Healthy Communities Newsletter September 2019

Working together to build health and resilience

Greetings! We are pleased to introduce a newsletter for groups and coalitions supported by Clark County Public Health and our incredible partners. By combining multiple mailings into a single monthly newsletter, we hope to encourage shared knowledge and resources in a concise and convenient fashion. Look for the Healthy Communities Newsletter during the first week of each month. We continue to welcome your news and announcements and look forward to seeing you at upcoming meetings of the ACEs Alliance, Faith-Based Coffee and Clark County Safe Kids. Thank you for all you do to support the health and resilience of our community.

The ACEs Action Alliance is: A multi-sector collaborative of public and private organizations and individuals. We raise awareness about adverse ch i ldhood experiences (ACEs) and their long-term impact. We promote trauma-informed approaches and policies to support resilience and healing for people of all ages. All are welcome at monthly meetings. The Trauma-Informed Schools Team is open to anyone who works in or with schools in Clark County. We meet monthly to explore tools, resource and applications of trauma-informed principles for schools. Check the calendar at ACEsActionAlliance.org for current meeting information and other resources. ACEsAction Alliance on FaceBook

Faith-Based Coffee is: A non-denominational bridge that joins faith partners, communities and local schools to share learning, meet the needs of children, families and neighborhoods, and address emergent needs that arise in our community. All are welcome. Members maintain the separation of church and state at meetings and when fulfilling needs by serving from the heart without promoting personal religious beliefs or engaging in religious recruitment. Evergreen Faith-Based Coffee on FaceBook Vancouver Faith Based Coffee on FaceBook

Safe Kids Clark County is: A member of  Safe Kids Worldwide, a grassroots network of more than 600 coalitions and chapters that work closely with law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, health professionals, educators, businesses, public policy makers, and, most importantly, parents and kids to promote safety. Priorities include proper car seat use, baby's safe sleep, reducing child vehicular injuries and deaths, and water safety. Local coordination provided by American Medical Response (AMR). Safe Kids Clark County on FaceBook

Upcoming Meetings The updated calendar for all meetings can be found at http://acesactionalliance.org/events/

Alliance General Meeting: Topic: Child Abuse Prevention 1:30 - 3:30 pm Tuesday, Sept. 24 YWCA, 3609 Main St., Vancouver Trauma-Informed Schools: Guest speaker David Pitonyak, Ph.D. on "The Importance of Belonging" 1 - 3 pm Thursday, Sept. 19 * ESD 112, 2500 NE 65th Ave., Vancouver * NOTE : Special date for the September meeting. Trauma-Informed Schools usually convenes on the second Thursday of the month

Evergreen Faith-Based Coffee: Guest speaker David Pitonyak, Ph.D. on "The Importance of Belonging" 8:30 -10:30 am Wednesday, Sept. 18 Cascade Park Baptist Church, 1201 SE 136th Ave., Vancouver Vancouver Faith-Based Coffee: Topic: Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 9 - 10 am Thursday, Sept. 26 Community Adventist Church, 9711 NE St. Johns Rd., Vancouver

Safe Kids Monthly Meeting (new date!): 10 - 11:30 am Tuesday, Sept. 17 ESD 112, 2500 NE 65th Ave., Vancouver NOTE: Safe Kids meetings will be held on the third Tuesdays of the month. Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 2. Learn details (schools, times, etc.) at the September 17 meeting!

Upcoming Events

Community Conversation focuses on resilience What are the ripples of childhood trauma? What do parents, businesses, and community members need to know? The impact of trauma can touch every part of our life and how we respond to daily situations at school, at home, and at work. Join the community conversation on how to build community resilience and address the impacts of trauma across the lifespan. 6:30 - 8:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 18 Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St., Vancouver

Central Vancouver celebrates diversity Celebrate our community's amazing diversity at this free, enjoyable and inclusive gathering. Live music, fun, prizes and great food! Don't miss the Fourth Plain Multicultural Festival! 11 am to 5 pm Saturday, Sept. 7 Evergreen Park, Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver

Fourth Plain Coalition seeks advisory board members If you live in central Vancouver and want to impact the Fourth Plain Community in a positive way, let your voice be heard! Volunteer to participate as a member of the Fourth Plain Community Advisory Committee. Applications close at the end of September. Click for application

Local train-the-trainer for Positive Discipline in the Classroom Positive Discipline in the Classroom has been taught at school across Clark County by Jody McVittie, MD. You can become certified to teach this approach by attending a two-day training in Portland on October 11 and 12. Be an invaluable resource to your school and community. Learn effective, trauma-informed classroom management techniques and how to share them with fellow teachers, counselors and administrators. Click for Registration

Clark College offers new community class on ACEs and Resilience Clark County Public Health and Clark College Economic and Community Development have collaborated to introduce a basic six-hour orientation to the science of childhood adversity, neurodevelopment, epigenetics and most importantly, resilience. Participants will explore ways to build personal, family, and community resilience and will gain insight into working with others who may have experienced trauma. STAR and clock hours available. Time: 4 - 6 pm Dates: Wednesday evenings Oct. 23 - Nov. 6 Location: Clark College eastside location at Columbia Tech Center Cost $79 Click for info and to register

News you can use

ACEs and Resilience Links to new articles: Brain Scans Reveal How Badly Emotional Abuse Damages Kids.  Small changes can create a safer, more inclusive, trauma-sensitive school. Supporting students with adverse childhood experiences.  What if we treated every patient as though they had lived through a trauma? Toxic stress: The other health crisis politicians should be talking about. Xchange Recovery leads trauma-informed workgroup This summer, with funding from Washington Healthcare Authority, Xchange Recovery in Battle Ground convened community partners to discuss trauma-informed approaches in behavior and mental health care. A key product from this work is a local resource list that will be posted online. To support the ongoing sustainability of this work, David Taub and Vicky Smith will continue to lead this effort as it becomes the Trauma-Informed Health Systems Team as part of the ACEs Action Alliance.

School bus drivers join trauma-informed school effort Riding the bus to school and back can be one of the most unpredictable times of day for hundreds of Clark County students. For children experiencing adversity, these transitions can be especially stressful and dysregulating. This summer, Battle Ground School District , Cascade Student Transportation and Clark County Public Health teamed up to ensure that every school bus driver received ACEs and Resilience training, with a special emphasis on what drivers can do to support students at the beginning and end of each day. Bus drivers learned about why a safe, calm environment is important, how to model and reinforce self-regulation, and how to build trust by creating a welcoming and supportive school bus environment.

Child Safety Car Seat Safety Class & Clinic   Third Saturdays 10 am - 2 pm Next class: Saturday, Sept. 21 PeaceHealth Southwest, Education Center Click for details

Product Recalls Safe Kids Worldwide lists product recalls each month. Please note: Product recalls never expire, so it’s important to check the recalls on a regular basis. This is especially important for hand-me-down or pre-owned children’s products. Used child car seats and bike helmets should not be re-used in case their integrity is compromised. Safe Kids recalls

Prevent Heatstroke Tragedy Did you know that a car's internal temperature can rise by 19 degrees in just 10 minutes? According to Safe Kids Worldwide, every 10 days, a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. In more than half of these deaths, the caregiver forgot the child in the car. For tips on prevention, read about ACT on the Safe Kids website.