In the rich populations and cultures that Family Health Centers of San Diego serves, the concept of self-care or disclosing emotional, developmental issues and mental health challenges isn’t the norm.
Because of this, children that have significant trauma – whether from fleeing war zones as refugees, experiencing hunger and poverty because of the pandemic, or other myriad experiences – do not typically access supportive mental and behavioral health resources.
The CA Surgeon General’s Roadmap for Resilience report recognized Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as an urgent public health crisis with wide-reaching health and societal impacts.
With support from the Early Childhood Initiative Resilience Grant, Family Health Centers has continued its work to provide affordable, high-quality health care and supportive services to all by institutionalizing ACEs screenings for under-resourced and medically underserved families in two high-volume pediatric clinics – El Cajon Family Health Center and North Park Family Health Center.
“We wanted to make sure that it happened in a very efficient way, and that parents feel safe and in a secure place where they can answer [our questions],” shared Dr. Khawla Suleiman, Chief of Pediatrics and Medical Director for Pediatric Development Services.
In addition to assessing for ACEs, screenings and training also analyze social determinants of health – conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
As part of its Strategic Plan, The San Diego Foundation is committed to building resilient communities by improving mental and behavioral health in our region. Soon, Family Health Centers will begin to address the healthy development of young children with multiple ACEs by supporting their parents in individual and group support sessions to strengthen family bonds and resilience.
To read more of The San Diego Foundation's article, please click here.
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