This article is re-posted from California Health Line, and originally appeared on January 7, 2016. To read the full article, click here.
The lowest of 31 grades issued in the 2016 California Children’s Report Card released on Wednesday was for dealing with the effects of childhood trauma.
In Children Now’s biennial assessment of the status of California kids, researchers gave the state a “D-” for how it deals with childhood trauma. The report contends that children who experience traumatic problems such as abuse, neglect and witnessing violence at home can suffer serious long-term consequences, including health problems like diabetes and mental health challenges such as depression.
Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, a national advocacy organization based in California, said the key issue for legislators, policy makers and the public to glean from the report is that too many kids live in poverty in California.
“When you talk about trauma issues, the same truth carries over like it does in so many other parts of a kids life — education, health care, mental health. The reality is that parents can’t do it all alone, and it costs money to get help,” Lempert said.
“We know the devastating impact poverty has on kids affecting a range of outcomes, from health, to brain development, to their chances of success in school,” Lempert wrote in the report’s introduction. “Over four million California children come from low-income households, and more than two million live below the poverty line. Those numbers are too big to ignore.”
Other Areas Earned Higher Grades
In other areas, the state earned better grades: health insurance got an “A-“; preschool opportunities got a “B-“; and placement stability for kids in the state’s foster children program got a “C.”
The report said areas where lawmakers focused long-term attention and state resources — such as expanding Medi-Cal and including undocumented children in coverage — saw significant improvement over the past couple of years.
In other areas that have not received the same attention, the report issued lower grades such as a “D+” in oral health, a “D” for teacher training and evaluation and a “D” in infant and toddler care.
New Attention to Childhood Trauma
Assessing and dealing with long-term health effects of childhood trauma have received new attention and funding in recent months.
Health care experts say people with high ACE scores — a measure of adverse childhood experiences — are more likely to experience asthma, kidney disease, pulmonary disease, stroke, depression, dementia and substance abuse. ACE indicators include abuse, neglect, going hungry or having an absent parent.
Two California counties — San Diego and Sonoma — are among 14 communities nationwide receiving grant funding to broaden the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients who have high ACE scores — a relatively new indicator of poor health outcomes later in life....
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