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Oregon's suicide rate has outpaced the national average for the past three decades. In an effort to combat stigma around mental illness, four local teen activists took matters into their own hands and championed a proposed state law. Oregon schools will now excuse student absences for mental or behavioral health reasons, as with regular sick days. In other words, if a student is feeling down, they can stay home from school without getting docked for missing classes. The law, signed by Gov.

Oregon.gov, July 9, 2019 The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced its intent to award 15 organizations contracts to serve as coordinated care organizations (CCOs) for the Oregon Health Plan’s nearly 1 million members. Eleven of the organizations are approved to receive five-yea r contracts, and four organizations are approved to receive one-year contracts. Awardees will now be evaluated for their readiness to deliver the services promised in their applications. Successful awardees will...

I have avoided writing this blog because there is so much that needs to be addressed regarding the judicial system and trauma – the theme of this newsletter. But of course, it is this avoidance that I, we must resist because avoidance often perpetuates harm. To talk about the judicial system means we have to talk about racism, systemic oppression, power, economics, and trauma and that can feel overwhelming. Even what we call the system can lead to inaccurate assumptions and connections. For...

Programs, organizations, and systems that make a commitment to implementation will differ in many ways–from the service context, to the motivation for change, to hoped-for outcomes, and resources available. Nonetheless, in a developmental way, implementation moves through a number of common steps that we’ve tried to reflect in the Road Map below. The Trauma Informed Care Screening Tool (found below the Road Map) builds on the Road Map by delving into each phase and offering a series of...

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on May 22 on the challenges that states face in their efforts to support children affected by trauma. The findings were based in part on interviewing state and local officials in six states (Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin) along with questionnaires to 16 states. The request for the report was made by two Illinois members of Congress, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Danny Davis, and...

Slowly, but at warp speed. That’s what it feels like to take on educating 16,000 staff member in 21 hospitals that serve 29 counties, says Becky Haas, trauma informed administrator for Ballad Health. Turning around a culture, especially a health culture that’s more familiar with doing things the “traditional” way rather than embracing change, will take time and lots of repetition.

Join a webinar highlighting how two providers have incorporated trauma-informed care into their substance use disorder treatment practices, shaping the experiences of their patients and staff.

Trauma-informed care is the new gold standard. For the last several years, Echo has been providing professional development in trauma-informed care but we’re beginning to notice a worrying aspect of the new push to train staff and transform systems. Some human service professionals are seeing ‘trauma-informed care’ as another skill to add to their resume or a box to check off on a grant proposal. But if the information stays with the professionals and is not used to empower survivors, then...

NORTH BEND – The largest was $20,000, the smallest just $1,110. Whatever the size, each of the 49 grants awarded by the Coquille Tribal Community Fund this year will improve life in a local community. Grantees and local dignitaries gathered at The Mill Casino-Hotel on Friday, March 1, to celebrate the work of the grantees and to see the awards presented. This year’s tribal fund grants totaled $266,762.50. The fund, a leading source of charitable grants for South Coast nonprofits, has...

MEDFORD, Ore. – Most people deal with some level of trauma in their life. Now, some are turning to an alternative practice to heal their pain. Mariane Ballete, the manager of Rasa Yoga Center , said her life began to unravel 11 years ago because of two deaths in her family. “One of the big losses of my life was when I lost my twins over 11 years ago and it spiraled me to want to move out of my life,” Ballete said. It’s a feeling of hopelessness that is all too common. “I think about it all...

MEDFORD, Ore.– The keys to a new home were gifted to a family in need on Saturday all thanks to the work of Habitat for Humanity and the City of Medford. This house will be the 12th home completed by the partnership. It was a special occasion as Habitat for Humanity celebrated the opening of its 65th home in the Rogue Valley. The Ibarra-Reid family cherishing every moment. “We don’t have to worry about our little girl and our family just where are we going to next? Where are we going to move...

NORTH BEND — Community members from around Coos County participated in a poverty simulation Friday morning [March 15, 2019] at the Pony Village Mall in North Bend. In an effort to gain a better understanding of what it’s like to live in poverty, participants were divided into groups of “families” and placed in various mock scenarios. The workshop, which was hosted by the New Community Coalition, assigned each family one task: Make ends meet for a month despite being given a number of...