Tagged With "ACEs"
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Tennessee report chronicles progress in addressing health and success of children from infancy to college and beyond
Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam this week released a report highlighting eight years of progress by the state to improve the lives of children and families. Prioritizing Tennessee’s Children: Our Promise to Future Generations reflects an early commitment by Governor Bill Haslam’s administration to make the health and success of all Tennessee children a state priority. In conjunction with Governor Haslam’s Children’s Cabinet and Deputy Governor Jim Henry, First Lady Haslam set out to...
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Trauma-informed Care: It Takes More Than a Clipboard and a Questionnaire
California is about to launch an ambitious campaign to train tens of thousands of Medi-Cal providers to screen children and adults up to age 65 for trauma, starting on January 1, 2020. It is well-established that the early identification of trauma and providing the appropriate treatment are critical tools for reducing long-term health care costs for both children and adults. Research has shown that individuals who experienced a high number of traumatic childhood events are likely to die...
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Trauma Matters Delaware Partners with Delaware Public Health Institute to Release ACEs Data for Delaware
People from across sectors filled the conference room on Wilmington University’s Dover Campus, Wednesday, December 7, to hear the findings of the Delaware Household Health Survey Data, which included ACEs data from across Delaware. Dr. Leslie Brower, who chairs Trauma Matters Delaware, opened the briefing by welcoming attendees and thanking partner organizations and funders. DPHI Executive Director Francine Axler and Laurel Jones, DPHI project assistant, presented the findings which included...
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United Way of Southeast Alaska hosts new AmeriCorps program [juneauempire.com]
United Way of Southeast Alaska announced this week that it will be hosting the AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps has a long history of service in Juneau and the United Way of Southeast Alaska is excited to build upon this strong foundation. With nine host sites and 12 AmeriCorps membership positions available, United Way of Southeast Alaska aims to decrease or minimize the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) scores of local Juneau youth and adults by focusing on access to care, building...
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Utah lawmaker introduces ACEs Resolution
A Utah lawmaker has introduced HCR10 , a resolution encouraging Utah state agencies to become aware of and identify Adverse Childhood Experiences in the children and adults that they serve. The bill also details the impact of ACEs on survivors, and the importance of awareness on our ability to address trauma. The bill was drafted by the Utah Essentials for Childhood effort The Utah Coalition for Protecting Childhood (UCPC) and passed unanimously out of committee yesterday. The legislation...
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Vivian Watts: Justice system reforms will help protect children [pilotonline.com]
By Vivian Watts, The Virginian-Pilot, May 6, 2020 In my career as the former executive director of Fairfax CASA, as well as my work as the former secretary of Transportation and Public Safety and in the Virginia House of Delegates, I have fought to protect vulnerable children from abuse and exploitation knowing that our failure to do so has catastrophic consequences. For more than 20 years clinicians and social scientists have studied the impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and...
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WEBINAR: Fostering Equity: Creating Shared Understanding for Building Community Resilience
Struggling with how to Foster Equity Conversations in Community? Join the national partners of the Building Community Resilience Networks as we share our lessons learned in fostering equity as a strategy to prevent childhood adversity and build community resilience. Wednesday, February 26th 12pm-1:15pm Eastern More info at go.gwu.edu/EquityWebinar As a nation we have agonized over how to approach conversations on race, racism, inequity and racial justice. Too often we have opted to attempt...
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What are ACEs? State summit examines connection between childhood trauma and mental health (Tennessean.com)
(Photo caption: Tennessee First Lady Chrissy Haslam addresses the annual Building Strong Brains Tennessee ACEs Summit, held at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. Photo courtesy of Governor Bill Haslam/ Flickr.com ) One minute of complete silence. Fred Rogers, the beloved television personality of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," gave such a moment of contemplation to the graduating class of Dartmouth University during a commencement speech 16 years ago . A minute to...
