Tagged With "Whole Child"
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Progress Towards Building an Affirming and Supportive Child Welfare System:
The data collection and analysis used in the IA attempts to uncover the experience of individuals as they encounter institutions and provide an understanding of how the institutions are organized to act in certain ways and recognizes that sometimes these ways are not aligned with their desired outcomes. The IA is grounded in the viewpoint of family members—children, fathers, mothers, and other primary caregivers. Allegheny County DHS leadership committed at the very beginning of this project...
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Red Bluff Elementary School District Trains in Adverse Childhood Experiences
By Special to the DN Anderson >> The entire staff of the Red Bluff Elementary School District , numbering more than 270 employees, received training Monday on the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences , or ACEs, at the Gaia Hotel in Anderson. …. The presentation was given by Julie Kurtz , the regional director at the Center for Child & Family Studies for WestEd , a nonprofit research, development and service agency that works with education and other communities throughout the...
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Reflection on the Challenges of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Join us in reflecting on the pandemic challenges shared by our ACEs Connection community members so far
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Resilience tips for today's environment
I came across this graphic I had used for a Child Care Providers training. It made me think of families looking for tips while in "shelter in place". For Claim my calm , a parent's ability to remain calm is important for children to see modeled. "Serve and return" in action! Find my safe zone in my mind is having structure and routines in place. Our card speaks to this (and by the way, read books together as part of the routine!). Name my feelings helps us calm our emotions, or name it to...
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Resource: KIDSDATA has expanded demographics for children
Kidsdata has expanded its demographic topic content with 22 new indicators and 14 updated indicators. New indicators include sexual orientation, transgender youth, and projected population to 2060. Updated indicators include births, child populations, and school enrollments. Use demographic data to understand the size and composition of the populations in your area and plan appropriate programs to meet your changing community needs. Learn more at ...
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Resource List - Trauma Informed Approaches and Autism Spectrum and Other Developmental Disabilities
Resources for individuals, organizations, and communities moving along trauma and hope-informed pathways in order to: Prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promote resilience and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Promote equity and racial justice. Prevent substance abuse and promote mental health. … so that all children, youth, families and communities have equal opportunity for educational success, economic stability, health, and well-being.
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Resources for Dealing with Wildfire Related Trauma
In response to the wildfires in California, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help families and communities. These resources include: Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires En Español Wildfires: Tips for Parents on Media Coverage En Español Simple Activities for Children During Evacuations or When Playing Outside is Restricted Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic...
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Rising from the Ashes: How Trauma-Informed Care Nurtures Healing in Rural America [The Rural Monitor]
By Jenn Lukens April 17, 2019 It was late July 2018 when the Mendocino Complex wildfire broke out in rural Lake County, California. It burned more than 450,000 acres and destroyed 280 structures before it was contained. Ana Santana managed to fill some storage bins with sentimental items – her kids’ blankets, pictures, and art projects – before fleeing her home. Santana is the facilitator of the Lake County Children’s Council and Program Director for Healthy Start Youth and Family Services ,...
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Road Map to Trauma Informed Care [Trauma Informed Oregon]
Programs, organizations, and systems that make a commitment to implementation will differ in many ways–from the service context, to the motivation for change, to hoped-for outcomes, and resources available. Nonetheless, in a developmental way, implementation moves through a number of common steps that we’ve tried to reflect in the Road Map below. The Trauma Informed Care Screening Tool (found below the Road Map) builds on the Road Map by delving into each phase and offering a series of...
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Sacramento County ACEs & Resilience Awareness and Action Day Proclamation
March 14, 2019 Dear Resilient Sacramento Members, The ACEs Connection Resilient Sacramento Community is working on a Proclamation for the Board of Supervisors/Chair’s approval and signature to designate May 22 nd as Adverse Childhood Experiences & Resilience Awareness and Action Day. As a member of this Community, I have been working on this effort and am thrilled to report there are similar efforts in progress or passed in cities, counties, and states across the country, including the...
