One of the best reports I have seen about the trauma-informed movement to date appeared last night on the PBS News Hour. When you to watch the 8:50 minute video (do it!), think about how it can be used to expose policymakers to the power of this information. Combine this video about community solutions with the new James Redford 5-minute video explaining the ACE study research and you've got a good start on ACEs awareness and education.
The PBS News Hour story (in partnership with Kaiser Health News) shows how the community of Memphis, Tennessee is using the ACE study research and trauma-informed approaches to galvanize its residents to improve the lives of both children and their parents. It shows how a cross-sector group—that includes Memphis Mayor Luttrell, Barbara Nixon who heads the ACE Center Task Force of Shelby County, Stephen Bush, a local public defender, many others—has come together to find real solutions to reduce ACEs and mitigate the impact of childhood adversity.
What started in Memphis has now gone statewide. If the movement catches fire in the conservative, southern state of Tennessee, what might happen in states across the country? The unfolding story in Tennessee is one of the biggest developments in the trauma-informed movement. Governor Haslam, State Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee, and many others are involved in the statewide effort.
JUDY WOODRUFF: There is more and more evidence that traumatic events experienced in childhood, like abuse, neighborhood violence or the death of a parent, can contribute to health consequences in adulthood, from heart disease to diabetes.
Now communities throughout the U.S. are beginning to intervene to try to prevent this.
Special correspondent Sarah Varney begins our report from Los Angeles, which was done in partnership with Kaiser Health News, and with support from the Solutions Journalism Network.
SARAH VARNEY: Kimberly Cervantes has spent much of her young life learning to outwit the perils of Compton. Although she had adults she could trust in high school, like teacher Armando Castro, they couldn’t shield her from an assault on a public bus.
KIMBERLY CERVANTES, Compton Resident: He tried to grab me.
SARAH VARNEY: And frequent gunshots outside the school. In middle school, she witnessed the deaths of two students. That steady exposure to violence has led Cervantes to some dark places, at times a crippling anxiety that forced her to miss school and thoughts of suicide.
For the transcript and to view the video, click on http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb...ut-childhood-trauma/
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