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By Breanna Cooper, Indianapolis Recorder, May 7, 2020 A decline in the number of reports the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) takes in a given month isn’t necessarily a positive sign. Especially not now, as many families spend more time alone in their homes with schools and businesses closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. DCS took 18,026 reports in March, the most recent month for which data is available. That includes calls, faxes, emails and mail-ins. [ Please click here to...

By Stacy Steinberg, The New York Times, May 7, 2020 Children may be processing the disruptions in their lives right now in ways the adults around them do not expect: acting out, regressing, retreating or even seeming surprisingly content. Parents need to know that all of this is normal, experts say, and there are some things we can do to help. “Our natural response to scary things is biologically to release stress hormones,” said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris , a pediatrician and surgeon general...

This series on family estrangement may seem to be a strange topic to cover during the holiday season. Yet, being separated from family during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s is a familiar occurrence for many survivors. The purpose of these articles is to offer support to all who come to this blogsite looking for hope. This article will concentrate on two topics, the positive side of family estrangement and creating a family of choice to spend the holidays with and warm your heart. Is...

By Kevin Sherin, American College of Preventive Medicine, May 7, 2020 There is a growing dialog about COVID-19 and its impacts on childhood adversity (ACEs), chronic stress, and mental health across the lifespan. The fear and social isolation associated with COVID-19 commonly exacerbates existing chronic stresses. Reports are surfacing of increased mental health problems, anxiety, partner violence, depression, suicidality, child abuse, opioid use disorder, other substance abuse, drug...

By National Crittenton and Katcher Consulting, Annie E. Casey Foundation, March 2020 Founded in 1883 as a social justice advocacy organization, National Crittenton has been dedicated to the needs and potential of girls, young women and women facing violence, poverty and injustice across the country for more than a century. Additionally, National Crittenton convenes the 26 Yet, systems have turned a blind eye to the ways in which the “safety net” designed for adults is a “trap” for young...

By Terry Gross, National Public Radio, May 7, 2020 Chef Tom Colicchio is one of the many restaurateurs wondering what will be left of the industry after the COVID-19 pandemic has run its course. Colicchio, who serves as head judge on the Bravo series Top Chef, laid off more than 400 staff members in the past few months. His five restaurants in New York and Los Angeles have been shuttered since March 14, and the two restaurants he's associated with in Las Vegas have closed as well. He says...

By Michelle Azriel, May 6, 2020, Youth Today ATLANTA — What started out as an idea scrawled on a fast food napkin 10 years ago has evolved into an after-school program for Georgia Hispanic students boasting a 100% high school graduation rate. The Hispanic Organization Promoting Education (HoPe) is the brainchild of David Araya and Angela Hurtado. They were both Georgia undocumented high school students who fought against stereotypes and were resolved to rise above it and succeed. In 2009,...

By Carolyn C. Ross M.D., M.P.H. April 29, 2020, Real Healing. What Native American, African Americans, and Holocaust survivors have in common. Have you ever thought about traumatic experiences as having their roots in the lives of your parents or grandparents? Trauma can be defined as the loss of an essential part of ourselves — a sense of safety, of trust or security. Trauma ultimately has the ability to define our behaviors, actions, and sense of self. More and more research is also...

By Rachel A. Davis, Prevention Institute, May 7, 2020 My father, a farmer, called me a few weeks ago to share that he had just stopped picking mid-harvest because of disruptions in produce distribution lines due to the coronavirus pandemic. I felt concerned for my family, for other farmers, and for families across the country that were struggling to feed their children. In the meantime, my sister, the ranch manager, spent days personally handpicking and boxing 1,600 pounds of the unpicked...

Keeping Up with Your 12-Step Program in the Face of COVID-19 Today, it seems that many people’s days are measured by coffee and alcohol . The COVID-19 pandemic has left many Americans drinking more than ever, and alcohol sales are up by more than 50 percent year over year by this time in 2019. “Quaratininis” are the go-to drink of choice, and day drinking is on the rise. It’s become a joke on television and social media alike. But alcoholism is not a joke, and especially not for people in...

CRACKED UP THE EVOLVING CONVERSATION THE LINK BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND SUICIDE With DARRELL HAMMOND DIRECTOR MICHELLE ESRICK TRAUMA EXPERT, BESSEL van der KOLK, MD. MODERATED BY JANE STEVENS, FOUNDER OF ACES CONNECTION Hosted by ACES Connection Wednesday May 13th at 2pm PDT / 3p MT / 4p CT / 5pm EDT FREE! SIGN UP TODAY ON ZOOM: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND FEEL FREE TO SHARE EVENT GRAPHIC AND REGISTRATION LINK BELOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA! www.tinyurl.com/ycpmndhg Visit...

Urgent work focused on prevention and emergency relief Tribal communities are particularly at risk and being affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Navajo Nation in particular has some of the highest infection rates per capita in the country. Our team is continuing its urgent work to protect and support Native Americans through a comprehensive response that includes help with surveillance, contact tracing, and mitigation activities; distribution of protective gear for health care settings...