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WV Democrats Unveil Plan to Help Kids Having Adverse Childhood Experiences [wvnews.com]
By WV News Staff, West Virginia's News, February 3, 2020 Democratic members of both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature on Monday held a press conference to unveil their plan to help children in the state suffering from a variety of negative circumstances. The plan involves prioritizing children who are coping with poverty, drug abuse, parental separation and neglect — collectively referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, according to a press release issued following the...
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New Community!!! Ardmore OK Behavioral Health Collaborative
I'm excited to announce the newest ACEs Connection geographic community for my region, the Midwest & TN: Ardmore OK Behavioral Health Collaborative . This community is a partnership of local organizations taking a trauma-informed stance on behavioral health in Carter County, OK. Their goal is to build a healthy, connected and resilient community. The community manager is Ashley Godwin . Ashley Godwin joined Ardmore Behavioral Health Collaborative in March 2017 as the Director where she...
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Recap- Virginia Summit On Childhood Trauma And Resilience 4/25/19
On Thursday April 25, 2019 Voices hosted over 950 attendees at the Virginia Summit on Childhood Trauma and Resilience . The goal of the Summit was to connect child-serving professionals and advocates across the Commonwealth to best practices to prevent, and better address, the impacts of childhood adversity. California’s first Surgeon General and well-known ACEs expert, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, provided the keynote address. Both Governor Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam addressed the...
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State ACE survey reports
The following are links to state reports on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ACEs module data. Also included at the end of the list are links to the CDC 5-state study and a 10-state plus the District of Columbia study on ACEs...
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State Introduces 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' Training in DV Shelters and Support Programs (www.queenseagle.com)
By Jonathan Sperling Direct care workers in domestic violence shelters, safe dwellings and domestic violence programs across New York state will be trained to recognize Adverse Childhood Experiences, thanks to a bill proposed by Queens Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi. Hevesi’s bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday, marks the first time the state recognizes Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, and will create the first statewide ACEs training. Brooklyn State Sen.
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Georgia ACEs Data Released
We have data! In 2016, the Georgia Department of Public Health, with funding provided by the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services' Prevention and Community Support Section, added the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) module to their annual Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS). The preliminary summary of the results of that data collection have been released in the Georgia Data Summary report. An additional full-length report is still in development, but the...
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"How to talk policy and influence people": a Law and Justice interview with Dr Wendy Ellis
In this special interview in the "How to talk policy and influence people" series of Law and Justice, I speak with Dr Wendy Ellis, Director of the Center for Community Resilience at The Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. We discuss journalism, data gathering, analysis and stories. We talk about the significance of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) evidence, resilience/protective factors, structural inequity, adverse community environments, the...
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"How to talk policy and influence people": a special series of Law and Justice
"No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference" is the title of Greta Thunberg's book, which is a compilation of her speeches on the need for urgent action to tackle climate change. One of those speeches is entitled "Together We Are Making a Difference". I had planned to organise an event on the topic of “How to talk policy and influence people” kindly supported by the Cork Education and Training Board in Ireland on the 2nd of April 2020. Unfortunately, the event had to be cancelled due to the...
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Hutchison: First Lady of Oklahoma Visits Duncan for Childhood Trauma Awareness Event
The mental health of children was at the forefront of a discussion led by the First Lady of Oklahoma in Duncan today. The event started with a showing of the documentary Resilience, which focuses on studies into how experiencing trauma as a child could negatively impact you as an adult. Those studies centered around a test called the ACE Test, with ACE standing for adverse childhood experiences. That test asks you questions about your childhood, such as if you were ever abused, if you lived...
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Life Expectancy by Zip Code: Where You Live Affects How Long You Live
Life expectancy is highly correlated with ACE scores and complex childhood trauma. Enter your address or zip code to know what the health outcomes are in your neighborhoods and communities. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Life Expectancy Calculator
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Local Organizations honored for Trauma-Informed Awareness Day [Daily-Journal.com]
The Daily Journal staff report | May 15, 2019 Illinois is one step closer to becoming a trauma-informed state. Senate Resolution 99 and House Resolution 248, sponsored by state Sen. Julie Morrison and Rep. Karina Villa, designates May 15 as Illinois’ Inaugural Trauma-Informed Awareness Day to highlight the impact of trauma and the importance of prevention and resilience through trauma-informed care. Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a proclamation recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month and...
