|
As health care teams across California know, trauma is commonly experienced by many children and adults. A lot of traumas can be assessed and addressed with stress mitigation measures and/or with treatment by a mental health professional, an effort that can be supported with our Becoming ACEs Aware in California training for those getting started.
Less commonly known is that trauma can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a chronic condition that persists for months, years, and even decades after the experience of trauma. Research shows that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of PTSD development after trauma in adulthood, as noted in this article about the risk of PTSD among Marines. Experiencing trauma does not necessarily lead to PTSD, and PTSD is treatable with evidence-based interventions.
In observance of PTSD Awareness Month in June, below are some resources to support health care teams in recognizing the symptoms of PTSD and addressing it in patients who experience it:
-
The National Center for PTSD
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD is the world's leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress. The Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) was updated in 2017 to provide recommendations based upon the best information available at the time of publication. Recommendations in the CPG are designed to assist clinical decision-making.
Access →
-
National Institute of Mental Health’s Resource Page on PTSD
Provides an overview of PTSD as well as links to shareable resources, handouts, clinical trials, research, and statistics.
Access →
-
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)/California Resources for PTSD
Provides resources and treatment options specifically for Californians.
Access →
-
About Face: Learn about PTSD from Veterans Who’ve Lived It
Videos that provide facts about PTSD, treatment options, and stories from people who have experienced PTSD.
Access →
| |
May 2023 Data Report: More than One Million Medi-Cal Members Screened for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | | |
|
|
The ACEs Aware initiative has released a new quarterly data report detailing the number of ACE screenings conducted for Medi-Cal members (children and adults) and the number of individuals who have completed the “Becoming ACEs Aware in California” online training.
Between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, Medi-Cal clinicians conducted more than 1,544,250 ACE screenings of 1,113,590 unique Medi-Cal members.
Between December 4, 2019, and March 31, 2023, more than 29,160 individuals completed the Becoming ACEs Aware in California training, including approximately 13,150 Medi-Cal clinicians who are eligible to receive Medi-Cal payment for conducting ACE screenings.
| |
ACEs Aware "Implementation with Intention" Webinar #6: Marin Community Clinics Case Study | |
|
Thursday, June 22, 2023
12-1 p.m.
In this webinar, members of the Marin Community Clinics (MCC) team will share their experience implementing ACE screening and response in a Federally Qualified Health Center in the Bay Area. MCC, a pioneer in California since starting this work back in 2017, is featured as a case study in the ACEs Aware Implementation How-to Guide and highlighted in previous “Implementation with Intention” webinars.
| |
|
|
Did you miss the previous “Implementation with Intention” webinar sessions? Visit the ACEs Aware Learning Center to access the trainings on demand and to receive continuing education credits.
The ACEs Aware “Implementation with Intention” webinar series is designed to help California clinics implement ACE screening and response. Through live webinar sessions, experts provide practical, step-by-step guidance, as well as resources and tools, to help clinics advance in their journey to implement ACE screening.
| |
Addressing Adverse Childhood and Adult Experiences During Prenatal Care | | |
|
Sara Johnson, an ACEs Aware Clinical Adviser, is the lead author of a new paper in Obstetrics & Gynecology entitled, Addressing Adverse Childhood and Adult Experiences During Prenatal Care. The article discusses how screening for adversity and resilience provides obstetric clinicians the opportunity to support their patients and improve outcomes, drawing on expert input and available evidence to provide recommendations for implementation. | |
Coming Soon: New ACEs Aware Education and Training Opportunities | |
|
In late summer/early fall, we will launch new training opportunities to support California health care teams in implementing trauma-informed approaches to ACE screening and response.
New trainings being planned include a webinar series about ACE screening and response in the reproductive health care setting, an online course based on the ACE Screening Implementation How-To Guide, an online course about using Stress Busters to help patients manage stress, and more.
Stayed tuned for details.
| |
|
ACEs Aware Community Spotlight | | |
|
|
Heyman Oo and Caren Schmidt, Marin Community Clinics
Heyman Oo, MD, MPH, a pediatrician, is the Associate Medical Director at Marin Community Clinics (MCC). Caren Schmidt, PsyD, is MCC’s Associate Director of Behavioral Health. For the past six years, they have championed trauma-informed care and ACE screening and intervention at their clinic. Their work is a featured case study in the ACEs Aware ACE Screening Implementation How-To Guide, in which they described their experiences obtaining buy-in for piloting and designing the implementation process for organization-wide ACE screening, training staff on trauma-informed care, and expanding internal and external resources to respond to ACEs and toxic stress.
Learn more when Drs. Oo and Schmidt present at the June 22 ACEs Aware “Implementation with Intention” webinar (Registration and more info).
| |
Putting Implementation Into Action | |
|
Now Available on Demand: ACEs Aware “Implementation with Intention” Webinar #4: Prepare Your Clinical Response
This webinar will help clinical teams understand how to develop a clinical response to ACE screening and toxic stress, learn how to gather information, conduct a clinical assessment, and develop a treatment and follow-up plan using evidence-based strategies and frameworks.
The webinar has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ASWB, ABP-MOC, ABIM-MOC II credit.
| |
| | | |
|
|
ACEs Aware Trauma-Informed Primary Care (TIPC) Implementation Advisory Committee Meeting
June 15, 2023 | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register Now →
ACEs Aware Implementation with Intention Webinar #6: Marin Community Clinic Case Study
Thursday, June 22, 2023 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. PST | UCAAN
Register Now →
National Center for PTSD Lecture Series
A webinar series on topics relevant to treating PTSD. The target audience includes mental health or other health professionals interested in topics related to treating veterans with PTSD. CE/CMEs available: ACCME, ACCME-NP, APA, ANCC, NBCC, ASWB.
Access →
| | |
|
|
The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Warfare Exposure on Military Sexual Trauma among Veterans
August 2022 | Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Read →
Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents
December 2018 | Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal
Read →
Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Increase the Risk of Post-deployment Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in US Marines?
July 2010 | BMC Public Health
Read →
| |
No matter our race, religion, or economic status, we all have been through trauma. As a buffering layer, clinical teams can help their patients recognize and respond to the role that past or present traumas may be playing in their lives, starting with the Becoming ACEs Aware in California training. | |
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.
| |
|
“Recognizing a problem doesn’t always bring a solution, but until we recognize that problem, there can be no solution.”
– James Baldwin
| |
Follow ACEs Aware on Social Media | |
Don't forget to add questions@acesaware.org to your safe sender list. | | | | |
