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.

Maya Smith, executive director of the Born This Way Foundation, encourages all Californians to heed the guidance released by California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris in the Stress Busting Playbook, which provides resources and tips for decreasing stress hormones and improving both psychological and physical health.

In the second part of The Sacramento OBSERVER’s discussion with California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, she speaks about the need for more mental health providers of color. In the first installment, Dr. Burke-Harris shared her role in the fight against the coronavirus, how COVID-19 can exacerbate chronic stress for African Americans and the impact the virus is having on African Americans overall.