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Maryland Essentials for Childhood Hosts Advocacy Day at the State Capital
Maryland Essentials for Childhood, a statewide initiative educating policy makers and communities on the science of ACEs, developing brains, and how we can build resilience for children, families and communities in Maryland, is poised to meet with Maryland elected officials this coming Thursday, ,February 7th, 9-1 pm. We will educate legislators on the science and policies that reduce or mitigate ACEs and other childhood trauma. Key policies being considered by the General Assembly are:...
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Michigan Lawmakers Declare Childhood Trauma a Critical Health Issue [wwmt.com]
By Rachel Glaser, WWMT West Michigan, February 13, 2020 Childhood trauma has life-long, wide reaching consequences, according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on adverse childhood experiences, also known as ACEs. In early February, Michigan lawmakers passed a resolution declaring that ACEs a critical health issue. State officials estimated 70% of Michigan adults experienced one ACE before the age of 18. The CDC scores people on a scale of 0-10 for adverse...
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2018 Building Strong Brains Tennessee ACEs Summit
The 2018 Building Strong Brains Tennessee ACEs Summit took place last week in Nashville, TN. The theme of this year’s summit was “Celebrating Successes and Imagining Possibilities” and there is plenty to celebrate. Tennessee is one of the most innovative states when it comes to ACEs awareness. Tennessee understands that childhood trauma is the root cause of its poor health outcomes, high rates of addiction and other ailments. And Tennessee is doing something about it. Tennessee’s leadership...
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2019 Starting & Growing Resilient Communities: Online & In Real Life (IRL) Webinar Series
ACEs Connection presents, "Starting & Growing Resilient Communities: Online & In Real Life (IRL)" , an interactive webinar training series focused on developing existing and potential online community managers and IRL ACEs champions. If you are not a current online community manager, please know that ALL are welcome. This series is dedicated to providing insight into creating sustainable and effective online & IRL ACEs intiatives. "Starting & Growing Resilient Communities:...
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ACEs Science in Education: The Next Big Challenge is Systems Change #ACEsCon2018
One of the first sessions of the 2018 ACEs Conference: Action to Access discussed the barriers and opportunities for increasing access in the field of education. The main question was: "How can one achieve systematic changes within the field of education?" The session was moderated by Michelle Flowers, a passionate advocate, and the principal of Kinney High in Rancho Cordova, CA, which is part of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. It included a dynamic and diverse panel of education...
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Afterschool programs and a trauma-informed approach [Afterschool Alliance]
“A trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens must be a part of everything we do.” This statement by Laura Norton-Cruz, Director of the Alaska Resilience Initiative, sums up the key message of last week’s Senate Afterschool Caucus briefing for Congressional staff which focused on “Afterschool Programs and a Trauma-Informed Approach.” On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the Senate Afterschool Caucus* — in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, Alaska Children’s Trust – Alaska Afterschool Network,...
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Alaska passes trauma-informed legislation
In the dark early hours of Mother’s Day, May 13th , before the 2018 Alaska legislative session adjourned, Senate Bill 105 was approved by both the Alaska House and the Senate...making Alaska one of only a handful of states to pass ACEs awareness into statute. This represents years of education, collaboration, and some creative and dogged advocacy this last legislative session. It also represents a promising path forward.
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Arizona ACE Consortium: Catalyzing a Statewide Movement [MARC.HealthFederation.org]
The elementary school principal routinely broke into tears. At Wednesday afternoon meetings of the Creating Trauma Sensitive Arizona Schools work group, a committee of the Arizona ACE Consortium , the leader of a high-need, inner-city K-5 school frequently wept as she talked about the trauma her students carried into the classroom and the ways it percolated throughout her campus: in lagging test scores, behavior problems, even teacher retention. The other committee members became her...