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Save the Date: July 11, 4CA Policymaker Education Day in Sacramento
Save the Date: Tuesday, July 11 4CA Policymaker Education Day on Childhood Adversity, Sacramento The California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) invites you to Sacramento for Policymaker Education Day. Our lawmakers need to hear from you about how adverse childhood experiences and childhood trauma affect your community and what they can do to help. Join with allies from across California to engage your elected officials on this important issue. Who: 4CA Policymaker Education Day...
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Secondary Trauma & Compassion Fatigue Training Floods Del Norte
The last week in March was full of trainings in the community around one important subject: Secondary Trauma. Partnering with the Del Norte Unified School District and Department of Health & Human Services Social Services Branch and the Tolowa Dee'Ni Nation, the Del Norte Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) brought in Beverly Kyer, an expert on Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue. One of the things we have learned in Del Norte while working on ACEs in Resiliency is that resilience...
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Self-Care Resources
Self-care is a key element of a trauma-informed approach, at individual, organization, and community levels. This internet resource list includes links to introductions to ACEs and the ACE Study, self-care, secondary trauma and mindfulness. Self-Care - General Self-Care Starter Kit, School of Social Work, University of Buffalo http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/...are-starter-kit.html Relaxation Tool Kit, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center...
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Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) speaks out about Community Violence and Introduces TIC Bill [chicagodefender.com]
It is noteworthy that in his press conference to introduce his new bill, The Trauma Informed Care for Children and Families Act, Senator Durbin (D-IL) speaks out about the impact of community violence. “As we work to address the root causes of violence, we need to focus on the impact that community violence and other traumatic experiences have on Chicago’s children,” said Durbin. “During a visit to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center last year, I learned that more than 90 percent of...
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Senator Melissa Hurtado’s bill heads to Governor’s desk [The Sentinel]
Staff reports, Sept 5, 2019 for The Sentinel " Under SB 436 , California would place into statute “family resources centers,” while formally recognizing their involvement in programmatic activities already underway within the Office of Child Abuse Prevention ." Senator Melissa Hurtado’s bill heads to Governor’s desk SACRAMENTO — Senator Melissa Hurtado’s (D-Sanger) legislation, Senate Bill 436, which would help prevent child abuse and neglect, is headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. The...
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Shasta County Trauma and Resilience Network One Pager
Attached find a 2018 version of Shasta County community profile detailing information about your community ACEs initiative. This will be shared with CA legislators at the Trauma-Informed Policymaker Awareness Day on May 22nd in Sacramento. I attach it here as a PDF ready to print and share! I also have uploaded into 'Resources for Downloading' the same PDF, and an editable Word document so that you can update or otherwise improve it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to...
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Shifting the focus from trauma to compassion
photo: Rolf Schweitzer/CCO Dr. Arnd Herz, a self-described champion for ACEs science, would like nothing more than to witness a greater appreciation of how widespread adverse childhood experiences are. Herz, a pediatrician and director of Medi-Cal Strategy for the Greater Southern Alameda Area for Kaiser Permanente Northern California, would also like to encourage more people in health care to engage in a trauma-informed care approach, a change in practice that he says not only benefits...
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Shortage of foster families for teens, older kids
There are enough foster parents in Shasta County for the county’s children, and more. So why are some children and youths housed in other care programs waiting for a foster family? The answer is in the age group most foster parents want to foster. “Shasta County is a receiving county because we have more foster youth coming… from other counties for placement than we send out…,” said Dianna Wagner, branch director of children’s services at Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency...
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Simple & Fun Yoga Lesson Plan
I wanted to share an outline of my Yoga Lesson Plan that I do with my preschool class. It is easy and fun to do with any age group, especially on a rainy or cold day. If you are not familiar with yoga or yoga poses, there are millions of videos, tutorials, and charts that are available online. Preparation Move all furniture out of the way to create a large open space Implement some type of yoga mat or defined space for each child (carpet squares as yoga mats) Turn off or dim the lights Play...
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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...
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Sonoma County Field Nursing was highlighted during 2018 ACEs Conference Project Showcase
On October 15-17, the Center for Youth Wellness in collaboration with the ACEs Connection presented the 2018 ACEs Conference and Pediatric Symposium. The theme this year was, “Action to Access,” and communities from around the United States shared current research, programs, tools, and initiatives that use ACEs science to address childhood adversity and its impact. The Sonoma County Field Nursing team was selected to showcase their work to address ACEs with caregivers during home visits.
