The Center for Care Innovations (CCI) and Genentech have selected seven Bay Area sites to participate in the Resilience Beginnings Collaborative (RBC). The Resilient Beginnings Collaborative is a 24-month learning program dedicated to addressing childhood adversity in pediatric safety net care settings. As the momentum to spread the word about ACEs and implement trauma-informed care increases, Sonoma County leads the way. Of the seven sites selected, two are from Sonoma County: Petaluma Health Center and West County Health Center. Of the two coaches for all seven sites, one is Dr. Deirdre Bernard-Pearl, Medical Director of the Pediatrics and Elsie Allen Campuses at Santa Rosa Community Health.
The vision of the RBC is that all Bay Area Children facing early adversity have healthy and vibrant futures. To meet this vision, the RBC set out a goal to significantly improve the health and well-being of young children and families affected by adversity in the Bay Area through the pediatric healthcare system and the community settings that support it. The award to the seven Bay Area sites selected is $80,000 over two years that can be used to offset staff time spent participating in this program and leading change efforts at organizations, travel costs to attend the program’s in-person convenings, and other associated costs.
Staff at Petaluma Health Center and West County Health Center have already begun trainings for staff on ACEs and working on implementation of trauma-informed practices internally at the administrative level as a precursor to providing trauma-informed care at the services-level. These two sites will benefit enormously from the many opportunities offered through the RBC program, including site visits to exemplar organizations which are intended to inspire teams and provide guidance for work in the program. Additionally, coaching support by our own local physician leader, Dr. Bernard-Pearl, will help enormously with the implementation of trauma-informed care within local clinics.
For anyone following the ACEs work in Sonoma County, it is no surprise that Santa Rosa Community Health is coaching the seven Bay Area sites in growing a culture of resilience. Santa Rosa Community Health’s pediatric campus at Elsie Allen High School was one of the first in California to implement ACEs questionnaires as part of routine practice at pediatric visits and is in its fourth year of consistent grant funding for its implementation of trauma-informed care.
Cross-sector partnership between the Elsie Allen High School Campus and Santa Rosa Community Health provides the unique opportunity to extend trauma-informed practice beyond individual pediatric visits to providing more health and wellness activities easily accessible by students and faculty, including yoga, self-care promotion, and wellness events. Also, the influence of a trauma-informed clinic directly on campus has influenced the high school administration to embrace restorative practices with their students, creating a campus centered in equity, empathy, healing, and engagement.
Thank you Santa Rosa Community Health for leading the way for a resilient Sonoma County and thank you to Petaluma Health Center and West County Health Center for increasing access to trauma-informed pediatric care in Sonoma County!
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