Tagged With "National Child Abuse Prevention Month"
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ACEs Connection's Inclusion Tool makes sure nobody's left out
We developed ACEs Connection's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Tool — called the Inclusion Tool, for short — to ensure that ACEs initiatives across the world focus on being inclusive when forming a steering committee, recruiting leaders, providing education about ACEs science, recruiting members, or providing resources and services within their communities. The more inclusive your ACEs initiative is, the more diverse it will be, giving your initiative a real shot at achieving equity and...
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Art, Drumming, Storytelling, Singing infuse Intergenerational Trauma event in Baltimore
On a beautiful fall day I drove up to Baltimore from my home in Washington, DC for an event I learned about in a post by Donna Jackson Nakazawa on the ACEs Connection group named after the title of her new, must-read book, Childhood...
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Baltimore uses trauma research to improve life for poor parents and their children [WashingtonPost.com]
One day, when she was 14 and feeling ill, Daylesha Brown’s mother took her to a Baltimore hospital and did not return for her. Child Protective Services (CPS) placed her in a group home and she was forced to move to other homes for the next three years. “My mother, she pushed me away,” Brown, now 23, said softly. “I was always getting in trouble with my mother.” So last year when Brown discovered her daughter, Sa-Maji, had lead poisoning, a lingering problem in Baltimore where the rate of...
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CDC's 'Connecting the Dots' Tool
Great new Resource from CDC shared with me from Dr. Kevin Sherin, Health Officer & Director of Florida Department of Health in Orange County, Florida. Welcome to the Connections Selector! This tool makes it easier for you to connect the dots and explore the relationships between multiple types of violence and the risk and protective factors they share at each level of the social-ecological model (SEM). A clear understanding of these connections can help you plan strategies to prevent...
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County focuses on reducing number of adults traumatized in childhood
Note: This excellent article by Kate Masters in the daily Frederick, MD newspaper led me to talk to two of the people interviewed in the story and learn just how much is going on right in my neck of the woods in Frederick County (where I live in Washington, DC is in the same Metro Statistical Area). Anne Soule, Director of Family Support Services, Mental Health Association of Frederick County, and Lynn Davis, Director, Child Advocacy Center of Frederick County, have been working together...
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Delegate CT Wilson Sponsors Trauma-Informed Legislation to Reform the Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse
https://tinyurl.com/qqp2et4
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Education, inspiration, and action—Maryland lawmakers take deeper dive into ACEs science and how it informs policy
While members of the Maryland General Assembly did not dominate the Dec. 13th “MGA ACEs Roundtable” in numbers, they commanded the room and enlivened a focus on how ACEs science can inform current and future policies considered by elected officials.
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Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland Partners with Bel Air Police Department to Implement the Drug Abatement Response Team (DART)
(Bel Air, Md) In an attempt to break the cycle of addiction, Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland has partnered with the Bel Air Police Department, the Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy, and other local agencies to form the Bel Air Drug Abatement Response Team (DART).
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Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention Hosts Handle With Care Training to Support Children After Trauma: 300 Attendees Begin Statewide Program Expansion
ANNAPOLIS, MD – More than 300 law enforcement personnel, school administrators, staff, and mental health practitioners from across the state gathered yesterday for Handle with Care training, funded by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention. This initiative seeks to mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by providing trauma-informed services inside Maryland schools that help prevent future victimization and/or delinquency. Already underway in Washington County, Handle...
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Roadmap to Resilience Infographic: Guide
The steps indicated by the numbers are grouped by color on the Roadmap to Resilience infographic . The group wisdom from the people who have embarked on this journey (i.e., the case studies in the Community Resilience Cookbook ) was: You don't have...
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Handle With Care Program Expands Throughout Maryland
Additional Counties to Join, New Website Provides Resources for Trauma-Informed Support for Maryland Children ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) today announced the expansion of Handle With Care Maryland, a program designed to help children who are exposed to violence through seamless and careful communication and collaboration between law enforcement and schools. Under the model, if a student has witnessed or had a traumatic experience the night...