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Sonoma County League of Women Voters Explains: The Role of County Commissions
This information is applicable for residents in every county across California. To learn more about CA state level opportunities, click HERE Did you know that there are over ninety commissio ns, also known as advisory citizen bodies, that report to the Board of Supervisors? Some have very specific geographic focus such as the Sebastopol Oversight Committee or the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission. Others have a more county wide function such as the Child Care Planning Council. These...
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SONOMA COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT (MHSA)2017-2020 Three-Year Integrated Plan & Annual Update for 2015-2016
To read the full report, click here : Mental Health Services Act Integrated Report 2017 - 2020 Or see attached for a printable version of the report.
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Sonoma County to explore divestment from firms tied to migrant detention centers [Press Democrat]
Residents hold up "Divest" signs Tuesday before the public comment portion of a Board of Sonoma County Supervisors meeting. Residents urged supervisors to divest from U.S.-Mexico border detention facility-connected companies. (Tyler Silvy/The Press Democrat)
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Sonoma Valley's Hanna Institute Receives $30K Grant [sonomanews.com]
By Index Tribune Staff, Sonoma Index-Tribune, January 2, 2020 The Hanna Institute announced on Dec. 20 that it received a $30,000 grant from Community Foundation Sonoma County that will provide scholarships for Title I school staff and educators to attend the Hanna Institute Summit Jan. 29 through 31. “The mission of Hanna Institute is to support parents and child-serving systems with resources that build resilience and hope,” said Erin Hawkins, co-director of the Hanna Institute in a press...
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STRATEGIES 2.0 -Fires/Floods/Earthquakes: Resiliency in the Face of Disaster (FREE)
Fires/Floods/Earthquakes: Resiliency in the Face of Disaster Friday, February 9, 2018, 8:45 am – 1 pm in Fairfield Remote in Sacramento and Chico Registration is open via the link below RSVP for a convening and learn more at StrategiesCA.org/Learning-Communities Strategies 2.0 facilitates six regional Learning Communities that are your opportunity to engage with your colleagues and leaders in your region about the needs and interests of the communities you serve. Take part in the quarterly...
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Strategies 2.0 Learning Community Event December 7th!
Click here to sign up : Northern CA Learning Strategies December 7th Event SAVE THE DATE Thursday, December 7, 2017 12:30pm - 5:00pm Northern Learning Community Convening COLLABORATING TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE This is an opportunity to learn about and discuss the extensive work being done to promote community resilience in Shasta County. Presenter: Shasta County Family Strengthening Collaborative Wendy Dickens, E.D. First 5 Shasta Susan Wilson, E.D. Youth Violence Prevention Council...
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Strategies 2.0 [strategiesca.asentialms.com]
By Strategies CA, September 4, 2019 Healthy families are the bedrock of strong, vibrant communities. When the skills and abilities of professionals and their organizations grow and strengthen, they can create bigger, more sustainable changes in their communities so that all families can be healthy. Organizations working with families want to support as many people as possible and make a bigger impact but their budgets and resources fall far short of their aspirations. With no-cost trainings...
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Strengthening Families Framework TRAINERS
Thirty more individuals in the states of California, Indiana, and Alabama were just trained to be a trainer of the Strengthening Families Framework from the National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds. This is HUGE! That makes slightly over 1,000 total from the 50 states. But what happens now? We have newly trained trainers trying to reach out and converse with everyone and anyone, with local Health and Human Services Agencies, with local schools, fire departments and police...
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Suisun Elementary (CA) makes ACEs science intrinsic to everyday life
Students start each day with meditation During her first year as principal of Suisun Elementary in Suisun City, Calif., in 2014 Ann Marie Neubert suspended 102 students — out of a student population of 550 —for disrupting their classes. It was a serious problem, but the school’s teachers didn’t know what to do. “[Teachers] felt like they were using all the tools in their toolbox and it wasn’t changing behavior,” she recalls. Ann Marie Neubert Too many students were spending too much time out...