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California’s Surgeon General Readies Statewide Screening for Child Trauma [chronicleofsocialchange.org]
By Jeremy Loudenback, Chronicle of Social Change, September 19, 2019 Soon after being appointed California’s first-ever surgeon general, Nadine Burke Harris took off on a barnstorming tour across the state to talk about adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress, an issue she calls “the biggest public health crisis facing California today.” Before the pediatrician was appointed to her position in January by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Harris had founded and led the Center for Youth Wellness,...
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Childhood Trauma is Tied to Health Risks, but Michigan Doctors Don't Ask [bridgemi.com]
By Ted Roelofs, Bridge, December 13, 2019 By now, the medical evidence is clear: Childhood trauma can have profound effects on physical and mental health. Even so, Michigan physicians like Timothy Kval remain all too rare. Working out of a Muskegon clinic, Kval evaluates more than a patient’s symptoms, blood pressure readings and cholesterol scores. He also screens adult patients for past traumatic events like physical abuse, neglect, domestic violence in the home or the loss of a parent...
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Children with special health care needs are more likely to have adverse childhood experiences [ChildTrends.org]
Authors: Deborah Seok, David Murphey, Fadumo M. Abdi Publication Date: December 10, 2019 The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is higher among children and youth with special health care needs than among their peers without special health care needs, according to Child Trends’ analysis of data from the 2016-17 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The survey asks parents or guardians to report whether their child has experienced any of nine ACEs. The percentage of...
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Re: State ACE survey reports
This fall, I received a [randomly selected] call to my "cell phone only household" from (they acknowledged during the phone call, they were "a private contractor") my New Hampshire Behavioral Risk Factor..Survey (BRFSS), asking if I would like to participate in the BRFSS. I asked if they were including any ACE questions in this 2014 NH BRFSS. They asked what ACEs are/were. I attempted to try and explain it, and the person I was talking to said they'd never heard of the U.S.
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Re: State ACE survey reports
That's correct, Bob. At present, it's up to the states to include their own ACEs module in the BRFSS. Also, the people who ask the questions aren't necessarily very knowledgeable about the subject they're asking about. They follow a script to obtain mostly yes-no answers. Each year state health departments decides which modules to include in BRFSS, and they contract with people to decide whom to call (to get a representative sample of the population), and to do the phone calling. The people...
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Re: State ACE survey reports
Hi Jane, After reading the recent [12/2016] story-which the recent blog note included a link to, I happened to scroll down the list of states, stopped at Maine, and noted the bottom item of a list ["DATA COLLECTION: BRFSS"] in the upper left portion of the Maine page: (--"Changes in Weighting between 2010 and 2011 mean data cannot be combined or compared").
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Re: State ACE survey reports
South Carolina has published on their data from 2014. We're in the midst of updating our briefs with aggregate 2014-2015 data in the next couple of weeks. We are collecting additional ACE questions (similar to Wisconsin) on social factors and neglect in 2016 through the BRFSS. Briefs: https://scchildren.org/prevent...ces/research_briefs/
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Re: State ACE survey reports
A few short years ago, a colleague and I dreamed about an ACE's Movement that would raise awareness and inspire hope for change and healing. It is so encouraging to see the growing momentum to introduce new policy to address the issue. This will happen and indeed, we can change the world ~ one conversation, one policy at a time.
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Re: State ACE survey reports
Thanks, Naomi! It's amazing how far it's come in a short time....and if we're persistent and lucky, we can accelerate it!
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Re: State ACE survey reports
How can I find out the total number of people screened for ACE exposure? In the 2012 ACEs connection blog post by Felitti it was over 440,000 - but it has to be significantly more now, and I need a citation for it. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. I can't find updated statistics on the CDC website. Thanks -
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Re: What are ACEs? State summit examines connection between childhood trauma and mental health (Tennessean.com)
Powerful article here and the underlying reason why the ACE study which is almost 25 years old should be part of our mainstream Behavioral Healthcare Community for use in the treatment of Addiction and it's Co-occurring disorders!
