The AEI hosts highlight some positive trends in the adoption of children out of foster care and examine an innovative technique one California official is using to screen children for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

As people continue to adjust their daily lives in the era of COVID-19, some law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups across the country have raised concerns about the potential for a rise in domestic violence cases. The state of California is stepping up.

Effective January 1, 2020, DHCS began paying Medi-Cal providers to perform trauma screenings for children and adults with Medi-Cal coverage. Medi-Cal providers must take a certified training and self-attest no later than July 1, 2020, to having completed the training in order to continue to be reimbursed for ACEs screenings.

Dr. Dayna Long, Director for the Center for Child and Community Health at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, discusses the pervasiveness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and why screening for ACEs is critical to providing trauma-informed care.

To find out more about the long-term effects of the pandemic on children, CNN What Matters talked to California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who is deeply involved in the state’s aggressive response to the coronavirus.

In an interview with Voice & Viewpoint, Dr. Burke Harris shares information about the heightened levels of stress we are all feeling right now in the wake of the coronavirus, how underserved communities experience toxic stress and trauma differently, and ways to identify and manage stress and anxiety during this time, for our overall health – both physical and mental.

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. The New York Times interviews California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and other leaders in their field to explore how parents can identify and mitigate the effects of stress on their children.

California state agencies, including the Office of the California Surgeon General, came together on April 29 to update faith leaders and nonprofits executives on the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on African Americans and minorities and the array of resources available to combat the COVID-19 emergency.

Research has shown that children who face adverse childhood experiences have higher risk for worsening chronic diseases, increased risk of autoimmune diseases, asthma, depression, anxiety and substance abuse deep into adulthood, according to California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. At higher risk are children who have experienced untreated trauma before the COVID-19 emergency.