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Supporters Cheer Focus on Child Health and Wellbeing in Newsom’s Budget [calhealthreport.org]
Efforts to improve the health and education of California’s children would get a giant funding boost under Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget, a prospect that’s generating a swell of excitement among child advocacy groups. The governor’s first budget proposal, released Jan. 10, offers numerous supports aimed directly at bolstering childhood health, including $105 million to pay for developmental and mental health screenings for low-income children, almost $110 million to expand home visiting...
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Supporting Your Child Through the Wildfire Disaster: 6 Tips From a Child Psychologist
Wellness Blog by Kirsten Kuzirian Supporting Your Child Through the Wildfire Disaster: 6 Tips From a Child Psychologist October 10, 2017 / Kirsten Kuzirian In the last 48 hours, our California communities have been thrown into survival mode as they race to protect the people, animals, and structures they cherish. As families leave their homes for safe shelter or stay monitoring media updates with bags packed, parents are wondering how this will impact their children. Napa and Folsom Child...
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Symptoms of Depression During and After Pregnancy
In order to have the best chance of improving outcomes for the mother and infant, routine screening and treatment for depression should begin early in pregnancy, a time when women have increased contact with the health care system.
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Temple Grandin Has Some Great Tips to Help Kids With Autism Cope During the Coronavirus Quarantine (Parade)
By Deborah Wallace, April 3, 2020, Parade Parents who are working at home during the coronavirus quarantine face many challenges. But the boundaries between work and home life are blurred even more when your child has autism. To commemorate National Autism Awareness Month in April , international autism expert Temple Grandin spoke to Parade.com about how parents and caregivers can help their families thrive during this unprecedented time of isolation. Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal...
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The Developing Brain & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Thanks to an explosion in scientific research now possible with imaging technologies, such as fMRI and SPECT, experts can actually see how the brain develops. This helps explain why exposure to adverse childhood experiences can so deeply influence and change a child's brain and thus their physical and emotional health and quality of life across their lifetime. The above time-lapse study was conducted over 10 years. The darker colors represent brain maturity (brain development). I have added...
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The Power of Hope to Mitigate Vicarious Trauma and Burnout
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified child maltreatment as a major public health concern, and adult survivors of child maltreatment are at significant risk of chronic disease and premature mortality. This constant exposure to child maltreatment makes these health care practitioners uniquely vulnerable to stressors associated with burnout.
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The Rise of the Trauma-Informed Mothers
The next generation is less likely to wear predisposed shackles of trauma because as trauma-informed parents we are re-wiring the traumatically stressed DNA that was passed down to us.
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The Road to Resilience: A Public Health Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
The Road to Resilience: A Public Health Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Physicians and public health nurses representing all 58 counties and 3 cities in California came together for three days to discuss The Road to Resilience: A Public Health Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences . Program Brochure Presentations included (partial list): Health Departments’ Evolving Perspective: Addressing ACEs, Childhood Trauma and Toxic Stress The Lived Experience of ACEs and...
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The Road to Resilience: A Public Health Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
I wrote this last year - however the context, coordination & collaboration are worth a second look: The Road to Resilience: A Public Health Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Physicians and public health nurses representing all 58 counties and 3 cities in California came together for three days to discuss The Road to Resilience: A Public Health Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences . Program Brochure Presentations included (partial list): Health Departments’ Evolving...
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The State of the Evidence for Intervention and Prevention Programs for Child Welfare-Involved Populations [CEBC]
As of May 2019, the California Evidence-Based Clearing House (CEBC) has reviewed and rated over 450 programs. These programs are organized across 47 unique topic area s and each topic area varies in the number of programs with published peer-reviewed research evidence. The topic areas with the smallest number of research-supported programs are listed in the first table below in order to illustrate where gaps in effective services exist for child welfare-involved populations. The second table...
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Trauma-Informed Care and a Therapist Saved my Life
Between 55 and 99 percent of women who attend addiction treatment and between 85 and 95 percent of women with a history of mental illness have a history of trauma. Among this trauma , the vast majority happened during childhood. Whether the trauma involves neglect, sexual assault, or dysfunction within the family, the need for trauma-informed care in both addiction treatment and in the mental health field is of great importance. When I found myself at a detox facility 1,300 miles away from...
