Tagged With "Commission on the Status of Women"
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Building trust is now a critical part of health care
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...
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CA announces robust perinatal depression prevention for Medi-Cal recipients
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...
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California issues update on state residents' ACE scores from 2011 & 2013 surveys
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...
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Close to Home: Why we need to expand access to early childhood education [PressDemocrat.com]
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...
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Community advocates and Bay Area county health agencies work together on trauma-informed systems change
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...
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Dozens of stakeholders representing thousands of practitioners send public comments on Calif. ACEs-screening plan
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...
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DRAFT notes from our October 2019 meeting
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...
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DULCE helps pediatricians in Oakland, CA, prevent toxic stress in newborns
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...
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The Developing Brain & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
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...
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The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of California
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...
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The Power of Photovoice
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...
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Three Sonoma County commissions seek local applicants [Sonoma Index Tribune]
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...
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Two Truths and a Lie: ACES Training for Providers, Part One
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...
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Violence Profile of Sonoma County
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...
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"What Happened To You? A Journey From Childhood Adversity to Resiliency" Explained by a Compelling Pamphlet
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...
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What Wildfires Do to Our Minds
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...
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Sonoma County Field Nursing was highlighted during 2018 ACEs Conference Project Showcase
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.
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Special Event TOMORROW EVENING : Women Defying Limits in Sonoma County
This is an exciting local opportunity to learn about ACEs from a Latina perspective!
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Study of Holocaust survivors finds trauma passed on to children's genes
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...
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Syrian Children in a state of Toxic Stress
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...
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White Paper: A Model for Strengthening Community in Trauma Affected Neighborhoods
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...
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Who Cares for the Caregivers?
(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...
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Wildfire Mental Health Services Collaborative Invites You to RSVP to August 2, 2018 Meeting
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...
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Re: Post-wildfire report on nonprofit services: mental health a critical need, services to most vulnerable citizens impacted
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...
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Re: Two Truths and a Lie: ACES Training for Providers, Part One
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.
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Re: Petaluma Health Center leads effort to link women to services
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...
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Re: Bringing ACEs Passion to the Commission on the Status of Women
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.
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Re: Policy Committee Meeting Notes
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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ACEs Research Corner — May 2020
[Editor's note: Dr. Harise Stein at Stanford University edits a web site -- abuseresearch.info -- that focuses on the health effects of abuse, and includes research articles on ACEs. Every month, she's posting the summaries of the abstracts and links to research articles that address only ACEs. Thank you, Harise!! -- Jane Stevens] Williams AB, Smith ER, Trujillo MA, et. al. Common health problems in safety-net primary care: Modeling the roles of trauma history and mental health. J Clin...
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Family Therapy is now a Medi-Cal Benefit
Medi-Cal has just published new policy making family therapy a covered benefit for children and adults with mental health disorders and for children who are at risk for mental health disorders. This will be especially relevant for children with ACEs. Under the guidance of the California Department of Health Care Services, the Medi-Cal fee-for-service program aims to provide health care services to about 13 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The Medi-Cal fee-for-service program adjudicates both...
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Better Beginnings announces launch of the My Navigator Program!
INTRODUCING THE MY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM Better Beginnings , in partnership with First 5 Sonoma County , is proud to announce the launch of the My Navigator Program! A warm line designed to provide free resources and information to women and their families during pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and early parenthood during the COVID-19 pandemic. The My Navigator Program also offers free Baby Weight Stations designed for mothers to come with their baby for a quick baby weight check, with locations...
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Friendly Reminder: our July meeting is Weds 7/22 at 3:30!
Please join our July Zoom meeting - all are welcome! If you prefer, there is a call in option too. ZOOM LINK or see calendar for more details. So much is happening across the county (and beyond) so maybe we can put our heads together and find ways to support this important work! See below for the draft agenda and the attached references: 1 OCAP released their strategic plan 2020-2025 2 MCH released a report on how health inequities emerge before birth 3 EfC just released Trauma Informed...
