Leaders in ACEs/trauma/resilience movements from 10 states in the Southeast U.S. met for a networking call on May 21, 2020, to learn about flexible funding opportunities for states under the CARES Act, ways to get involved in advocacy, and how to share their successes and challenges in building statewide coalitions.  

The meeting of leaders was organized by ACEs Connection and the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) in response to COVID-19 and the growing interest in organizing statewide coalitions. Just as governors and ACEs initiative leaders from throughout the country are meeting to coordinate efforts around COVID-19, the state coalitions in the Southeast jumped at the opportunity to share and learn from each other. 

Members of the CTIPP National Trauma Campaign Core Team — Marlo Nash, Dan Press, and Joshua Ferguson — focused on federal legislation affecting states and described ways for advocates to have greater impact. Marlo Nash, National Director of Partnership and Policy at Saint Francis Ministries, presented on the flexible funding opportunities in CARES ACT and future legislation to support trauma-informed programs and policies — this presentation is summarized in a recent post on ACEs Connection. Dan Press, legal advisor to CTIPP and attorney with the firm Van Ness Feldman, provided tips on how individuals and organizations can have an impact on national policy. Press said that COVID-19 funding is the largest stimulus package since the New Deal funding programs of the 1930s, and that creates a unique opportunity. 

“As a country, we need to ensure that federal resources are directed to trauma-informed programs and supports,” Press said, reminding participants that the information they need to contact their congressional representatives and senators is on the CTIPP website. (Check the ACEs Connection YouTube Channel to watch a webinar on Trauma-Informed Policy and Funding During COVID-19, which contains much of the information shared on the CTIPP portion of the call.)

Also on the call were ACEs Connection staff members Elizabeth Prewitt, policy analyst; Ingrid Cockhren, community facilitator for the Midwest Region and Tennessee; and Carey Sipp, community facilitator for the Southeast Region. They were joined by about 25 statewide leaders from Southeastern states.

Much of the call was devoted to reports by community leaders on their accomplishments in forming state coalitions and the areas where help is needed. Zoom chat comments reflected how valuable participants saw this exchange — “Inspiring to know so many good trauma initiatives are underway! Keep up all the good work!” and “I am SUPER grateful to know about the CARES Act and how we may be able to utilize that!”

Here are some quick summaries of what leaders from states reported. Some of these comments were added by representatives who could not be present for the call, but wanted other leaders in the region to know what their initiative is working on.

Florida — Mimi Graham, director of the FSU Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy, said Florida needs a legislative champion. “There is a lot going on, but it is a patchwork.” She mentioned several trauma-informed communities and that there is success in having groups across the state providing some services across the lifespan. Graham has been involved with “Safe Babies Courts” for many years. At least 1000 children have been served by a court system that is supportive to parents and results in most children not being separated from their parents. Research shows that one year after experiencing the services of Safe Babies Courts, 99 percent of children suffer no further abuse. She reported that there is also a resilience project underway to help prevent and respond to suicides, and that there is “such hunger in the community to know more” about the impact of adverse childhood experiences. 

Georgia — Emily Anne Vall, executive director ofResilient Georgia, is working with the Trauma Resources Institute to train as many Georgians as possible in the Community Resiliency Model (CRM). Resilient Georgia is starting the training with healthcare workers. Vall also reported on the response to COVID-19 in Georgia, saying that in Albany, where there was a higher concentration of the virus than most other places in the state, the United Way has been very helpful. Resilient Georgia is a statewide initiative dedicated to healing adversity and promoting resiliency in children and families through the prevention and early intervention of ACEs. 

Louisiana — Caitlin LaVine had to leave the call for another meeting, but left a report updating the group about the new statewide educators’ site for Louisiana ACEs Educators. LaVine said the group will be posting ACEs science presentations done throughout the state for the last several years, including some 600 presentations statewide.

