Grantees Expand the Reach of ACEs

In this month’s ACEs Aware newsletter, we shine a light on the ACEs Aware community grant program and the important work grantees do to expand the reach of the ACEs Aware initiative. The initiative also supports Medi-Cal providers and communities in responding to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and interrupting the toxic stress response. 

Since June 2020, ACEs Aware, which is funded by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), has awarded 185 organizations a total of $45 million in grants. 

Visit the ACEs Aware website to see an

interactive map of grantees. 

“The ACEs Aware community grant program significantly advances our work,” says Dr. Karen Mark, Medical Director for DHCS. “It recognizes the opportunity to reduce health disparities and inequities stemming from childhood adversity by building strong network of care teams across disciplines that are connected and trauma-informed.” 

The first round of grants provided funding to organizations to implement trainings, raise awareness, and develop a well-rounded set of communication activities. The second round of grants provided funding to community-based organizations (CBOs) to strengthen and develop a formalized network of care in their communities. 

Applications for the third round of grants, called PRACTICE: Preventing and Responding to ACE-Associated Health Conditions and Toxic Stress in Clinics through Community Engagement, are currently under review, with awards scheduled to be announced in August. Up to 30 teams will be funded, with the goal of increasing the capacity of Medi-Cal primary care organizations/clinics, CBOs, and Medi-Cal managed care plans to leverage existing and new sources of state funding to: 

• Strengthen partnerships to screen for ACEs in order to identify clinical risk for and respond to toxic stress. 

• Develop, practical, community-informed, evidence-based services that target toxic stress physiology and ACE-Associated Health Conditions, and support the prevention of ACEs and toxic stress. 

• Build a sustainable workforce to support ACE screening, toxic stress response, and prevention of ACEs, toxic stress, and ACE-Associated Health Conditions. 

ACEs Aware Grants Spotlight

Two Grantees Publish New Practice Papers

Integrating Adverse Childhood Experiences Screening into Clinical Practice: Insights from California Practice 

By Hannah Gears and Meryl Schulman, Center for Health Care Strategies 

To support providers in adopting ACE screening, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) conducted interviews with 14 Medi-Cal providers, including pediatricians, family medicine providers, behavioral health clinicians, and a certified nurse midwife, from 12 clinics in regions in California. Although the report focuses on California perspectives, the insights can inform health care organizations and providers across the country seeking to adopt an effective ACE screening approach. 

Equity and Adverse Childhood Experience Screenings 

Prepared by: Children’s Cause Orange County on behalf of Early Childhood OC. With participating content experts Drs. Miguel Gallardo, Karen Hill, and Marta M. Shinn 

Early Childhood OC collaborated with the Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA) and Children’s Cause Orange County to develop an understanding of the perspective of community providers who are, and will be, implementing ACE screening tools. Additional insight was provided by content experts with knowledge related to the intersectionality between ACE screenings and structural racism. 

See the Grantee Publications section of the ACEs Aware website for more practice papers. 

Celebration of ACEs Aware Round 1 Grantees

In June 2020, the first round of ACEs Aware community grants was issued, awarding $14.3 million to 100 organizations across California to augment and promote the ACEs Aware initiative. The grants funded a range of activities focused on training, engaging, and communicating with Medi-Cal providers about the importance of screening for ACEs and toxic stress and responding with trauma-informed care and clinical interventions.  

On January 12, 2022, grantees and their partners gathered virtually for the ACEs Aware: Provider Engagement, Training, and Communications Grantees Closeout & Celebration. The event featured more than 50 speakers who shared their learnings and successes in promoting the ACEs Aware initiative throughout the state. You can watch a video montage recognizing the ACEs Aware Round 1 grantees. 

ACEs Aware Community Spotlight

Webinars Showcase ACEs Aware Grantees

Watch the ACEs Aware grantee spotlight webinars in which grantees share their successes and learnings. The three webinars feature Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and organizations, such as the Kings County Department of Public Health First 5 Tehama, Tri-City Mental Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as they discuss their journeys promoting ACE screenings and sustainable trauma-informed networks to mitigate toxic stress. 

Events, Resources, and Research

EVENTS

Trauma-Informed Primary Care (TIPC) Advisory Committee Meeting

July 20, 2022 | 10am – 2pm PDT (Virtual)

The quarterly TIPC Implementation Advisory Committee meeting will be held on July 20, 2022, from 10 am to 12 pm PDT. Members of the committee will advise on promising models, best practices, evolving science, and clinical expertise for the implementation of trauma-informed care systems in California. This meeting is open to the public; registration is required. 

Register →

RESOURCES

Addressing Health Worker Burnout: The US Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce  

May 2022 | Office of The US Surgeon General

The US Surgeon General outlines how people across health sectors can take action to address health worker burnout.  

Read →

Resources to Support Healing from Trauma Caused by Mass Violence

UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress  

Access →

Playbook for Stress for Caregivers and Kids

The Office of the California Surgeon General 

Learn about how parents can manage their own stress to help their children be healthier. 

Access →

How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings  

Common Sense Media 

This article offers insight on how to take an age-based approach to discussing news of school shootings with kids. 

Read →

There’s no mystery to what happened in Uvalde; there were many opportunities to prevent it. 

PACEs Connection 

PACEs Connection staff member Jane Stevens explains why, to people educated about the consequences of too many childhood adversities and too few positive experiences, what happened in Uvalde is not a mystery. 

Access →

RESEARCH

Adverse Childhood Experiences, diabetes and associated conditions; preventive care practices; and health care access: A population-based study

2022 | Journal of Preventive Medicine, 160

The findings of this study show that ACEs are associated with greater prevalence of diabetes and associated disease conditions. 

Read →

Take action now.

Start training to screen for ACEs today.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed;

but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

– James Baldwin 

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