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Childhood Inequities, Neglect, Abuse Hidden in Pandemic [flagstaffbusinessnews.com]

 

By Flagstaff Business News, January 6, 2021

Virginia Watahomigie is worried about our families. As the executive director for the Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth (CCC&Y), she knows that isolation, depression and anxiety – all conditions mental health experts say have been made worse by the pandemic – are increasingly having a negative effect on children in Arizona, particularly in rural areas where resources are less available than in larger cities and distances to travel for support are far greater.

Watahomigie also is very much aware that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increase the chances for children to grow up with addiction and substance abuse problems, chronic health and mental health issues and other negative outcomes later in life, including violence and criminal behavior. “It is clear that preventing childhood trauma is a very important step,” she said, “but there is much we can do as a community to build protective factors and promote resilience.”

Community-involved business professionals and educators experience first-hand how not every child is raised in a supportive family or treated equally at school. But kindness, encouragement and involvement from adults in a child’s life can have a ripple effect that impacts the individual in a positive way and also benefits the greater community and future workforce.

[Please click here to read more.]

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