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Re: Alaska passes trauma-informed legislation
Awesome and Thank You, Alaska for becoming a Trailblazer on Resiliency and Trauma-Informed Care!
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Re: ACEs Science in Education: The Next Big Challenge is Systems Change #ACEsCon2018
Excellent article of encouragement...I too am from this same population and because of my past...individuals who are in leadership positions. Don't understand we are the key to creating systemic educational programs through our subject matter filled lives to create the changes needed in institutions. The quote below is where we need to start by empowering this population...Yes...those who have had these experiences first-hand are the nucleus for new educationally centered outcomes through...
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Re: State Introduces 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' Training in DV Shelters and Support Programs (www.queenseagle.com)
Thank you so much. I do not feel hopeless anymore or alone in the fight to break the silence.I live in Texas and is currently taking steps to advocate this initiative. It is definitely a healing steppersonally. On Sunday, January 12, 2020, 12:20:14 PM CST, ACEsConnection < communitymanager@acesconnection.com > wrote: Post By Kim Dangerfield,: State Introduces 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' T... | == To reply by email, write above this line. == | | | | | Hello, Jo Ann Caraway: We're...
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Re: "How to talk policy and influence people": a Law and Justice interview with Dr Wendy Ellis
This was excellent! I always love to hear Wendy share her perspective. We're using the Pair of ACES Tree this week in a large virtual convening in Oklahoma that's focused on the intersection of child welfare and early childhood. It's a featured part of the meeting, as we are trying to engendered a new mental model with regard to what drives young children and their families into the child welfare system.
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Re: Michigan Lawmakers Declare Childhood Trauma a Critical Health Issue [wwmt.com]
The World Health Organization's ACE screening tool has two 'types' of ACEs (Adverse Community Environments and Adverse Childhood Experiences- which may address the diagnostic construct an Epidemiologist who presented in 2000, at [then Dartmouth, now] Geisel Medical School 'Grand Rounds': "52% of Detroit Metropolitan Area Schoolchildren met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD". Michigan Legislators seem to have recognized aspects of that epidemic - if 70% of Michigan's Adults have "at least one...
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Re: Life Expectancy by Zip Code: Where You Live Affects How Long You Live
Connection between ACEs and Zip code may allow for anti-gentrification laws to be passed.
Blog Post
"How to talk policy and influence people": a Law and Justice interview with Dr Wendy Ellis
In this special interview in the "How to talk policy and influence people" series of Law and Justice, I speak with Dr Wendy Ellis, Director of the Center for Community Resilience at The Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. We discuss journalism, data gathering, analysis and stories. We talk about the significance of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) evidence, resilience/protective factors, structural inequity, adverse community environments, the...
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I learned the impact of prolonged exposure to stress from my foster child [washingtonpost.com]
By Jenn O'Connor, The Washington Post, June 6, 2020 You know what stress is, right? You’re late for work, your car won’t start, gas costs more than you expected. We’ve all been there, and it’s not pleasant, that palm-sweating, heart-racing anxiety. Luckily, it’s not long-lasting — not toxic. What is toxic stress? It’s prolonged adversity and/or abuse — not having enough to eat or being exposed to violence. It’s the kind of stress that puts you on edge and keeps you there, day after day after...
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Adversity in Early Childhood [americanprogress.org]
By Cristina Novoa and Taryn Morrissey, Center for American Progress, August 27, 2020 Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the United States has seen a proliferation of cases, record-breaking unemployment, and economic instability. Meanwhile, many public health measures that severely restrict social interactions—including stay-at-home orders and school and child care closures, among others—have been prematurely lifted, with...
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What's Next? Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative Deepens Effort as Momentum Grows Across the State
It was more than a piece of parchment bearing the governor’s signature. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s resolution declaring May 15, 2019 as the state’s first Trauma-Informed Awareness Day marked a high-level recognition that, where state policy is concerned, trauma matters. The resolution and resulting proclamation Pritzker signed also calls for legislators to consider childhood brain development, early adversity and buffering relationships when making policy decisions; it urges all state...