On December 14, 2021, three ACEs Aware Network of Care grantees shared their successes promoting ACE screenings, sustainable trauma-informed networks to mitigate toxic stress. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris listened to each presentation with an opportunity to ask the grantees targeted questions about what their efforts have accomplished for their communities through their Planning or Implementation Networks of Care grants.
Blog
News, events, and important information from the ACEs Aware initiative

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG), today announced that the ACEs Aware initiative has reached two key milestones less than two years after launching. To date, more than 20,500 California clinicians have been trained to screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and more than 500,000 children and adults across the state have been screened for ACEs.
Research shows that 62 percent of Californians have experienced at least one ACE. Emerging…
SB 428 was enacted by Governor Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature, significantly expanding access to ACE screening in California.
The ACEs Aware initiative, a statewide effort to screen children and adults for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and prevent and treat the impacts of toxic stress, is built on the consensus of scientific evidence demonstrating that early detection and evidence-based interventions improve outcomes. The ACEs Aware mission is even more important today as we address the secondary health impacts of stress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a growing need for mental and behavioral health support for California’s young people.
There are more than 800 Boys &…
Joint letter from the California Department of Social Services, the California Department of Health Care Services, and the Office of the California Surgeon General providing clarifying guidance on the responsibilities of health care clinical teams who conduct screenings for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the context of the state’s mandated reporting requirements.
The ACEs Aware initiative funds community-based approaches to identify, treat, and heal the effects of ACEs and stress. Last month, we asked grantees Tri-City Mental Health Authority, Kings County Department of Public Health, and the Hanna Institute to share their strategies for engaging with local communities.
This month the ACEs Aware initiative released a new data report that details the number of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) screenings conducted in California between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020, and the number of providers who completed the “Becoming ACEs Aware in California” online training between December 4, 2019, and March 31, 2021.
When two ACEs Aware communications grants were awarded to Merced County, a strategic alliance between the Merced County Office of Education’s Family Resource Center and ACE Overcomers was developed to achieve greater impact through collaboration. Read reflections on their efforts in this month’s joint interview.
In April 2021, ACEs Aware hosted the first in a series of webinars that explore research demonstrating how exposure to racism and other forms of discrimination can serve as risk factors for the toxic stress response and lead to ACE-Associated Health Conditions.
On Wednesday June 16, 2021, three ACEs Aware grantees shared their successes promoting ACE screenings, sustainable trauma-informed systems-level changes, and self-care and resilience to health and human services staff during their grant activities.