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Certified Lactation Specialist Program Beyond the Basics: Effectively Assisting Breastfeeding Mothers
We are going to have a small Lactation Specialist Program July 31st- Aug 2nd. Better Beginnings has offered us a limited number of scholarships to help cover the expenses of the students. We will be sitting 6 ft apart, in a well ventilated room, and will only have 10 students total. If you know someone who is interested, please have them call me! Rosanne Gephart CNM, MSN, IBCLC With Child Breastfeeding Support 5263 Beaumont Way - Santa Rosa, CA 95409 707-327-6911 *Please see attached for...
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Notes from the July 22, 2020 SCAC meeting!
*Click the green hyperlinks for more information! Thank you to all who found their way to our Zoom call. There were a couple bumps in the road (e.g. me not checking to see if folks were waiting to be added to the call - yikes) and lessons learned. The Sonoma County ACEs Connection meeting invite/agenda can be found here . The afternoon of Wednesday July 22, 2020 nine people representing a variety of organizations such as: a community advocacy group, a community champion, an advisory board...
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Mary Ann Parker of Sonoma County sews 34 quilts during shelter-in-place and then donates them to fire survivors in Mendocino County
MendoLake Complex Fire Relief - Facebook group, 9.23.2020. Mary Ann Parker of Sonoma County sews 34 quilts during shelter-in-place and then donates them to fire survivors in Mendocino County. She says, "They are organized into bags, one for boys, one for girls, one for women and one for men." She also made and donated quilts during the 2019 Kincade Fire of Sonoma County, giving students who lost their home two new quilts each. Thank you Mary Ann Parker you are one of the pieces to the big...
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Sonoma County ACES Connection Meeting Notes 9/23
Welcome https://www.acesconnection.com/g/sonoma-county-aces-connection Grounding activity - Introductions - Invited each of 15 in attendance to introduce themselves and share what brings them to this gathering. Alison Lobb - Mind Body Skills group cohort - these groups count toward parole officer education hours. Now have a waiting list of 3-4 people! Project coordination for mental health collaboration project - during pretrial period - support transition into community and treatment -...
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Spreading the Science: Michigan's NEAR Collaborative Aims to Infuse ACEs Science into State Departments and Agencies
Mary Mueller likes to call herself an “opportunistic infection.” What that means is that Mueller, project coordinator for trauma-informed systems in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), is determined to share the science of ACEs and resilience wherever she goes. After Mueller attended the state’s first ACE master trainer two day session hosted by the Michigan ACE Initiative , she wanted to bring the foundational science shared by ACE Interface back home—to her MDHHS...
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Tools to Mitigate Work Stress and Prevent Burnout: For Health Care Providers during COVID and Beyond
Whether you work in a hospital, a safety net clinic, or in another health care setting, no health care provider working during the COVID-19 pandemic needs to read the flurry of news stories that highlight the extreme stress experienced by people in this line of work – you already know it firsthand. This webinar will introduce health care providers to the Community Resiliency Model ( CRM ), an evidence-based method of managing traumatic stress, preventing burnout and building resiliency. This...
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Why I joined ACES CONNECTION
Kia ora from Auckland, NZ. My name is Adriana. I am the community manager of trauma-informed NZ with ACES CONNECTION. ACES CONNECTION, is based in the States, far from New Zealand, and our way of life, yet, I am the community manager of a community with ACES CONNECTION Today, I am going to share with you, my reasons for joining ACES CONNECTION. I will make a call for action at the end of my talk, so please stay to the end Why did I join ACES CONNECTION? Here is my story. I live in NZ, always...
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Sonoma County field nurses use ACEs science to educate families
Santa Rosa, CA, resident Lisa Marden watches her 15-month-old baby gleefully play with magic markers and relays how she’s been coping with feeling anxious. (We're using a pseudonym to protect the family's privacy.) “I’m just super stressed out with everything, and as soon as I eat anything, I get nauseous, so I’ve been eating snacks instead of meals,” she explains to Liz George, a field nurse with the Maternal/Child Field Nursing team of Sonoma County, CA, who has been seeing Marden on home...
