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Sonoma County PACEs Connection (CA)

Tagged With "Commission on the Status of Women"

Blog Post

Building trust is now a critical part of health care

Laurie Udesky ·
In a video clip , a hospital patient turns away in protest as a physician enters the room. “Why do you all keep coming in my room!” she asks in frustration. The physician moves a chair out of the way and sits down at eye level with the patient. “You’ve had to see so many people,” he acknowledges. “And I’m tired of it!” she yells. “I already know I have to get both of my legs cut off. That’s what they keep saying. I don’t have a choice!” “You don’t feel like you have a choice,” he repeats...
Blog Post

CA announces robust perinatal depression prevention for Medi-Cal recipients

Laurie Udesky ·
Melinda Coates experienced a tumultuous pregnancy. “I was really mentally upset literally from day one (of the pregnancy),” she says. (Melinda Coates is a pseudonym. To protect her and her children’s privacy and safety, we are not using her real name.) Coates had hoped to get counseling last October, when she was seven months pregnant. That’s when she enrolled in the state’s Medi-Cal program, shortly after she and her abusive husband moved to California, “but nobody was able to get me in...
Blog Post

California issues update on state residents' ACE scores from 2011 & 2013 surveys

Jane Stevens ·
The latest adverse childhood experiences survey from the California Department of Public Health shows that 42% of the population has an ACE score of 3 or higher; 16% have an ACE score of 4 or higher. Those with an ACE score of 4 or higher are: 3x more likely to be current smokers 4x more likely to have a depressive disorder 2x more likely to have asthma 2x more likely to be obese 4x more likely to have COPD 3x more likely to have a stroke Here are a few other highlights from the six-page...
Blog Post

Close to Home: Why we need to expand access to early childhood education [PressDemocrat.com]

Jane Stevens ·
Many people don’t know that 90 percent of a child’s brain develops before the age of five. The early childhood years are critical for laying the foundation for the rest of a child’s life. Early interaction with parents, child-care providers and siblings all shape the nature and development of a child’s brain. But knowing something and doing something about it are two very different things. We need to ensure that every child in Sonoma County has access to quality preschool to give them a...
Blog Post

Community advocates and Bay Area county health agencies work together on trauma-informed systems change

Laurie Udesky ·
The talk around the table is not what one might expect when community advocates begin a meeting with county health officials. “I went into this [work] through my own lived experience of trauma and family addiction,” said Toni DeMarco, the deputy director of children’s services for San Mateo County Health System. Rocsana Enriquez, who teaches yoga to teens in juvenile hall in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and in high schools for the Palo Alto-based Art of Yoga Project , chimed in. “I’m...
Blog Post

Dozens of stakeholders representing thousands of practitioners send public comments on Calif. ACEs-screening plan

Laurie Udesky ·
Update: We posted this story on Tuesday evening and received a response from the Department of Health Care Services Wednesday that clarifies additional information. DHCS information Officer Katharine Weir said that subject to budget approval by the legislature and the governor: The reimbursement rate will be $29. Federally Qualified Health Centers will also be reimbursed for screening pediatric patients for trauma through Prop 56 funds and federal matching funds. In response to a question...
Blog Post

DRAFT notes from our October 2019 meeting

Karen Clemmer ·
Draft notes from our October 23, 2019 meeting Welcome: For all who could join our meeting on October 23rd, thank you for your participation! Together we can broaden our understanding of how ACEs impact our communities and what folks are doing to address ACEs. In October we welcomed David Beck MD a local Psychiatrist, Lynn Burke from Drug Abuse Alternatives Center (DAAC) Perinatal Program and we welcomed the return of Carla Denner LCSW who is now with DHS - BH- Alcohol and Other Drug...
Blog Post

DULCE helps pediatricians in Oakland, CA, prevent toxic stress in newborns

Laurie Udesky ·
On a recent day in early March, Laura Lopez met a former patient of hers in the waiting room of Highland Hospital’s pediatric clinic in Oakland, CA. The patient had forgotten her Medi-Cal card and called Lopez asking for help. But in the brief conversation, Lopez, a family specialist with the DULCE program, learned about some dire changes in the patient’s life. Laura Lopez “Without me even asking, she shared with me that she had separated from her partner, that she needs to apply for food...
Blog Post

The Developing Brain & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Lisa Frederiksen ·
Thanks to an explosion in scientific research now possible with imaging technologies, such as fMRI and SPECT, experts can actually see how the brain develops. This helps explain why exposure to adverse childhood experiences can so deeply influence and change a child's brain and thus their physical and emotional health and quality of life across their lifetime. The above time-lapse study was conducted over 10 years. The darker colors represent brain maturity (brain development). I have added...
Blog Post