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Harford County Child Advocacy Center Donates Books, DVDs to Harford County Public Library
Harford County Child Advocacy Center donated forty-nine (49) books and eight (8) DVDs to Harford County Public Library to help raise community awareness about childhood adversity and its negative effects on lifelong health and social outcomes.
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Harford County Public Schools to Pilot Handle With Care Program at Joppatowne Area Schools
Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) , the Harford County Sheriff’s Office , and the Harford County Child Advocacy Center have collaborated to launch a Handle With Care pilot program in the Jopppatowne area for the 2018-19 school year. The Handle With Care program promotes a school-community partnership aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to trauma in their home or community receive appropriate interventions to help them heal and thrive to the best of their ability, despite the...
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Hot off the presses! CDC Preventing ACEs: Leveraging the Best Available Evidence
Hot off the presses, here's the link to a publication released today by the CDC Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs):Leveraging the Best Available Evidence to help states and communities prioritize efforts to prevent ACEs. This resource features six strategies to prevent ACEs drawn from the CDC Technical Packages to Prevent Violence : Strengthen economic supports for families Promote social norms that protect against violence and adversity Ensure a strong start for children...
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Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate Program Launching in Howard County
This certificate program is directed to front-line service providers and agency administrators who wish to acquire essential knowledge and practical skills to work effectively with their youngest patients and families. This program serves bachelors and masters level (or higher) practitioners in the fields of Counseling, Education, Nursing, Psychology, Social Work or the equivalent. Applicants will be selected on the basis of their work history and commitment to the field. For more...
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Initiative underway to educate communities on impact of adverse childhood experiences on developing brains [baltimoresun.com]
Child advocates are launching a statewide initiative Wednesday to educate communities about the impact of trauma on developing brains and its correlation with poor health outcomes. The Family Tree, a nonprofit that works to prevent childhood abuse and neglect, is helping to train professionals across sectors — from child care and the judicial system to churches and law enforcement — on the the effects on the body and brain of physical abuse, neglect, domestic violence and parents who are...
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Inter-Generational Book Club - October 26th, 2019
For details and to Sign Up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inter-generational-book-club-october-tickets-77557278909 About this Event The Inter-generational Book Club seeks to foster stronger connections between generations while exploring social justice challenges through books. The Inter-generational Book Club meets every fourth Saturday of the month where there is discussion and a fun book-specific activity afterwards. We are looking for people who are young adults, adults and elders. For...
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It's Time for Paid Family Leave
We all need time to care — for new babies, for aging parents, for loved ones with health needs or disabilities, or for helping ourselves. Help make Time to Care a Reality in Maryland. Sign up for coalition updates and get information about making a Maryland where every family has the time to care.
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Join Feb. 18th webinar on addressing ACEs in public policy
Please join this ACEs Connection co-sponsored webinar "Making Meaningful Change: Addressing ACEs through Public Policy" on Feb. 18 (11:30 am-1:00 pm ET) presented by the Health Federation of Philadelphia and MARC (Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities). In this webinar, three nationally recognized experts will discuss policy and advocacy strategies on a local, state, and national level using evidence from studies they have conducted with legislators and the general public. Speakers...
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Maryland Becomes the 8th State in the Country to Pass ACE-Informed Legislation this year
Just listened to ACEs Connection & 4CAKids Webinar on state legislation addressing legislation. With Governor Hogan's signing of HB 1582 (a State Health Director for Children within Child Welfare), Maryland became the eighth state to pass ACE-Informed legislation in 2018 according to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)! Many thanks to the lead sponsor of the bill Delegate CT Wilson, the Chairs and Members of the Appropriations and Finance Committee, Members of both...
