“Family physicians have helped patients deal with adversity and its complications since our inception as a specialty, for we have always intuitively addressed not just the disease but also the context in which our patients live. Now there is a name for one of these sources of trauma — adverse childhood experiences — with a growing body of science behind it.”

Dr. Dayna Long talks with ACEs Connection staff reporter Laurie Udesky about ACEs science, what led to the PEARLS tool, and how training in trauma-informed practices is an ongoing process.

On January 1, 2020 California began the first U.S. state to screen for adverse childhood experiences. The project is not just a public health initiative, but a vast experiment, writes Emily Underwood from Science Magazine in an exploration of this pioneering initiative.

“Adverse Childhood Experiences and toxic stress will cost California over a trillion dollars in the next 10 years,” said California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. “This research demonstrates that our imperative is not only ethical and moral, we have a strong economic imperative as well.”

Please visit the ACEs Aware Learning & Engagement Opportunities page for the RFP Q&As and other materials. RFP applications are due on Monday, February 10, 2020. Applications must be submitted in Microsoft Word format and emailed to info@ACEsAware.org.

There’s more research than ever on Adverse Childhood Experiences since the original study was released in the late 90s. Read what experts have discovered when it comes to ACE consequences, who’s most at risk, and how parents can help.

Jim Hickman, CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness, discusses the need to remove barriers to care and prevent intergenerational ACEs by addressing social inequities at the systems level — something that is essential to the success of interventions and healing.

By screening children, health providers hope to intervene earlier in treating their traumas and preventing chronic stressors in order to put the child on a better pathway through life.

Governor Gavin Newsom today unveiled his Administration’s 2020-21 State Budget proposal, which includes a $10 million one-time General Fund expenditure for the development of an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) public awareness campaign and cross-sector training.

Dr. Dayna Long, pediatrician and director of the Center for Child and Community Health at UCSF, and Jessica Dym Bartlett, co-director of early childhood research at Child Trends, join AirTalk to discuss the new screening process, how it’s conducted, and what advocates hope to accomplish.