Clancy’s office, with cigarettes tucked away for after therapy. Often victims of abuse or violent crime, they would seek soothing but risky behaviors to cope. Overweight. Chronic pain. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Type II diabetes. His former patients will die younger than they should, he said. Clancy conducted therapy sessions until he became president of the University of Tulsa in 2016. At his psychiatry clinic, he saw firsthand how a...

Life expectancy is highly correlated with ACE scores and complex childhood trauma. Enter your address or zip code to know what the health outcomes are in your neighborhoods and communities. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Life Expectancy Calculator

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual National Council for Behavioral Health Conference. I have been to my fair share of conferences but #NatCon19 was one of the best. First, I'm biased. It took place in my city, Nashville, TN . And the venue was the world renowned Opryland Hotel's Gaylord Convention Center . And, I love, love, love the Opryland Hotel ! As any seasoned conference goer, I had a strategy when it came to which sessions and events I wanted to attend. My game...

I'm excited to announce the newest ACEs Connection geographic community for my region, the Midwest & TN: Ardmore OK Behavioral Health Collaborative . This community is a partnership of local organizations taking a trauma-informed stance on behavioral health in Carter County, OK. Their goal is to build a healthy, connected and resilient community. The community manager is Ashley Godwin . Ashley Godwin joined Ardmore Behavioral Health Collaborative in March 2017 as the Director where she...

Dear Illinois ACE Connection members, Children and families from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Illinois experience trauma, adversity, and chronic stress. Social determinants such as where we live, work, and play, can further exacerbate positive or negative physical, emotional, and behavioral health issues. The critical factor that determines if a child, family, and/or community can manage trauma, adversity, and chronic stress successfully is resilience : the process by...

Communities Coming Together at Trauma-Informed Chicago Summit: Connecting for a Resilient Future The Collaborative was thrilled to cohost “Trauma-Informed Chicago Summit: Connecting for a Resilient Future" with the Chicago Department of Public Health on Thursday, September 12 th at the UIC Forum. A sold-out crowd of more than 500 attendees from across Chicago gathered to get updates on Chicago’s commitment to becoming a trauma-informed city, discuss the work they are doing throughout the...

I was honored to have my review article, “Childhood Adversity and Lifelong Health: from research to action”, chosen as the November 2018 cover story of the Journal of Family Practice . Here is a link to the article. Access is free after registration with the journal and retrievable directly by anyone who has Medline PubMed access. https://www.mdedge.com/jfponline/article/178388/pediatrics/childhood-adversity-lifelong-health-research-action Highlights from the article include: - recognition...

Join the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative on Wednesday, December 18th at 10:30 EST/9:30 CST for this free learning opportunity highlighting the role of academic and community partnerships to address the effects of ACEs and trauma in a rural setting. The town of Boone, North Carolina and its home county Watauga, located in the rural Appalachian High Country region of the state, has served as a catalyst for change in addressing adverse childhood experiences and the health risks associated...

Thank you to my esteemed colleague, Integrative Family Physician and University of Texas Distinguished Professor, Dr Victor Sierpina, for his article about Childhood Adversity and Health in the Galveston County Daily News, Dec 25 2018 which highlighted my JFP article. https://www.galvnews.com/healt...b8-2b28534316e6.html