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Maryland Essentials for Childhood Hosts Advocacy Day at the State Capital
Maryland Essentials for Childhood, a statewide initiative educating policy makers and communities on the science of ACEs, developing brains, and how we can build resilience for children, families and communities in Maryland, is poised to meet with Maryland elected officials this coming Thursday, ,February 7th, 9-1 pm. We will educate legislators on the science and policies that reduce or mitigate ACEs and other childhood trauma. Key policies being considered by the General Assembly are:...
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Maryland lawmakers attend conference on tackling child trauma through policy [Capital Gazette]
Photo caption and credit: Frank Kros, President of the Kros Learning Group, explains The N.E.A.R. Science to the group. The Maryland General Assembly held an event to inform them about how to make trauma informed policy decisions, and informing them about the consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). (Paul W. Gillespie) ____________________________________________________________ If adverse childhood experiences were eliminated entirely, rates of depression could plummet, heart...
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Maryland lawmakers attend conference on tackling child trauma through policy [Capital Gazette]
Photo caption and credit: Frank Kros, President of the Kros Learning Group, explains The N.E.A.R. Science to the group. The Maryland General Assembly held an event to inform them about how to make trauma informed policy decisions, and informing them about the consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). (Paul W. Gillespie) ____________________________________________________________ If adverse childhood experiences were eliminated entirely, rates of depression could plummet, heart...
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Maryland Wins $3.6M to Address Opioid Abuse During Pregnancy [washingtonpost.com]
By Associated Press, The Washington Post, January 7, 2020 Maryland’s Health Department has received $3.6 million in federal funding to address opioid use among pregnant and new mothers. The department launched the initiative, called the “Maternal Opioid Model,” this month, according to a statement released by the agency on Monday. The initiative focuses on improving substance abuse treatment for pregnant and postpartum mothers on Medicaid by providing them with additional resources during...
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More MD Moves: Promoting resilience & Partnering with Pratt
Resilience... an interesting word with many meanings for many people from many different walks of life. But that's the point... isn't it? In order to truly promote and support the resilience movement, we must ensure that everyone has a seat at the table. In that spirit, Enoch Pratt Library has officially joined the movement!! Libraries across Baltimore will be hosting Resilience film screenings and discussion panels for community members and stakeholders. This is a wonderful opportunity for...
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More Moves in MD: Promoting Resilience & Partnering with Pratt library
Resilience... An interesting word with many meanings for many people from many different walks of life. But that's the point... isn't it? In order to truly promote & support the resilience movement we must ensure that everyone has a set at the table. Enoch Pratt library has officially joined the movement!! Libraries across Baltimore, MD, will be hosting screenings of Resilience and discussion panels for community members and stakeholders. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to come...
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"Now Is The Time, We Can't Wait Until They Fall"
Close to 500 attendees packed the Kepler Theater at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, MD, the morning of Friday, March 24 th on the campus for the sold out event “Building Resilience”, an event organized by the San Mar Initiative, Bester Community of Hope. Following two successful events in 2016 focused on trauma informed practices, the training focused on the next steps of a community wide discussion to build greater awareness and implementation of beliefs and strategies bringing...
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Oakland, CA, trying out model used in Baltimore to reduce trauma, increase resilience
Oakland BSC activity: Photo/ Courtesy of Trauma Transformed/East Bay Agency for Children When a group of community organizations in Baltimore came together in 2015, they already knew trauma figured large in many lives. There was violence in the community, in schools, and in community members’ homes. Police brutality occurred. Many suffered the loss of loved ones to incarceration or death. There were house fires and homelessness. Much of the dysfunction was systemic and rooted in racism,...
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Take Action on Delegate CT Wilson's Trauma-Informed Legislation to Reform the Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse
Dear Maryland ACEs Action Colleagues, I am writing to alert you to a trauma informed bill sponsored by Delegate C.T. Wilson to reform the statute of limitations of child sexual abuse to conform to what we now know about the impact of trauma on delayed disclosure of child sexual abuse: The average age for adults to disclose childhood sexual abuse is 52. Research shows that children who experience an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) can have poor long-term mental and physical health,...