Kentucky -Carli Mosby of Kentucky Youth Advocates reported that The Bounce Coalition is joining Kentucky Youth Advocates to further strengthen its efforts as a collaborative network of professionals and advocates working to increase understanding of the impact of childhood trauma, address the root causes of poor health and inequities, and improve outcomes of all Kentucky children. This partnership will allow Bounce to expand statewide, and deepen policy advocacy efforts in an attempt to serve as a catalyst and guide for all systems that intersect with Kentucky’s youth. The Bounce Coalition offers an array of trainings and resources in ACEs science, trauma-informed practices, self-care practices, and building resilient families and communities.    

Mississippi — Jackie Chatmon, system of care project director at the Mississippi Department of Public Health, reported that many agencies are working in silos. She and other state leaders are wondering, “How do we organize and move forward? Who will coordinate it?” About 600-800 people attend a trauma-informed conference in Mississippi each summer. It is multi-sector, and there is strong interest. The concern is finding leadership to help the group set priorities and move forward together. 

PEACEXPEACE initiatives in three states: GA, SC, NC  —Vic Bolton, a strategic communications and public relations consultant reported in forDanette Glass, who works in several states to start community-based ACEs initiatives. Bolton reported that there is incredible reach and depth in the four states in which he, Danette, and scores of volunteers are doing their youth-oriented outreach geared toward health, equity, and justice.  

North Carolina —Mebane Boyd, executive director of the New Hanover Resiliency Task Force, and Jenny Cooper, chief research and development officer at Benchmarks, reported that Community Resiliency Model trainings are effective. They also said that many communities are trying to keep kids in congregate care safe, and are trying to stay connected to families.They are working through the pandemic and preparing for hurricane season.  

South Carolina — Alyssa Koziarsky, research and evaluation assistant at Children's Trust of South Carolina reports that in SC,  ACE Interface trainings are being scheduled for virtual delivery. She also reported that the SC Department of Education is working to secure free internet access for students and that the SC Department of Social Services (DSS) is working on public service announcements on how to report child abuse. DSS is also collaborating, through the CAREs Act, to provide childcare for essential workers. (??) 

Tennessee — Jennifer Drake-Croft, director of child well-being at the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, reported that many state-level decision makers and state legislators have a grasp, maybe not deep, but they do have an understanding of the importance of supporting ACEs science and addiction grants. They have put $1.25 millions into ACEs and addiction grants, with a few limitations to allow for coordination. “Two years ago, state leaders doubled funding (to $2.5 million) for trauma-informed schools.” Croft cited a challenge in that 60% of the legislature turns over every session, so there is a constant need to rebuild relationships and knowledge base. There is also a political divide with regard to Medicaid expansion, and COVID-19 exacerbated these inequities. The grass-roots movement brought together by the state’s private-public partnership helped to change the culture in Tennessee, and leaders know what and how to make changes at the community level in policies and philosophy based on ACEs science. There was also a report about a program to incubate resilient communities. Community leader Becky Haas reported that since 2014, there has been a lot of work done in Tennessee, including the Building Strong Brains program, and that she, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, has completed a toolkit on how to take trauma-informed practices and principles into the community. 

Texas — Carey Sipp reported on Texas, saying there is a lot of interest in Central Texas in getting communities established, but a singular leader or group of several leaders is not emerging for the statewide group. There was statewide group leadership following Hurricane Harvey. We are working to reactivate that group and introduce them to new contacts who are interested in training more people about ACEs science and making the Community Resiliency Model widely available. 

West Virginia — Tricia Kingery,  ACEs Coalition of West Virginia Coordinator and Executive Director of WV KIDS COUNT  reported that the ACEs Coalition of West Virginia is 425 members strong, and that many of the child-serving professionals meet every other month to discuss active campaigns on building awareness for ACEs science and to plan ACEs 101 trainings. The group partners  with Prevent Child Abuse Iowa to use Connections Matter Trainings. She also noted that former co-chair for the West Virginia initiative, Kathy Szfran, is now working to reform the foster care system in West Virginia and that there is work being done to establish a state-wide advisory board that would be a 501(c)3 that could find funding to help support the work.