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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...

By Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 15, 2019 Systems for Action (S4A) is a signature research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that helps to build the evidence base for a Culture of Health by rigorously testing new ways of connecting the nation’s fragmented medical, social, and public health systems. Studies conducted through the S4A program test innovative mechanisms for aligning delivery and financing systems for medical, social, and public health services, with a...

By Kathryn Reynolds, Eva H. Allen, Martha Fedorowicz, Joycelyn Ovalle, Urban Institute, August 14, 2019 Tackling the affordable housing crisis will require actors from every sector to finance housing development for low- and moderate-income people. The Urban Institute developed a guide to help nonprofit hospitals and health systems understand how their institutional assets and prestige can support affordable housing development. The guide also offers practical information and encouragement...

By Diana Lambert, EdSource, August 16, 2019 Schools reopen in Paradise today, but nothing is the same. The Camp Fire changed everything nine months ago when it roared through the town and neighboring communities, killing 86 people, destroying thousands of homes and four schools. Many of the 1,000 students who are expected to return — about a third of the student population of a year ago — will be coming on buses from their new homes in Oroville, Chico and Durham. Many of their former...

By Ben Chandler, Betty "B.J." Adkins, and David Finke, Advocate-Messenger, August 13, 2019 Semple Elementary first-grade teacher Christina Carter read a story to her class about a child who faced stressful events every day, making it hard to focus at school. After the story, she gave her students a prompt — if Ms. Carter only knew. Some of the responses were eye-opening. “If Ms. Carter only knew … I get my sister ready in the morning and that’s why we are always late.” “If Ms. Carter only...

By Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, August 15, 2019 Can transgender parents who have had breast surgery breastfeed or chestfeed their infants? Yes. Some transgender parents who have had breast/top surgery may wish to breastfeed or chestfeed their infants. Healthcare providers working with these families should be familiar with medical, emotional, and social aspects of gender transitions to provide optimal family-centered care and meet the nutritional needs of the infant. These...

“As a field we continue to deeply entrench ourselves in ways of thinking and funding that are wed to reacting to trauma and damage alone, instead of working to prevent as much of it as we possibly can.” —Jerry Milner, associate commissioner of the Children's Bureau, and David Kelly, special assistant to the associate commissioner I agree. There needs to be a greater focus on the primary prevention of adverse childhood experiences.

New Hanover Resiliency Task Force Chairman Scott Whisnant thanks Executive Director Mebane Boyd for her leadership, and his "Resilient Vision Award." The July 27, 2019 meeting of the New Hanover Resiliency Task Force marked the first year of the group’s work since hiring a coordinator, but the gag gifts handed out in celebration told the real story of the community building, affection, and joy experienced in the members’ work together. New Hanover County’s Chief Planning Officer, Beth...

By Lenny Bernstein, The Washington Post, August 13, 2019 An influential group of health experts recommended Tuesday that doctors screen all adults for use of illegal drugs, another step toward curbing the epidemic that claims tens of thousands of lives each year. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said that health providers should attempt to determine whether their patients 18 or older are using illicit drugs, including nonmedical use of prescription drugs. But the panel said it did not...

Corey Mitchell, Education Week, August 9, 2019 In the wake of the largest U.S. immigration raid in a decade, educators in Mississippi this week were left to console and support children with detained parents. Now, school administrators and other educators across the country face the prospect that workplace raids could happen in their districts—and must address the fear and uncertainty that is likely gripping millions of their students. Nationally, at least five million children have at least...

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 7, 2019 To advance equitable and inclusive policies, we need greater diversity in policy and law research. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Policies for Action program is launching a new funding and mentorship opportunity for early-career policy researchers. We seek historically underrepresented, post-doctoral scholars to study existing policies and law reform so everyone may have a fair and just opportunity to live their healthiest life. [ Please click...

By Monica Humphries, Nationswell, August 14, 2019 IT’S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN JUST A BAN ON LUNCH SHAMING. AS SCHOOLS STRUGGLE TO FEED CHILDREN WITHOUT PLUMMETING INTO DEBT, LEGISLATORS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE LOOKING AT SOLUTIONS. Stephanie Woodard still remembers the weight of a roll of pennies in her pocket, hoping it would be enough to pay for lunch. The professional learning specialist for Fort Bend International School District recalls sneaking into her father’s bedroom and digging...