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"The Tale" -Sundance Film Festival - Child Sexual Abuse & Pledge to Prevent.Org Resources
On May 26th at 10PM HBO will premiere “The Tale” - a powerful movie about child sexual abuse that promises to be as important and compelling as the film "Spotlight," perhaps even more. The most talked about film at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, it is writer/director Jennifer Fox’s stunning self-exploration of her own childhood sexual abuse by two trusted mentors. Laura Dern and Ellen Burstyn play the lead roles. "The Tale" succeeds in educating viewers about the reality of...
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Translating Child Adversity Data into Actionable Information [NACCHO] Sept 2018
The California Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative launched a new set of child adversity and resilience data indicators on Kidsdata.org Furthermore, the initiative created state and local dashboards to bring together sources of data that represent a broader set of life experiences than originally reflected in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, such as living in poverty or dangerous neighborhoods. The goal was to make these data widely available and provide training on how...
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Trauma-Informed Community Program (Maryland State Department of Human Services)
Charles County Department of Social Services (CCDSS) and community partners are seeking an evidence-informed, structured training series to develop a trauma informed child welfare model of service provision. The selected trauma informed series will give public agency staff and local community partners a mutual understanding of trauma and how to meet the needs of our clientele in a more collaborative and comprehensive way. This series will also result in the development of policies and...
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Trauma-Informed Community Program (Maryland State Department of Human Services)
Charles County Department of Social Services (CCDSS) and community partners are seeking an evidence-informed, structured training series to develop a trauma informed child welfare model of service provision. The selected trauma informed series will give public agency staff and local community partners a mutual understanding of trauma and how to meet the needs of our clientele in a more collaborative and comprehensive way. This series will also result in the development of policies and...
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Trauma-informed groups rev up to address race, inclusion
Eighteen-year-old Kia Hanson has always enjoyed her time as a youth leader at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC). She’s worked mostly with five- and six-year-olds since she began in 2016. Recently, she tapped into new skills, especially if the kids were having a meltdown. Kia Hanson “If they’re off, we ask them, ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘Do you want to talk about anything?’,” she explains. “Basically asking before assuming they’re mad at the world for no reason.” What made the...
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Two studies shed light on state legislators’ views on ACEs science and trauma policy
New and returning lawmakers take the oath of office on day one of Washington state's 2017 legislative session. — Jeanie Lindsay/Northwest News Network As advocates prepare to see how ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) science, trauma, and resilience play out in the 2020 state legislative sessions — many beginning in January — they are undoubtedly asking: “What does a legislator want?" It may be a stretch to play on Freud’s question: “What does a women want?", but the query captures how...
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U.S. Sen. Heitkamp headlines May 25 briefing—trauma is “key”
When U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp arrived mid-way through the May 25, 2016, congressional briefing on the Science of Trauma, she delivered her remarks (starts at 27:48 through 41:45) with passion, humor, and most of all, a sense of urgency to the room full of Capitol Hill staff and a smattering of advocates. Her message was macro as well as micro—change national policy to incorporate what the science tells us about trauma, and see and respond to the needs of those you encounter in everyday...
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U.S. Senate champion on trauma, Heidi Heitkamp, provides inspired and hope-filled leadership
Last evening I posted a video of a June 5 congressional briefing that I attended on trauma and the opioid crisis with a plan to write a post about the event today. In the comfort of my living room, I played the beginning of the video, hoping to find a good screen shot to use with the article, but instead was surprisingly moved by the second listening of the words of U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) about why the issue of trauma is so important her: She says it gives her hope.
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Understanding the Consequences of Abuse [nationalchildrensalliance.org]
I want to turn your attention to the special issue of Child Maltreatment that was just released, on Understanding Neurobiological Implications of Maltreatment: From Preschool to Emerging Adulthood. Not so long ago, we began to understand the connections between child abuse and psychological and behavioral outcomes. Now, as the authors note, we are beginning to “unravel the neurobiological process that underlies the effect of adverse rearing environments on human development across the life span.
