How do our experiences as children shape our health as adults? What does it mean to be trauma-informed, and what does trauma-informed care look like in a health care setting? Two videos, “What is Trauma-Informed Care?” and “Trauma-Informed Care: From Treaters to Healers,” developed by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), seek to answer these questions and shed light on why health care providers across the nation are embracing a trauma-informed approach to care. The 3-4 minute videos...

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.

Kyle McClure,* a community health worker (CHW) for Adult Resource Alliance, which contracts with Mountain-Pacific Quality Health in Billings, Montana, served for five years in the U.S. Army’s airborne division. While there, he learned to be patient, observant, and a good listener — critical skills for a CHW. His army background also helps him engage with military veterans, an often under-served and medically complex group. Montana has the second highest rate of veterans per capita in the...

Tracie Mason has lived in Spartanburg, South Carolina all her life. Despite a recent uptick in growth and development, Spartanburg maintains its close-knit sense of community and rural atmosphere. It is one of the things Mason loves most about Spartanburg, which was named one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2015 Culture of Health communities. At 14, Mason became pregnant with her first child. After struggling to maintain a job, attend school, and care for her daughter all at once,...

This new technical assistance tool from the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) offers a variety of approaches for screening adults and children for adverse childhood experiences and trauma, including examples of screening protocols used at several provider practices that have embraced trauma-informed care.

“I told [my client] you are not cattle — I don’t get paid per head. You’re an individual who deserves respect…And you now have the ability to make decisions about your health care.”

After many years as a paramedic, Brian Randall often wondered: “What happened to that patient?” After rushing to the scene of an emergency, saving a patient’s life, and then transporting them to the hospital — he would never see them again. As an outgoing and curious individual, these encounters left Randall eager to know the underlying causes of the health crises he witnessed, and what interventions might truly influence a patient to change the habits influencing their health. READ THE FULL...

Less than five years ago, Aubree Rosenberg had something few people in their 20s have: a living will. She was presented with the document by her father after being discharged from the hospital following a suicide attempt. Having spent years in and out of treatment facilities, battling multiple mental health diagnoses and addiction to alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opiates, Rosenberg, who is now 26 years old, describes the moment as having changed her life: “For my father to do that was a huge...

In this new animated video, meet “Dr. Cruz,” who addresses these questions and shares what she has learned about caring for patients with exposure to trauma, including abuse, neglect, and violence.

In communities across the nation, complex care management teams are deploying “non-traditional” health care workers — including individuals with lived experience or skills that transcend the traditional bounds of health care — to better connect with high-risk patients. The New Faces of the Complex Care Workforce series showcases how these workers are helping in innovative ways to address the needs of adult Medicaid beneficiaries with complex health and social needs. In the second profile of...

In communities across the nation, complex care management teams are deploying “non-traditional” health care workers — including individuals with lived experience or skills that transcend the traditional bounds of health care — to better connect with high-risk patients. The New Faces of the Complex Care Workforce series showcases how these workers are helping in innovative ways to address the needs of adult Medicaid beneficiaries with complex health and social needs. In the first of these...

Their titles vary — community health worker, care navigator, community paramedic, peer specialist — but the core benefit they provide to patients is the same: a knowledgeable care provider, often with lived experience, and an advocate for better health.

This week (Dec. 3-7), the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) invites you to recognize people around you who are trauma-informed care champions. Nominate someone via Twitter using #TICchampion, and learn about other champions across the nation by following @CHCShealth.

Becoming a trauma-informed organization requires clear communication about the transformation process, and support from staff at all levels of an organization. Often these efforts are spearheaded by “trauma-informed care champions”— individuals committed to raising awareness regarding the health effects of trauma and toxic stress and improving care for people who have experienced trauma. This week, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) invites you to recognize people around you who...

The new Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center offers a one-stop information hub for health care providers and other stakeholders interested in learning about and implementing trauma-informed care.

The Urban Institute recently conducted an implementation analysis, Early Adopters of Trauma-Informed Care: An Implementation Analysis of the Advancing Trauma-Informed Care Grantees, to better understand how participating pilot sites adapted clinical and organizational practices to advance trauma-informed care. This blog post summarizes findings from the study, which reveals key elements that successful trauma-informed organizations have in common.

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to trauma-informed care, empathy and responsiveness to patients and care team members are among the core tenets of effective strategies. In downtown Philadelphia, patients at 11th Street Family Health Services are using creative arts therapies to process past experiences. At the Women’s HIV Program in San Francisco , all staff undergo training to spot signs of stress in patients, create a clinical environment that feels welcoming and safe, and...

Adopting a trauma-informed approach to care offers the potential to not only improve patient health outcomes, but also enhance the well-being of health care professionals. While becoming a trauma-informed health care organization can be resource-intensive, there are relatively simple, foundational steps health care providers can take to move toward fully adopting a trauma-informed approach to care. A new CHCS brief outlines practical recommendations for health care organizations interested...

Learn how two leading San Francisco-based provider organizations are Implementing Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatric and Adult Primary Care Settings . View a recent webinar featuring Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, Center for Youth Wellness, and Dr. Edward Machtinger, Women's HIV Program at UCSF. The webinar is part of a series on Putting Trauma-Informed Care into Practice: Lessons from the Field hosted by the Center for Health Care Strategies and made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Policymakers increasingly recognize the impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences on lifelong physical, emotional, and social health and are beginning to support efforts for incorporating trauma-informed care into the health and social service sectors. This new CHCS blog post looks at how proposed state and federal legislative, regulatory, and contracting policies aim to reduce trauma and toxic stress and promote resiliency and trauma-informed practices. It also explores how federal...

Health policymakers and practitioners increasingly recognize trauma as an important factor that influences health throughout the lifespan. By incorporating trauma-informed approaches to care into their practice settings, provider organizations can more effectively care for patients and support efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce avoidable hospital utilization, and curb excess costs. This two-part Center for Health Care Strategies webinar series will explore innovative strategies for...

“Trauma is too often the elephant in the exam room and the reality of patients’ lives.” This sentiment rings true with health care professionals across the country who increasingly recognize the value of acknowledging trauma to improve care for patients in need.