ACEs Aware June Initiative: Strengthening Families with Trauma-Informed Care
The ACEs Screening tool and initiative to address childhood trauma is a small step in a long history of pediatric research and programs on understanding how children thrive, and how we can support them.
This month, we look at information on the significance of an ACEs score and how toxic stress can be measured.
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Pediatric Perspectives: Toxic Stress |
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Our Unique View: What Is The Story of Your Number?
By Diane Dooley MD,MHS, FAAP
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Pediatric providers always struggle when we’re asked to make clinical interventions based upon a single number. We know that children are changing and growing, and resist believing that an isolated abnormal lab value, vision screen or blood pressure truly justify the need for intervention. In most cases, the number represents a squirmy kid, an inexperienced examiner or using the wrong sized cuff to test the child. Although a single number does offer an opportunity to discuss early prevention of a condition, it’s only after repeated measurements and placing the number in the context of a child’s health and family history that we recommend lifestyle changes.
The ACEs Aware Campaign has recently developed a powerful media campaign and website for providers and families that reflects this thoughtful approach to screening for ACEs. The website, NumberStory.org is part of a consumer education campaign developed in partnership with the ACEs Resource Network. It offers a clear description of ACEs, toxic stress and screening, and gives adults the on-line tool to screen for their own ACEs. The appealing graphics and short videos make it clear to providers and families that the ACEs score does not define adults or children and provides access to many of the buffering tools and resources mentioned in the ACEs provider toolkit, such as sufficient sleep, mindfulness and supportive relationships. The website also gives families resources for immediate crisis support and is available in both English and Spanish.
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Social Media Graphic
Below is a copy of our latest ACEs infographic, also available on all of our social media channels.
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"Promoting Resilience"
Meghan Schmitt, MD comments on the resilience she has witnessed as a first-year resident working in the midst of a global pandemic and the importance of identifying and building on family strengths to promote resilience.
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CMA Wellness Engagement Groups |
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The California Medical Association’s wellness program is launching free, online wellness engagement groups for health care providers that conduct patient screenings for ACEs. The groups will meet monthly for six months starting in July and will support providers by offering subject matter experts, best practices and an open forum to share experiences, facilitated by volunteer physicians. You can sign up for the Tuesday Series (link) or Saturday Series (link).
CMA designates this live activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.
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Cutting Edge Research on ACEs |
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Recent awardees of $9 million for proof-of-principle demonstration projects from the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, a discipline looking at understanding how an individual’s genes, environment and lifestyle predict a disease’s risk and impact prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies for that condition. |
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Loma Linda University: "Component Intervention to Strengthen Families and Build Youth Resilience."
This project will mobilize pediatricians, community health workers, and parenting educators to improve the delivery of information and resources to a diverse population of families with ACEs across the Inland Empire region. Biomarkers of toxic stress will be collected alongside ACE scores. Learn more by reading below.
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University of California, Irvine: "Using Precision Medicine to Tackle Impacts of Adverse and Unpredictable Experiences on Children's Neurodevelopment."
The burden of ACEs is not equally distributed, with greater risk of exposure among low socioeconomic and racial/ethnic minority communities. This project seeks to answer two unmet needs: 1. identify the degree that ACEs influence children’s neurodevelopment and 2. discover for each child a marker that can predict their level of resilience, so that targeted interventions can be delivered to children who need them most.
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Children’s Hospital Los Angeles: “Scalable Measurement and Clinical Deployment of Mitochondrial Biomarkers of Toxic Stress”
The very best outcomes will be achieved by identifying infants at greatest risk for ACEs and toxic stress and intervening to reduce the chronic stress response. This project will improve early screening by combining a questionnaire with innovative laboratory tests that detect disruptions in metabolic health, a key indicator of toxic stress.
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University of California, San Francisco: "The Collaborative approach to examining Adversity and building Resilience (CARE) Program."
The cross-disciplinary team will study how to enhance resilience in children and families who have experienced adversity. This project draws upon clinical intervention, stress-biology science, and community partnership to help us understand which children are most vulnerable to the effects of ACEs, what family and community-level factors provide the most buffering protection, and which interventions most improve child and family outcomes—and for whom.
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Parental and Provider Resources for ACEs |
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Parental and Provider Resources for ACEs |
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ACEs & Spanking Infographic helps parents understand the connection between ACEs and the importance of using positive parenting techniques instead of speaking
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Emergency Broadband Benefit Program |
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All Medi-Cal enrolled families are eligible for a temporary $50/month discount on their broadband service and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer. More information is available below, |
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We look forward to communicating future ACEs initiatives with you and your practice! For more information on the ACEs initiative, visit our website here or contact [email protected].
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Your membership makes a difference for children in California, thank you!
The AAPCA1's ability to advocate on behalf of children is only as strong as the support we receive from our members. Encourage your colleagues to join today by visiting the AAPCA1 website.
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Our mission is to promote the optimal health and development of children and
adolescents of Northern California in partnership with their families and communities, and to support the pediatricians who care for them.
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President: Raelene Walker • Vice President: Nelson Branco
Secretary: Janice Kim • Treasurer: Nivedita More • Past President: John Takayama
Executive Director: Isra Uz-Zaman
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California Chapter 1, American Academy of Pediatrics | www.aapca1.org | [email protected]| 916-274-4173 |
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