One of the most consequential weeks in Washington, DC, brought both celebration and alarm to advocates for gun legislation to reduce violence in America.

June 22, 2022 By: Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Our hearts go out to all experiencing loss and grief from the tragic mass shootings and other forms of community violence from Buffalo, NY to Uvalde, TX and in many other locations across our nation. Please know that SAMHSA stands with you during these troubling times and offers support to help you and your loved ones cope with this trauma, including our Disaster Distress Helpline –...

On Sunday, June 12, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) announced an agreement on a framework to reduce gun violence that has the potential to break the decades-long impasse on passing gun legislation. The details provided were sparse, providing one-sentence descriptions on nine elements (see attached). The specific framework language included here appears in italics. Legislative language is expected before the July 4 recess. Funding...

Maryann McEvoy, executive director of the Pennsylvania Office of Advocacy and Reform (OAR) and Child advocate, says one of the favorite things for her to talk about is “the beautiful and ingenious design of Heal PA.” She describes Heal PA as “a coalition of trauma experts who create materials and resources and provide the knowledge that we need to get out into our communities.” The path to get trauma and resilience knowledge into communities is provided by a second entity— Resilient PA —that...

Police block off the road leading to the scene of a school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Tex., on Tuesday. (Sergio Flores for The Washington Post) Her killing occurred in Texas three decades before a school shooting in Uvalde claimed 19 children and two teachers. I am shaking as I write this. I am thinking of them. I am thinking of her. I am grieving for their parents. I am grieving again for hers. I am a mother of two trying to make sense of the elementary school shooting that...

Apr 25, 2022 6:40 PM EDT The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay of execution for 52-year-old Melissa Lucio, a woman who had been set to be the first Hispanic woman put to death by the state in modern history after being convicted of beating her 2-year-old daughter to death in 2007. Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at the Innocence Project, which is representing Lucio, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss. The following is an excerpt from the interview addressing how being a...

The two prevention strategies focus on promoting social norms that protect against violence and adversity, and ensuring a strong start for children.

Note: A CDC update provided a link to a new page on the CDC website on Creating Positive Childhood Experiences. It includes sections on "What are ACEs" and "Everyone has a role to play" (parents and caregivers, coworkers, and everyone) in creating safe and healthy conditions for all children, including community programs and policies. It includes a 3-minute video and Resources section. Healthy and happy childhoods start now. Learn how you can help! Children and families thrive when they have...

The massive bipartisan $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill for FY ’22 signed by President Biden on March 15 contains funding that demonstrates a growing awareness and support in Congress for programs and policies to address trauma. The incremental nature of the legislative process makes it difficult to see progress readily but there are bright spots in this legislation to celebrate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) “ Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Data to Action (PACE-D2A) ” has been underway for about a year and a half (announced September 4, 2020), adding two awardees to the original four to participate in the three-year, $6-million project. PACE-D2A is a major addition to CDC’s already robust portfolio addressing the prevention of ACEs and building resilience in individuals, families, and communities. The initial awards were made to...

Photo Credit: Shutterstock The world may not be ready to empathize with Vladimir Putin as he inflicts unprovoked carnage on the Ukrainian people, but Jane Stevens has an explanation for his callous indifference. Stevens is the founder and editor of ACEsTooHigh , a news site that reports on the impact of adverse childhood experiences . Stevens says Putin’s childhood was laden with ACEs – “lack of food, inadequate housing, bullying, neglect, parental depression, etc. And he obviously inherited...

After the disappointing news that the state’s application for CDC’s Preventing ACEs: Data to Action (PACE: D2A) program was not successful, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) staffer Kari Gloppen, who was involved in writing the proposal, was thrilled and surprised when CDC granted $400,000 annually in funding for the final two years of the three-year program. Before the stunning reversal, Gloppen along with Catherine Diamond, now co-principal investigators for the PACE: D2A program,...

Image above represents the " State ACEs and TI Laws & Resolutions clickable map " The steady growth in ACEs and Trauma-Informed laws and resolutions has continued since the last snapshot in PACEs Connection in June 2021 . That article reported that state legislatures and governors in dozens of states enacted nearly 60 laws and resolutions that specially reference adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or trauma in the years 2019 and 2020. A new tally shows that In 2021 alone, another 36...

Application deadline: February 18, 2022 SAMHSA's GAINS Center is now soliciting applications from experienced trainers (individuals) who are interested in developing their capacity to provide trauma-informed training in their local agencies/communities via the How Being Trauma Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses curriculum. Selected applicants will learn to facilitate the training via a virtual Train-the-Trainer (TTT) event and subsequently deliver the training program in...

