Michigan ACEs Action (MI)

Healthy and resilient kids, families, and communities are the foundation for a flourishing, vibrant region. We are dedicated to creating a trauma-informed Michigan and working together across sectors to share our efforts in building resilience and reducing toxic stress for Michigan children and families.

Former Member

Which counties would be interested in putting the ACE survey on their Health Department Websites as was done recently in a West Virginia county mentioned in today's Daily Digest?

The Alpena/Presque Isle Child Abuse and Neglect (CA/N team) wrote up the ACE survey via survey monkey and sent the information to our population via a local advertiser thrown on the doorsteps of 25,000 homes in our region. We also sent the ACE screening questionnaire via survey monkey to our network of service agencies via the CA/N team, the school system, and our HSCC (Human Services Coordinating Committee). Other counties could easily do this too. Other counties could also provide ideas on how to have a greater impact.

Today, I will be meeting with three folks in Tuscola County (which is, like Alpena, plagued by Alcohol Abuse, Suicide Deaths and Narcotic Addiction and Overdose Deaths along with a massive number of infants with NAS-Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome). The individuals I will meet include:

1. Program Director of our county DHHS

2. Our Probate Judge and

3. The Head of our Great Start Collaborative

I am going to bring this information with me and will propose the idea of using the online ACE survey.

It is imperative to act, and with the recent report of caucasian, middle aged folks with an educational status of high school or less experiencing a 22 percent increase in their death rate (a large population in rural Michigan) information sharing for this massive public health problem is incredibly important.

ACEs start in childhood, but folks with a lot of them have more piling up as adults. They don't just stop when childhood ends. The major causes of these premature deaths are being reported as:

SUICIDE

ALCOHOL USE/ASSOCIATED CIRRHOSIS AND OTHER DEATHS SUCH AS MVA

HEROINE/PERSCRIPTION OPIOD ADDICTION AND OVERDOSE

The ACE study tells us these public health epidemics are increased by up to 5000 percent in individuals who have experienced 6 or more ACEs. As a pediatrician who screens for ACEs in rural Michigan and who grew up in rural Michigan -- I have seen many children, some as young as 18 months old, with 6 or more ACEs. I have seen many parents with 8, 9, and 10 ACEs. (Personally, I also think ACEs and disaffection from community and society is likely also highly correlated with the gun violence we would like to prevent).

Our conversation needs to change! We need to understand the etiology of these concerns and promote community resilience. This major public health problem needs our attention!!

Here is the link to the West Virginia Article: http://wvmetronews.com/2015/11...ences-online-survey/ and here is the link to our little write up on ACEs: How To Get the Word out about the ACE Study Cheap.

I would appreciate any ideas. What do you think?

11/13/159:15 AM

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Former Member

This is the first page of the West Virginia Public Health Survey Monkey. It has a link typed in to a video of Dr. Felitti on ACEs and the ACE study How Childhood Trauma can make you a Sick Adult. You have to cut and past this link into your browser. At the end of survey in a pick box, it allows you to choose which county you live in and there is an "other" option --- I chose other and put in Tuscola, Michigan. I think that is actually great because this would allow the Health Department to know exactly which county, or out of state, the individual is from.

I thought maybe more links to understanding the ACE study might be nice since this is for the Public. After I went through all 10 questions and answered them and put in the county and hit submit, I was locked out. That did not allow me to check the resources about what the ACE study means and I would have had to copy the link for the video before I answered the questions. Just some thoughts I have after I tried it.