New Data Report: 640,700 Medi-Cal Beneficiaries Screened for ACEs

The ACEs Aware initiative has released a new data report detailing the number of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) screenings conducted for children and adults in California between January 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The report also tracks the number of clinical team members that completed the “Becoming ACEs Aware in California” online training between December 4, 2019, and September 30, 2021.

The ACEs Aware Screening, Training, and Certification Progress: March 2022 Update highlights data from the launch of the initiative in December 2019 through September 2021. The findings show that more than 20,600 individuals have taken the ACEs Aware training, and about 10,900 of those individuals are Medi-Cal providers who are ACEs Aware-certified and eligible to receive Medi-Cal payment for conducting ACE screenings.

As of March 31, 2021, Medi-Cal providers – primarily pediatric, family medicine, and behavioral health professionals – had conducted approximately 640,700 ACE screenings for nearly 520,000 unique Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Download the full report: ACEs Aware Screening, Training, and Certification Progress: March 2022 Update

Data highlights based on the training evaluations and Medi-Cal claims data for ACE screenings include:

• 79 percent of participants who were not previously screening for ACEs indicated that they planned to begin screening.
• 6 percent of unique Medi-Cal beneficiaries screened had an ACE score of four or higher, indicating a high risk for toxic stress.
• Among the physicians who conducted ACE screenings, 75 percent specialize in pediatrics, which represents a 3 percentage point increase compared to the previous report.

The ACEs Aware initiative continues to thrive and expand, in no small part due to the work of grantees in 35 communities across California who are engaged in building Trauma-Informed Networks of Care. The Networks of Care include clinical teams working in close partnership with community-based organizations and social service agencies to support families in mitigating the toxic stress that can result from ACEs and other adversities.

Download the full report and accompanying fact sheet below.

• ACEs Aware Screening, Training, and Certification Progress: March 2022 Update
• Fact Sheet: ACEs Aware in California March 2022 Data Update