“There is no way that Delaware would have built the connections and gained the understanding that we have without participating in the National Governors Association (NGA) Addressing ACEs Learning Collaborative ,” says Alonna Berry. Berry, Delaware’s statewide trauma-informed care coordinator, said that the impact (of the Collaborative) was “really immeasurable to the progress being made in Delaware.” The 12-page NGA report , released December 9, captures the essence of a variety of...

The National Governors Association along with the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy and the National Academy for State Health Policy, released today, December 9, the report "State Actions To Prevent And Mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences." The Executive Summary is included below. To read the entire report, click here. An article about the NGA Learning Collaborative and this report will be posted soon on PACEs Connection. Preventing and mitigating adverse childhood experiences and...

As early as this week, the National Governors Association (NGA)—the premier organization representing the nation’s governors—is expected to release a new report providing guidance to the states on preventing and mitigating the effects of adverse childhood experiences and promoting resilience in children and families. The report marks the culmination of a learning collaborative launched early in the pandemic involving five states—Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming. The...

By a vote of 220-213, the $2 trillion Build Back Better bill passed the House of Representatives this morning, November 19. The package now goes to the Senate. For about 8 hours, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy built the case against the bill while Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said it is "historic, transformative, and bigger than anything we've ever done." For details on what is in the bill including a $2.5 billion grant and technical assistance title relating to community violence and...

PHOTO OF AN EXCERPT FROM THE NOVEMBER 3, 2021 RULES COMMITTEE PRINT 117–18 TEXT OF H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT [Showing the text of H.R. 5376, as reported by the Committee on the Budget, with modifications.] With President Biden signing the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( bridges, roads, internet access, etc.) November 15, it’s a good time to focus on the substance—not the legislative sausage-making—of the Build Back Better bill. The House of Representatives could...

While political eyes are on the November 2 Virginia election as an early electoral test for the Biden Administration and precursor to 2022 mid-term elections, the leaders of Virginia’s 27 Trauma-Informed Community Networks are building awareness and support for their work that should be compelling for the victor, regardless of political party.

Bizu Gelaye, associate professor of epidemiology By S.I. Rosenbaum | Illustrations by Mary Delaware In 2014, Bizu Gelaye began to wonder what his life was worth to the country he lived in. The associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health was watching from his Boston office as the Ebola virus killed thousands of people in West Africa. At the same time, in Ferguson, Missouri, activists were being gassed in the street as they protested the death of just one...

Representative Valerie Longhurst (l) and Senator Marie Pinkney (r) of Delaware A bill to address the mental health needs of children in Delaware ( HB 100 ) passed both the House and Senate unanimously in June and now awaits Governor John Carney’s signature. Strong support for the bill came from the Delaware State Education Association (DSEA), said Deb Stevens, director of instructional advocacy at DSEA. DSEA and the Department of Education collaborate on PreK-12 trauma/resilience issues and...

Over the last dozen years (2009-2020), every state and the District of Columbia have included the ACEs module in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Survey at least once—many multiple times—achieving a significant milestone in the PACEs (ACEs/trauma/resilience) movement. In 2009, the first year that the ACEs module was available for inclusion in the BRFSS, only Arkansas, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington participated. Since 2009, the US...

Friday, July 9, 2021. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is distributing $62.4 million in grant funding to provide and increase access to effective treatment and services systems in communities throughout the nation for children, adolescents, and their families who experience traumatic events. The White House is bolstering these awards with $800,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) support. In 2000, Congress established the National Child Traumatic Stress...

As Congress heads toward the August recess, President Biden’s major domestic priorities are included in the framework announced on July 14 along with Democratic congressional leaders. Biden and party leaders agreed on a top-level number of $3.5 trillion for major programs including an extension of the child tax credit, universal pre-K, two years of free community college, child care support, climate provisions, expansion of the Affordable Care Act, and more. The path to enactment is far from...

Raising public awareness of ACEs and translating ACEs knowledge into action was the theme of a June 23 virtual New Jersey ACEs Collaborative press conference ( click here to view the 45-min event and here for the press release). The overarching goal of the collaborative is to make the state “Trauma-Informed and Healing Centered.” We need to have more people “shouting from the rooftops” and taking action to address the root causes of ACEs, said Dave Ellis, Executive Director of the New Jersey...

Note: This notice was sent out today, Tuesday, June 22, from Dave Ellis, Executive Director, Office of Resilience, New Jersey. Since it may be of interest to others outside New Jersey, I'm sending it along. There will be a post about the event in PACEs Connection. Dear Colleagues and Friends, I am excited to share that the Actions 4 ACEs campaign will launch tomorrow! Actions 4 ACEs will raise public awareness about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the simple - yet powerful - actions...