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Elizabeth Smith knits together families and communities through her own healing journey
(l to r) Elizabeth Smith and Peacetown board of directors: David, Amitiel, Jim aka Mr. Music, and Jasmine. Only eight years ago, Elizabeth Smith was experiencing severe chronic stress. Raising a young son on her own, she was employed as a technician at a county hospital in Northern California that had downsized staff and increased her workload , as well that of other staff. She was helping to raise the morale of her fellow workers and served as a liaison between staff and the administration,...
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To solve the Black maternal mortality crisis, start with upending racist practices
It’s been all over the news for months: Black women in the United States are dying from complications during their pregnancies or in childbirth at alarming rates, and those deaths are preventable. Less well explored is how systemic racism and historical trauma have been at the core of what’s driven up these rates over several decades. A March 20 conference entitled The Impact of ACEs on Black Maternal Health took an in-depth look into why Black maternal mortality and complications during...
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Webinar explores Oregon bill declaring racism a public health crisis
For anyone who thinks Oregon — long regarded as a liberal, progressive state — was a welcoming place for Blacks and other minorities in the past, a recent webinar sponsored by Oregon health care organizations was a chilling wake-up call. In June 1844, Oregon’s provisional government passed its first Black Exclusionary Act , with language stating that any Black person who set foot in Oregon “would be publicly whipped 39 lashes.” From that time forward, Oregon, like most states, amassed its...
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Immigrant groups rally for 'just' reform outside Thompson's office [pressdemocrat.com]
By Kathleen Coates, The Press Democrat, June 24, 2021 Immigrant and Indigenous groups demanded what they called “just immigration reform” from Rep. Mike Thompson on Thursday at a rally with speakers who addressed a crowd of about 50 members and allies. The rally, sponsored by the umbrella group Immigrant and Indigenous Women of Sonoma County, was given in both Spanish and English outside the Sonoma County building in Santa Rosa where Thompson, D-St. Helena, has an office. It was held to grab...
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SoCo Commission on Status of Women 2021 Voices survey
The Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women invites you to participate in our 2021 Voices of Sonoma County Women survey! We are conducting this study to gain a deeper understanding of the status of girls, women, transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, and gender nonconforming persons in our communities and how the pandemic has impacted them. Here is the link to the survey: English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NR5WCHV Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8BLYF77
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Live Your Dream scholarship
An Unfortunate Truth In every country in the world, women and girls face obstacles and discrimination solely because of their gender. 1 in 3 women have been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime. - Amnesty International USA 1 in 4 high school-age girls in the United States does not graduate. - National Women's Law Center Of single mothers under 30, only 7% have finished college nationwide. - The Shriver Report Around the world, 150 million girls under age 18 are...
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How indigenous tattoos draw a link to the past
Tribal members in Northern California are reclaiming traditional tattoos, especially facial tattoos as a means to connect with their cultural history, a panel of experts in indigenous tattoos told a diverse group of 45 people in attendance at the community event at the Museum of Sonoma County. Those who attended were surrounded by displays of indigenous art, ceramics, and paintings. A spectacular hand carved canoe, used for traditional voyages, tracing ancestral journeys through the Pacific...
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Local Soroptimist Club offers educational scholarship to support women's education
Every year, Soroptimist distributes more than $2.8 million in education awards to about 1,700 women all over the world. Over half of our Live Your Dream Awards recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Nearly all of the women and families we serve have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction. Live Your Dream Awards recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to...
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CRC Accelerator Hiatus Announcement: Limited Time Left to Complete the CRC Accelerator Program, Certificate of Participation Toolkit & The Road Ahead
March marks the final month of the granting period for the CRC Accelerator. Here are the next steps for certification or a certificate of participation.