New and returning lawmakers take the oath of office on day one of Washington state's 2017 legislative session. — Jeanie Lindsay/Northwest News Network As advocates prepare to see how ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) science, trauma, and resilience play out in the 2020 state legislative sessions — many beginning in January — they are undoubtedly asking: “What does a legislator want?" It may be a stretch to play on Freud’s question: “What does a women want?", but the query captures how...

The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB), (formerly the Safe and Active Communities Branch) and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP), co-hosted an Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative convening on Wednesday, October 30, 2019. This event, entitled “Defining Goals and Strategies to Achieve Child Wellbeing,” took place at the California Endowment in Sacramento from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM...

The California Work & Family Coalition is an alliance of community organizations unions, non-profits, and individuals dedicated to helping parents, caregivers, and families thrive. The Coalition will be hosting the California Work & Family Coalition annual Statewide Meeting on December 17, 2019 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at 1000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607 . Join Coalition members from across the state to connect, learn, and evaluate the Coalition's recent work and set priorities for...

An article published in Journal of Traumatic Stress (Akinsulure‐Smith, A. M., Espinosa, A., Chu, T., and Hallock, R., 2018, 202–212, (https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22279), promotes an enhanced understanding of the impact of refugee resettlement work on refugee resettlement workers by examining the prevalence rates of toxic mental health and occupational outcomes, such as secondary traumatic stress and burnout, among a sample of 210 refugee resettlement workers at six refugee resettlement...

By Vasil I. Yasenov, Duncan Lawrence, Fernando S. Mendoza, et al., JAMA Pediatrics, November 18, 2019 Key Points Question Is state-level expansion of public health insurance coverage to non–US-born children and pregnant women associated with increased in-migration of eligible immigrant families from other states? Findings In this difference-in-differences analysis of data on 208 060 immigrants from the American Community Survey from 2000 through 2016, no association was found between...

Each year, millions of children in California endure the trauma of abuse, violence, natural disasters, and other adverse events. These experiences can give rise to significant emotional and behavioral problems that can profoundly disrupt the children’s lives and bring them in contact with child-serving professionals. For therapists, child welfare workers, case managers, and other helping professionals involved in the care of traumatized children and their families, the essential act of...

Dr. Melissa Merrick, president & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, provides four key takeaways from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest Vital Signs/ACEs report , of which she is the lead author. Merrick also identifies several practical solutions for creating the conditions for safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments for all children, families and communities, which are fundamental to preventing ACEs. Among these solutions is strengthening economic...

Healing Together is a new campaign that engages men, and people of all genders, in the work to build safe and accountable communities by focusing on healing, gender justice, and racial equity—instead of punishment—to end intimate partner violence. The campaign aim to shift away from punitive policies and systems that produce violence and expand community-based approaches that focus on prevention, accountability, and healing for all. Individuals and organizations can visit the Healing...

The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) provides rich data on multiple, intersecting aspects of children’s lives—including physical and mental health, access to quality health care, and the child’s family, neighborhood, school, and social context. The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC), under a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), announced the release of the child and...

By Melissa T. Merrick, Derek C. Ford, Katie A. Ports, et al., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, November 5, 2019 Summary What is already known about this topic? Adverse childhood experiences are common and are associated with many poor health and life outcomes in adulthood. What is added by this report? Nearly 16% of adults in the study population reported four or more types of adverse childhood experiences, which were significantly associated with poorer health outcomes, health...

Yesterday, NPR published the following story: CLICK HERE "Childhood trauma causes serious health repercussions throughout life and is a public health issue that calls for concerted prevention efforts. That's the takeaway of a report published Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experiencing traumatic things as a child puts you at risk for lifelong health effects, according to a body of research. The CDC's new report confirms this, finding that Americans who had...

On October 30th, Alejandra Aguilar (California Partnership to End Domestic Violence) and I (It’s My Life) attended Essentials for Childhood Initiative's (EfCI) Convening and shared C.H.A.R.M. at Work with fellow attendees to influence their collaborative relationships during the day and for the future. Collaboration is a key factor in building business. People thrive in environments which free them to communicate and work together. When the environment is focused on collaboration, team...