RISE From Trauma Act Would Expand Support For Children Who Have Experienced Trauma And Address The Cycle Of Violence And Addiction WASHINGTON – U.S., 06.16.21 Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), along with U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), today introduced bipartisan legislation to increase support for children who have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, including witnessing community...

In 2019 and 2020, dozens of states enacted nearly 60 laws and resolutions that reference adverse childhood experiences or trauma. In this post, there's an interactive map that shows them all.

Starting in 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has tracked trauma-related state legislation that addresses childhood trauma, child adversity, toxic stress, or “adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).“ This link will take you to the NCSL Injury Prevention Legislation Database|Opioid Abuse Prevention page to access the ACEs legislation database. Here’s how you use it: Under “Topics,” choose the first topic listed (ACEs) and under “States,” choose “All States” or the...

When advocates gather (virtually) to commemorate ACEs Awareness Day on April 30, there will be lots to celebrate—most specifically, the inclusion of language about ACEs in the FY 21-22 New York State budget (see attached document for the link to the budget and ACEs text). It calls for mandated reporters to be educated about “ACEs, the importance of protective factors and the availability of services for children at risk for suffering from ACEs.” It also requires the Office of Child and...

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, with Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, left, and First Lady Britainy Beshear, places a flag at the state Capitol to memorialize Kentuckians who have died of complications from COVID-19. In Kentucky and at least three other states, lawmakers are trying to gain control over funds allocated to their state under the latest federal COVID-19 relief package. Photo Credit: Ryan C. Hermens Lexington Herald-Leader via The Associated Press March 31, 2021 With states set to...

New York Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi pushes a small investment that can have a big impact on trauma experienced by children and families during pandemic.

When the Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations (ASTHO) fielded the ACEs capacity assessment tool (ACECAT) in 2019, it prompted a 75% response rate, reflecting the states’ growing awareness of the impact of ACEs on health and eagerness to add to the body of knowledge about states’ activities and capacities around ACEs. After participating in the ACECAT, Nicole Daley, Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Division of Violence and Injury Prevention,...

The House of Representatives passed the Senate-amended version of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package—the American Rescue Plan ( H.R. 1319 )—on March 10, giving President Biden his first major legislative achievement. The phased-in increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 was dropped prior to Senate consideration because the parliamentarian ruled it was not consistent with budget reconciliation rules. President Biden will address the nation on Thursday evening (8:00 ET) to mark the...

On Feb. 22, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget approved legislation that is the product of the work of nine committees to bring the Administration’s American Rescue Plan—the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package—closer to reality by March 14 when unemployment benefits expire for millions of Americans. The Budget Committee released the text of the 591-page bill and a short report making the case for COVID relief and the economic impact of the pandemic ( click here for...

Growing up with trauma inextricably linked to racism in southern Illinois, working as a state employee in Minnesota, training folks about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and diversity and equity in several states—these are just a few of the life experiences Dave Ellis brings to the work he is now doing as executive director of the New Jersey Office of Resilience. Seven months ago Ellis took the job to head the Office of Resilience with the assurance that there would be a deep and...

02/4/2021 TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer today launched New Jersey’s first Adverse Childhood Experiences Action Plan, a comprehensive statewide strategy to prevent and reduce childhood trauma and adversity. The action plan outlines several initiatives to identify, coordinate, and advance programs and services across state government to reduce and...

New Jersey’s first Adverse Childhood Experiences Action Plan will be launched by Governor Phil Murphy today, Feb. 4, at noon EST along with Tammy Murphy , Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver , and New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer on Facebook Live. ACEs Connection will cover the launch and will share the plan. It also will be available on NJ Resilience Coalition community on ACEs Connection. The plan (attached) was made available at noon, Feb. 4.

Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/AP Two of the most compelling reports of how members of Congress experienced the trauma of the January 6 insurrection and its aftermath are found in the reports in the Washington Post “Ocasio-Cortez recounts ‘trauma’ of Capitol riot” by Jaclyn Peiser and in Slate “ After the Attack: Jan. 6 was a terrifying day for members of Congress. Weeks later, they are dealing with the trauma” by Christina Cauterucci . The Post story includes a clip from a live Instagram...

If you are finding it hard to keep track of all the Executive Orders, presidential directives, and release of plans by the Biden-Harris Administration and you’re interested in the key elements that hold promise for strengthening families and improving the lives of children, you might find the succinct 19-page document on the American Rescue Plan (the $1.9 trillion relief plan) valuable in an ever more complicated policy and political landscape. The recommendations in this document (also...

Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) announced today that Jennifer Jones will join the organization as its new Chief Strategy Officer, effective February 15. She currently serves as the director of the Change in Mind Institute and the co-director for Safety and Resilience for the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities (which recently announced a merger with the Council on Accreditation). “Jennifer Jones is a well-respected leader in the areas of brain science, child welfare and...