The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of California

Jenny Pearlman ·
While the impact of maltreatment on a child and their family is devastating, child maltreatment also has serious effects far beyond those for the victim. Maltreatment results in ongoing costs to taxpayers, institutions, businesses, and society at large. Local communities bear the brunt of these costs in the form of medical, educational, and judicial costs, though more tragic signs are seen in homelessness, addiction, and teen pregnancy. To create a concrete understanding of the widespread...
Blog Post

The Power of Photovoice

Elizabeth Najmabadi ·
Today I was able to sit down with Salvador Sanchez Strawbridge, who is apart of the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership. Sal shared with me how his life experiences lead him to where he is today and how he is giving back to his community. Sal did not have an easy childhood and was affiliated with a gang at a young age. I personally do not know a lot about the dynamics of a gang and he was able to provide me with a little more insight. He shared that being apart of a gang filled a void...
Blog Post

Three Sonoma County commissions seek local applicants [Sonoma Index Tribune]

Karen Clemmer ·
First District Supervisor Susan Gorin invites community members to apply for positions on local policy making bodies. Applications and a list of all boards, commissions and committees to which the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors appoints members is available online at sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/Boards--Commissions--Committees/Boards-Commissions-Committees-and-Task-Forces/. Click HERE to access website. The “vacancy” list on the site shows available opportunities for...
Blog Post

Two Truths and a Lie: ACES Training for Providers, Part One

Allen K. Nishikawa ·
Note: I was asked to repost this blog on the Sonoma County site, so if you have already read this, there is no new content. There is a game in which you tell people two truths and a lie and folks must guess which one is the lie. Want to play? One: I lived and worked on a seaplane for several months. Two: for a time, I built musical instruments for a living. Three: I helped several women escape domestic violence. To help you figure out which one is the lie, let me tell you a...
Blog Post

Violence Profile of Sonoma County

Remy Fuentes ·
Several months ago, the Violence Profile of Sonoma County was published online. The profile aims to deliver three messages: (1) Violence Impacts Health (2) Violence is More than Physical (3) Violence is Preventable In addressing these aims, the profile provides a strong explanation for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) having lasting effects on health and behaviors, including violent behaviors such as emotional abuse, intimate partner violence, and suicide attempts. The profile also uses...
Blog Post

"What Happened To You? A Journey From Childhood Adversity to Resiliency" Explained by a Compelling Pamphlet

Holly White-Wolfe ·
I found a manila envelope on my desk this morning. Inside was a heartfelt letter wrapped around a small stack of pamphlets. I can't remember the last time I held a paper resource guide in my hand, and there is something quite satisfying in this small, tangible resource. As I thumb through the pages, I feel myself drawn into a simple, relate-able story. I'm eager to keep turning pages and to discover how those of us with similar stories can find resources and support. "The pamphlet is...
Blog Post

What Wildfires Do to Our Minds

Bob Doppelt ·
A Northern California community offers mental health first-aid to survivors of devastating fires. Yes Magazine-- posted Aug 07, 2018 https://www.yesmagazine.org/ issues/mental-health/what- wildfires-do-to-our-minds- 20180807/ It’s late spring, and I’m hiking Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Sonoma County with therapist, ecopsychologist, and California naturalist Mary Good. A mist is drifting down, and we have the park mostly to ourselves. In October 2017, 80 percent of Sugarloaf’s 3,900 acres...
Blog Post

Sonoma County Field Nursing was highlighted during 2018 ACEs Conference Project Showcase

Remy Fuentes ·
On October 15-17, the Center for Youth Wellness in collaboration with the ACEs Connection presented the 2018 ACEs Conference and Pediatric Symposium. The theme this year was, “Action to Access,” and communities from around the United States shared current research, programs, tools, and initiatives that use ACEs science to address childhood adversity and its impact. The Sonoma County Field Nursing team was selected to showcase their work to address ACEs with caregivers during home visits.
Blog Post

Special Event TOMORROW EVENING : Women Defying Limits in Sonoma County

Alison Lobb ·
This is an exciting local opportunity to learn about ACEs from a Latina perspective!
Blog Post

Study of Holocaust survivors finds trauma passed on to children's genes

Elizabeth Najmabadi ·
In 2015 researchers from New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital looked to epigenetic inheritance as an explanation for why Children of Holocaust survivors have an increased likelihood of stress disorders when compared to Jewish families who were living outside of Europe during the war. “Epigenetic inheritance is the idea that environmental influences such as smoking, diet and stress can affect the genes of your children and possible even grandchildren” (Thomson, 2015). This idea of epigenetic...
Blog Post

