Community partners working together
to build health and resilience

June 2022
A Message from Public Health Leadership
Clark County Public Health is deeply saddened by the recent tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde. The mass shooting in Buffalo, fueled by racist ideology, was a horrific act of violence. Just one week later, another preventable mass shooting occurred at an elementary school while students celebrated their achievements for the school year. 

The complex public health issues of racism and gun violence are
devastating and traumatic for all, but especially for our black and brown community members. 

We stand with communities of color that continue to be impacted by systemic racism and with our committed educators who work tirelessly to support all children during these difficult and challenging times. 

In these traumatic and stress-filled times, please practice self-care. Resources to guide discussions with children are available in the
Knowledge and Resources section below.
Upcoming Community Meetings
PACEs Action Alliance *
*Positive over Adverse Childhood Experiences
LAST MEETING:
Community partners connected to share organizational announcements, referral information and updates. Great info shared. Please view the recording and chat here.

NEXT MEETING:

AGENDA
  • Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist, Jamee Shermer, MA, will share tools to help children who have experienced loss and to give them a way through grief to find their voices and joy.

  • Dody McAlpine, Medicaid Eligibility Program Manager at Washington Health Care Authority, will provide updates on the Public Health Emergency (PHE) project; information on the Consumer Notices workgroup; and other resource and project updates.
Safe Kids Clark County
NEXT MEETING:
  • 10 - 11:30 am, Tuesday, June 21
  • Microsoft Teams

AGENDA:
  • Safety topics for June
  • June recalls
  • Upcoming events

RECALLS:

JIF peanut butter recall: Several types and sizes of JIF peanut butter have been recalled, including creamy, crunchy, natural and reduced fat. Products were distributed nationwide. You can find a complete list of the recalled products on the FDA website. Check all product recalls at Safe Kids Worldwide.
Our sincere apologies for having to cancel the May coalition meeting. Details for future meetings coming soon.

In the meantime, SW WA Healthy Families continues to advance continuity of care through lactation-friendly spaces. To fully understand what this means, please watch the recording Advancing Continuity of Care through Lactation-friendly Environments and Breastfeeding Policies, Systems and Environmental (PSE) Solutions.

All are welcome
Trauma-Informed Schools Workgroup
The Trauma-Informed Schools group meetings have concluded for this school year. We will meet again in Fall 2022.

LAST MEETING:
The equity teams of Camas and Ridgefield School Districts shared their equity journeys and amazing resources. Many many thanks to all who have shared their time and wisdom on this topic over the course of this year.
Community Announcements
The new Maternal Mental Health Hotline is now open. This confidential, toll-free hotline is open 24/7 for expecting and new moms who are experiencing mental health challenges. Call or text 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS (1.833.943.5746) and connect with a counselor today.
NAMI Southwest Washington is seeking eight to ten positive adult role models to connect with youth in our community who need support. They will be part of NAMI's new "Trusted Adult Program". If interested email NAMI at: https://namiswwa.org/contact/


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Columbia River Mental Health launches new Crisis Connections Night Time Crisis Line .
  • Serves all of Clark County with teams of two or three trained Crisis Support Specialists.
  • Open 10 pm - 9 am daily.
  • Contact Crisis Connections: 800.626.8137.
  • Provides adult mobile crisis intervention, de-escalation, safety planning services, and case management follow-up.

The Washington State Independent Living Council (WASILC) together with Washington’s Network of Centers for Independent Living (CILS) is updating the state plan for Independent Living. Because people with disabilities are the best experts on their own needs, the CILS invites people with disabilities to take part in a survey, focus group or community forum to help them get the information they need to write a plan that reflects statewide IL service needs. 
 
Here is the link to the English survey and Spanish survey.
Take it! Talk about it! Share it!

Learn about WASILC and how to find a Center for Independent Living here:  www.wasilc.org. Check back regularly to find out about upcoming community meetings and forums. Have questions? Reach out to Kim Conner at kimberly.conner@dshs.wa.gov. Please share with advocates, networks and stakeholders.
Knowledge and Resources
In light of the heart-breaking episodes of mass violence across our country, and the potentially traumatic impact on children, please take a moment to consider the following advice recently published by the The San Diego County Office of Education. Because of today's media exposure, children may be impacted even when these events happen far from home.

Students want and need to talk about what they see, remember and feel; they need the guidance and safety of adults in their schools to be able to navigate their own emotions and trauma in a healthy, safe and productive way.

Portland Children's Clinic pediatrician, RJ Gillespie, MD, MHPC, will speak on "Parental ACEs and PCEs in Pediatric Medical Care" at the ACEs Health Champions event sponsored by the American Academy on Violence and Abuse at noon on June 23. Register and find info on other presentations provided by the Academy here.

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Can the public health practice of contact tracing be applied to violence prevention? It may start with forensic ACE investigations. Read the full article in PACEs Connection here.

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The 2022 County Health Rankings data were publicly released April 27. The updates include seven new, actionable measures related to income, education, family and social support, and health outcomes.

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Paid Family Leave following a child's birth has enormous health and emotional benefits, including improved infant brain development. Yet, 80 percent of American workers do not receive paid family leave through their employers. Read more here.
A series of articles describe past efforts and future policy recommendations for ending ACEs:

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Five-Year trends in US children’s health and well-being, 2016-2020 (JAMA Network).  After the onset of the pandemic specifically, there were significant year-over-year increases in children diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems, decreases in preventive medical care visits, increases in unmet health care needs, and increases in the proportion of young children whose parents quit, declined, or changed jobs because of childcare problems.

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Parent Nation, the book and the movement, are both gaining in popularity and support. Developed by the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago, Parent Nation encourages Parent Villages to be initiated anywhere to convene parents and allies, build on collective wisdom, advocate for change and share resources. A toolkit and more information on how to start a Parent Village is available here.
Our coalitions and community groups
PACEs Action Alliance is:
A multi-sector collaborative of public and private organizations and individuals. We raise awareness about positive and adverse childhood experiences (PACEs) 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 our meetings. The Alliance will resume meetings in 2022.

  • PACEs Action Alliance Learning Collaborative supports learning and awareness about childhood trauma and resilience.

  • The Community Alliance Network provides a connection for community-serving agencies to meet and connect for potential collaborative efforts;

  • The Trauma-Informed Schools Workgroup is open to people who work in or with schools in Clark County. We meet monthly during the school year to explore tools, resources and applications of trauma-informed principles for schools.
SW Washington Healthy Families
(Formerly Clark County Breastfeeding Coalition) works collaboratively to improve the health of our community by promoting, protecting and supporting breast/chestfeeding so families have the support they need to continue infant feeding. Our mission is to create an environment that supports breast/chestfeeding as the cultural norm for infant feeding.

For more information, follow us on Facebook or email Yasmina Aknin.
Safe Kids Clark County
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 child car seat use, baby's safe sleep, reducing child vehicular injuries and deaths, and water safety. Local coordination provided by American Medical Response (AMR) Vancouver.

The Healthy Communities Newsletter is published the first week of each month.
To submit announcements or share information, please send complete information or attach a
high resolution pdf file to cyndie.meyer@clark.wa.gov by the 20th of the month prior.
All submissions will be screened and may be edited prior to publication.
For other formats, contact the Clark County ADA Office
Voice 564.397.2322 / Relay 711 or 800.833.6388 / Email ADA@clark.wa.gov