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Trauma-Informed Policing
(Becky Haas, Community Crime Prevention Programs, Johnson City Police Department) Since first hearing about trauma-informed care in 2014, and then setting out on a journey to bring this education to my community, I’m constantly amazed at how this message is being embraced in Johnson City, Tennessee. After partnering with Dr. Andi Clements from the East Tennessee State University Psychology Department, in a little over 2 years we have trained over 2,500 professionals! This growing number of...
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Trauma Informed Public Health Nursing Visits to Parents and Children (publication pending in Public Health Nursing)
Sonoma County Field Nursing's Liz George and Julianne Ballard have been busy! Together they lead an effort to develop a PHN home visiting model that integrates ACEs science! Their research will soon be published in The Journal of Public Health Nursing ! Here is the abstract: Trauma Informed Public Health Nursing Visits to Parents and Children (publication pending in Public Health Nursing) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research has demonstrated a strong correlation between a traumatic...
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2017 Kids Count Data Book [aecf.org]
Wednesday June 14th the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2017 Kids Count Data Book - State Trends in Child Well-Being. This comprehensive report is " a premier source of data on children and families." You can download the report from this post, as well as on the Kids Count website , where you can also access an interactive data map in their Data Center . This is an invaluable amount of data available to the public, relevant to anyone working with children and families - with the...
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2020 California Children’s Report Card
The 2020 California Children’s Report Card – the whole child report on children’s health, education and well-being in our state – is available now. This year’s Report Card grades California on 31 key children’s issues – and includes new sections on Family Supports, Adolescents & Transition Age Youth and Connected Cradle-to-Career. It also shines a spotlight on the impact racism, poverty and immigration threats have on our kids. Despite recent progress, this year’s grades show the urgent...
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4CA POLICYMAKER EDUCATION DAY JULY 11, 2017 - REGISTER BY JUNE 1 - Link Below.
Join 4CA in Sacramento on July 11 for Policymaker Education Day on Childhood Adversity! Our lawmakers need to hear from you about how childhood adversity affects your community and what they can do to help. Join with allies from across California to engage your elected officials on this important issue. (Bonus! lunchtime pep talk by Senator Holly Mitchell!) Who: 4CA Policymaker Education Day is designed for California residents who care about preventing and mitigating the effects of...
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7 Ways to Help a Child Deal with Traumatic Stress
Traumatic stress feels awful. Thankfully, there are small things we can all do to help relax a hyperaroused nervous system.
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A call to action for public health nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Wiley Online Library)
Joyce K. Edmonds PhD, MPH, RN , Shawn M. Kneipp PhD , Lisa Campbell DNP . First published: 12 April 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12733 Public health nurses (PHNs) are on the frontline of the public health crisis the world now knows as the COVID‐19 pandemic. They serve on mobile strike teams investigating case‐contacts, deliver education on self‐isolation and quarantine through hotlines and home visits, and interpret the rapidly shifting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and...
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A MUST WATCH: Addicts Among Us - a hopeful documentary about ACEs and addiction in Humboldt County, California (YouTube Video)
I want to share this important documentary from Humboldt County with you and encourage you to make the time to watch it and share it with others in your organizations and spheres of influence. It is 52 minutes long, but well worth your time. The associate producer of the video, James Faulk - one of the central interviewees of the film - attended First 5 Humboldt's Town Hall on Adverse Childhood Experiences where the connection between early childhood adversity, mental health struggles,...
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ACEs Connection Speakers & Trainers Bureau Pilot Announced!
ACEs Connection is proud to announce the pilot of our Speakers & Trainers Bureau! This pilot program will run from March 14 through May 1, 2019. During this pilot, the bureau is free of charge. The Speakers & Trainers Bureau is a service that provides to subscribers a list of vetted different speakers and trainers for hire. The list contains information on a Speaker's credentials, experience, sector specialties, and contact information. We developed the Speakers & Trainers Bureau...