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Wisconsin state agencies end year one of trauma-informed learning community; goal is to be first trauma-informed state
Here in California, many people think that it’s only liberal Democrats who have a corner on championing the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and putting it into practice. That might be because people who use ACEs science don’t expel or suspend students, even if they’re throwing chairs and hurling expletives at the teacher. They ask "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?" as a frame when they create juvenile detention centers where kids don’t fight, reduce...
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With Dozens of Orphaned by Opioid Crisis, This Maryland County has new Outlook on Trauma Services [baltimoresun.com]
By Phil Davis, The Baltimore Sun, December 2, 2019 Growing up in a Cecil County trailer park, Ray Lynn has been shaped by tragedy. Lynn went from seeing drug addiction firsthand in his neighborhood as a child to tackling the problem as a police officer decades later. “I can name you friends that are dead because of it," he said. Lynn, 44, also saw his brother and sister burn to death in a house fire when he was 19, he said. It’s what led him to become a volunteer firefighter and, later, a...
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Youth incarceration: bad ROI [BaltimoreSun.com]
As a venture investor who has invested in companies with proven approaches to improving student outcomes in Maryland and across the country, my job it is provide strong returns on the dollars I invest on behalf of my clients. My approach to...
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Re: Ning Comment Wall
Just checked online: Doesn't look like Maryland reports adverse experiences on thier BRFSS questionnaires. Its kind of surprising in that Maryland seems to be a fairly progressive state. But ACE reporting makes fiscal sense too. http://www.marylandbrfss.org/cgi-bin/broker.exe CDC had ACEs data on only 5 states in 2009: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm5949.pdf I did attend the online confference event NCCANS last week: Minnesota and Wisconsin are doing some pretty innovative work seriously...
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Re: Dr. Vincent Felitti speaks in Hagerstown, MD
Hi Jonathan, Yes, I do believe we have some other Maryland ACE Group members who have experience working with community on ACEs. I don't want to speak for them - hopefully they will see this and reply. Or you could write a column on what you hope to do and ask for input. I am in the last year of my graduate school program on Clinical Mental Health Counseling. It has my full attention right now! I have, from time to time, reached out to my own kids' public school system, MCPS in Montgomery...
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Re: Paid Family Leave Event
Paid Family Leave is a key policy response to the NEAR (neurobiology, epigenetics, ACEs, and resilience) Science, as the time it provides for parent-child bonding helps to ensure the healthy development of babies and families. These parent-child relationships nurture early brain connections that form the foundation for all learning and relationships that follow. According to research by Joanne Klevens, et. al., state paid family leave policies have also been shown to reduce ACEs (child...
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Greater Richmond Trauma Informed Community Network, first to join ACEs Cooperative of Communities, shows what it means to ROCK!
In 2012, Greater Richmond SCAN and five other community partners hatched a one-year plan to educate the Richmond, Virginia, community about ACEs science and to embed trauma-informed practices. Eight years later, the original group has evolved into the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network (GRTICN) with 495 people and 170 organizations. And they're just scratching the surface.
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Prevention is Essential: Collective Impact Coalition Promotes Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships and Environments for All Maryland’s Children
When members of Maryland’s State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (SCCAN) began in 2006 to examine what their state was doing in the realm of prevention, they discovered a gaping hole. Many participants in the 23-member Council—people working in child welfare, mental health, law enforcement and advocacy groups—knew about ACEs and about the corrosive effects of early childhood maltreatment. But they discovered, through informational interviews across different sectors and an environmental...
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'A Better Normal:' Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? -- Concerns and solutions
Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? A conversation about concerns and solutions. When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2-3:30 pm PDT/5-6:30 pm EDT This webinar explores what it takes to ensure that equity is built into the process of screening and providing support for families who have experienced trauma and want help. REGISTER HERE Background At the beginning of this year, California, through the ACEs Aware initiative began rolling out universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs),...
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