A hearing of unprecedented scope and depth (this link will take you to a list of witnesses and all of their statements plus an overview memo on the hearing from committee staff) on ACEs science and childhood trauma — " Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Childhood Trauma: A Pervasive Public Health Issue that Needs Greater Federal Attention " — will be held today in the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. You can watch the live stream at 10:00 am ET through this link . Eleven witnesses...

Many of you may be familiar with the “Pair of ACEs” from the George Washington School of Public Health and the natural question that comes from this model – “What’s in your soil?” (If you aren’t familiar, learn more here .) Communities across the State of Kansas are starting conversations around, not only the impact of ACEs, but also the larger issues of Prevention, Health Equity, and Trauma-Informed Systems of Care. In June, the TISC team at WSU CEI had the opportunity to facilitate and...

Those of you who know me, know that I ADORE that lovable, furry old monster, Grover. Grover was a deeply comforting character for my family during a very stressful time and continues to serve as a positive symbol for a pretty rough chapter in our life story. While Sesame Street has been supporting preschool learners and their families across the globe for generations, the resources it brings to the communities of this generation have been wonderful to watch grow and develop. From Julia, (who...

May 12-18 is National Prevention Week, an observance dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health. An essential strategy in building individual, organizational, and community well-being is self-care. Alive and Well Communities is hosting #AliveandWellfor5 on May 15 at 10:15 a.m. CDT (and throughout the day), encouraging everyone to take a 5 minute pause wherever you are to practice personal self-care. For more information about...

Join us, and share your voice at the Kansas Prevention Conference! Kansas Prevention Conference 2019 Wichita Hyatt Regency 400 W. Waterman St. Wichita, KS 67202 October 1-3, 2019 The Kansas Prevention Collaborative is in full-swing preparation for the 2019 KPC Prevention Conference . Currently, the Call for Presentations and Call for Sponsorships are open. Last year we sold out with over 200 participants from over 50 cities/towns across Kansas, representing more than 80 different...

As a follow up to last week's post from the Barton County Health Department, Shelly Schneider shares their journey to move the work into the community through RiseUP Barton County. "Barton County is experiencing an exciting opportunity with community members uniting together as a group of unusual voices meeting weekly to develop and launch an effort for not only building but executing a Trauma Informed Community of Resilience. Our efforts started 2 years ago when the Barton County Health...

One of the reasons that our team wanted to create this online community was so that we can share the stories of our amazing partners from across the state who are learning more about how traumatic stress impacts their organizations and the people who they work with and alongside. The team at the Barton County Health Department in Great Bend, KS started their journey back in 2016. Over the next couple of weeks, Health Department Administrator, Shelly Schneider, shares their experiences both...

Some of you who know me, know that I am a huge fan of seeing movies in the theater. This week, I had the opportunity to see The Best of Enemies - which focused on the question of school integration in 1960s era North Carolina. As interesting as the true story was of the unlikely friendship that developed between community leaders with polarized opinions - I was particularly fascinated with the process that they used to get there. Here at CEI, we have the opportunity to work with a wide...

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...

Last week, our state hosted its annual Governor's Conference on Public Health in Manhattan, KS where trauma-informed practices are increasingly coming to the forefront of efforts to support healthier people and communities. Along with our valued partner, Shelly Schneider, Administrator of the Barton County Health Department, I had the opportunity to discuss with public health practitioners ways that they can make their organization the "go to" place to receive care in their communities...

This past week I was incredibly privileged to attend NatCon19 which is a national learning opportunity sponsored by the National Council on Behavioral Health. I had the opportunity to hear from some of the greatest thought leaders on Trauma-Informed Care and Resilience, including Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Stuart Ablon, and Dr. Anthony Salerno. Frankly, my brain is still swimming a bit from all of the ideas and information that was shared. Here are some of the big highlights: ACEs screeners are...

“What our students really crave the most is predictability from the adults interacting with them,” says Roger Sapp, a student success teacher at KIPP. For that reason, the one-on-one session is not a reward for being “good” or withheld if something bad happens. The kids who need it can count on it – every day. The scene is from a video by Edutopia (aka the George Lucas Educational Foundation), which has produced a series of more than 20 powerful, engaging shorts on how children learn in...