Syrian Children in a state of Toxic Stress

Elizabeth Najmabadi ·
An article posted by BBC News captures what the children of Syria are experiencing and how many of these children don't know anything but war. This is a huge public health concern that could lead to irreversible damage to an entire generation of children. Save the Children shares, "Millions of Syrian Children could be living in a state of "Toxic Stress" due to prolonged exposure to the horrors of war." I have attached the Report, Invisible Wounds produced by Save the Children if you're...
Blog Post

White Paper: A Model for Strengthening Community in Trauma Affected Neighborhoods

Elizabeth Najmabadi ·
This white paper published in 2014 by Bridge Housing Corporation in San Francisco, and the Health Equity Institute at San Francisco State University provides valuable information on how to strengthen trauma affected neighborhoods by utilizing the Trauma Informed Community Building Model. Community members living in low-income and public housing may experience cumulative trauma, resulting from daily stressors of violence, poverty, historical racism and disenfranchisement. By addressing the...
Blog Post

Who Cares for the Caregivers?

Allen K. Nishikawa ·
(A written version of a presentation given at the February Sonoma County ACEs Connection meeting.) Sonoma County ACEs Connection is trying out a new meeting topic focusing on personal stories. There are three reasons why personal stories are useful and powerful. The first is that people like and learn from stories. People learn in different ways, and Powerpoint presentations aren’t for everyone. The second reason is that we’re hoping to involve more members by encouraging them to share their...
Blog Post

Wildfire Mental Health Services Collaborative Invites You to RSVP to August 2, 2018 Meeting

Holly White-Wolfe ·
Dear Colleagues, Summer is flying by and we want to honor our commitment made to you at the May wildfire mental health services mapping session by reconvening our group for an update on August 2 from 9:00 to 11:00 am. The location for our meeting is Medtronic, 3850 Brickway Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA, 95403. There are no special parking instructions. Enter through the main entrance and check with the receptionist. There will be signs to direct you to our meeting room. Because this is a secure...
Calendar Event

Birth, Breastfeeding and Beyond Conference

Calendar Event

Dolores Huerta Comes to Hanna!

Calendar Event

Film Screening: Warrior Women

Comment

Re: Post-wildfire report on nonprofit services: mental health a critical need, services to most vulnerable citizens impacted

Allen K. Nishikawa ·
Thanks for posting this Lena! I'm not surprised that agencies literally prioritized "bricks & mortar" projects over less tangible outcomes such as mental health. Still, it's sad that we do so. The data on populations served is surprising: I get that persons who lost their home in the fires might have been persons previously more likely to give to causes than to seek assistance from them. Still, you would expect that some who lost homes would be seniors, veterans, LGBTQ, women, etc., so...
Comment

Re: Two Truths and a Lie: ACES Training for Providers, Part One

Alea Tantarelli ·
What a potent message, Allen. Thanks for sharing your personal journey. I also used to work with women who were being abused and was left feeling like a failure when they would return to their partners. During that time, I learned many valuable lessons about how disempowering (and personally exhausting) trying to “save” people really is. I’m so thankful for learning that lesson and I apply it almost daily because my natural inclination is to want to take everyone home and make it all better.
Comment

Re: NEW DATE: November 21st: Latino Health Forum: One People, One Climate

Karen Clemmer ·
Please see the attached 2019 LHF Syllabus and the Event Program.
Comment

Re: Petaluma Health Center leads effort to link women to services

Karyna Mayora-Linzer ·
Thank YOU for YOUR work AND Rebecca Munger's work on this excellent evidence-informed tool that we are still using across our FQHCs in Sonoma County. Your work on this project has helped us collect valuable data on substance use, depression, intimate partner violence, and smoking amongst our most vulnerable pregnant women in Sonoma County. The data from this powerful tool is informing the clinical practice of providers across the county, our Maternal Child Adolescent Health home visiting...
Comment

Re: Bringing ACEs Passion to the Commission on the Status of Women

Holly White-Wolfe ·
This is great, Karen! Can you private message me with Michele's new contact information? Some of the ACE Interface Presenters are planning to reach out to the Commission to see if they can do a presentation. It would be great to reach out directly to Michele.
Comment

Re: Policy Committee Meeting Notes

Karen Clemmer ·
Allen, Alison & Lena - You guys are awesome! Allen, these notes are great!! The ideas and strategies you outlined have the potential to nudge real systems change! Incorporating adverse community experiences, along with ACEs - is very timely - on many levels. Speaking of systems change - some may be interested to know that the CDPH Essentials for Childhood Initiative leadership is starting an effort to push toward having California become a "trauma informed state" (details TBD). Some...
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