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The ACEs Aware initiative offers California health care teams a variety of resources to support screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), assessing risk for toxic stress, and responding with clinical interventions that provide patients with evidence-informed practices that can regulate the biological stress response and improve health outcomes.
No matter where your clinic is on its ACE screening and response journey, we have resources available to help you.
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If you're just beginning to learn about ACEs:
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The ACEs Aware website contains a wealth of information about ACE Fundamentals, including basics about ACEs, the science of toxic stress, health equity, and trauma-informed care.
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Videos produced for our ACEs Aware storytelling video series bring to life the impact that ACE screening and response is having across California.
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If you're preparing to implement ACE screening and response in your practice:
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If you're already screening and want to take your learning to the next level:
Take a deeper dive with experts, clinics, and community-based organizations already implementing ACE screening by watching past webinars hosted by:
- ACEs Aware
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ACEs LA (although some of the content is specific to the Los Angeles region, much is applicable to screening and response in any county in California)
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If you still have not found an answer to your question:
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Evidence for ACE Screening and Clinical Response
Our ACEs Aware team has compiled a list of some of the key work that is publicly accessible online about ACE screening and clinical response.
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Machtinger, Edward L., Davis, Katy B., Kimberg, Leigh S., Khanna, Naina, Cuca, Yvette P. Carol Dawson-Rose, Martha Shumway, Jacquelyn Campbell, Annie Lewis-O’Connor, Mary Blake, Andrea Blanch, Brigid McCaw. From Treatment to Healing: Inquiry and Response to Recent and Past Trauma in Adult Health Care. Women's Health Issues. March–April 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2018.11.003
Also, the Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health, includes a wealth of resources and citations specific to the following topics:
- Primary and Secondary Prevention in Healthcare (p. 73-93)
- Tertiary Prevention in Healthcare (p. 94-128)
- State Tools and Strategies for Responding to ACEs and Toxic Stress (specifically, p. 222-223)
- The ACEs Aware Initiative (specifically, p. 234-237)
- Clinical Implementation Case Studies (specifically, p. 266-271)
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January and February "Implementation with Intention" Webinars Now Available on Demand | |
Upcoming: "Implementation with Intention" Webinar #4: Prepare Your Clinical Response | | |
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April 27, 2023
12-1 pm
The fourth webinar in the ACEs Aware “Implementation with Intention” series will help participants understand how to develop a clinical response to Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) screening and toxic stress. Participants will learn how to gather information, conduct a clinical assessment, and develop a treatment and follow-up plan using evidence-based strategies and frameworks.
Learning Objectives:
- List the key elements of a clinical response to ACEs and toxic stress.
- Describe how to have a conversation with your patient after an ACE screen using the triad of adversity, distress, and strengths.
- Discuss a tiered approach for evidence-based strategies to help patients build resilience and mitigate toxic stress.
Registration is required. You will receive a Zoom link after submitting your registration form.
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Commentary in Pediatrics about Treating Toxic Stress
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We are pleased to share a commentary published in the journal, Pediatrics, entitled, “Opportunities to Treat Toxic Stress” by authors with deep ties to ACEs Aware: Rachel Gilgoff, MD; Mikah Owen, MD; Tanya Schwartz, MPP, MSW; former acting California Surgeon General, Devika Bhushan, MD; and former California Surgeon General, Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH.
“Recognizing that we are seeing more and more of our patients struggling with stress-related health conditions, such as obesity, asthma, and mental health issues, this commentary highlights the opportunities to treat toxic stress in the medical setting,” says Gilgoff, who is the lead author of the commentary.
The authors believe that identifying ways to treat the underlying neurodevelopmental, endocrine, metabolic, immune, and genetic regulatory impacts of early adversity could be a critical and often missed part of the multi-sector approach that could help children and families truly heal. Their goal in writing the commentary is to raise awareness, spark conversation and collaboration, and inspire further research of this growing field.
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Events, Resources, and Research | | |
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April 3-9: National Public Health Week
Did you know reading can help your focus and memory, reduce stress, and even improve mental health? Celebrate National Public Health Week by picking up one of these suggested books from your local library or bookstore.
Access →
Trauma and Resilience Informed System (TRIS) in Pediatric Primary Care
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PST | Center for Care Innovations
This webinar will provide attendees with an overview of principles of trauma and resilience informed systems and explore how individuals, teams, and organizations can embody these principles.
Register Now →
ACEs Aware Implementation with Intention Webinar #4: Prepare Your Clinic Response
Thursday, April 27, 2023 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PST | UCAAN
Register Now →
ACEs Aware Implementation with Intention Webinar #5: Prepare Your Team & Clinic Operations
Thursday, May 25, 2023 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PST | UCAAN
Registration Coming Soon
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Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center
Developed by the Center for Health Care Strategies with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the center offers a one-stop information hub for health care providers and other stakeholders interested in implementing trauma-informed care. It houses resources developed by experts from across the field.
Access →
American Academy of Pediatrics: California Chapter 1 ACEs Resources
In 2020, the AAP California Chapter 1 received an ACEs Aware communications grant to educate Northern and Central California pediatricians about ACEs screening, potential health effects of the toxic stress response, and trauma-informed care. One of the projects they developed was a website with tools and resources to support pediatricians in their work.
Access →
California Quality Collaborative Toolkit: Implement ACE Screening in Primary Care
This toolkit, developed with an ACEs Aware grant, is a guide for primary care providers and care teams who intend to implement routine screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) into practice. It offers a framework for planning and implementing screenings, provides context that is essential to effective implementation, describes change concepts, and offers resources to support practice changes.
Access →
Head Start Resources on ACEs and Trauma: Understanding the Basics
The Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center has published resources about trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), their impact on children, and tips for identifying and supporting children and families experiencing trauma.
Access →
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Shame and Self-Compassion Connect Childhood Experience of Adversity with Harm Inflicted on the Self and Others
December 2022 | Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Read →
Elucidating the Relations between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Age of Exposure to Adversity, and Adult Post-traumatic Stress Symptom Severity in Pregnant Women
February 2023 | Child Abuse and Neglect
Read →
Associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Lifetime Experience of Car Crashes and Burns: A Cross-Sectional Study
November 2022 | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Read →
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Heal Current and Future Generations with Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma and adversity can lead to toxic stress that, if not offset by buffering supports and protective factors, can negatively impact health. By screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), addressing the impact of toxic stress, and providing trauma-informed care, health care teams can improve the health and well-being of their patients and future generations.
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Already completed the training?
Providers with National Provider Identifiers should attest on the DHCS website
so they can become eligible for Medi-Cal reimbursement for screening.
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“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart”
– Confucius
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Follow ACEs Aware on Social Media | |
Don't forget to add questions@acesaware.org to your safe sender list. | | | | |
