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About the ACEs Aware Initiative

The Office of the California Surgeon General and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) are leading a first-in-the-nation statewide effort to screen children and adults for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and to treat the impacts of toxic stress with trauma-informed care. The bold goal of this initiative is to reduce ACEs and toxic stress by half in one generation, and to launch a national movement to ensure everyone is ACEs Aware.
 

This statewide effort is one of the largest in history to recognize and address the impact ACEs have on health. Tri-City Mental Health is proud to contribute to this initiative, promoting the health and well-being of individuals and families in our community.

 

ACEs Aware grantee TCMH Cobrand Logo

Rising Together for all to Thrive

Our Mission

Tri-City Mental Health is among over 100 grantees throughout the state of California working to extend the reach and impact of the ACEs Aware initiative. Through free supplemental trainings and communication activities, our goal is to help enhance understanding of ACEs and toxic stress among medical and behavioral health providers and the public.

By working together across health, education, and community sectors to raise awareness and reduce the impacts ACEs and toxic stress, we can set children, adults and families on a path to brighter and healthier futures.


About Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

The term Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) comes from the landmark 1998 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente, referred to as the ACE Study. ACEs are potentially traumatic or stressful events such as abuse, neglect, and household challenges that children may experience from birth to age 18.

ACEs are common and in California – about 62% of Californians have experienced at least one ACE and about 16% have experienced four or more ACEs.

Research shows that ACEs can affect the health of children and adults across their lifespan through a biological mechanism called the toxic stress response. While some stress in life is normal – and even necessary for growth and development – when a child experiences frequent or prolonged exposure to ACEs, especially without the buffering protections of trusted, nurturing adults and safe, stable environments, their body may create an overactive toxic stress response and make more or less stress hormones than is healthy. This can lead to problems with a child's physical and/or mental health, such as asthma, poor growth, learning, depression, or behavior problems and can lead to lifelong health problems into adulthood.

ACEs and the resulting negative health impacts have a “dose-response” relationship, meaning that the more ACEs an individual has, the greater likelihood they will experience physical, cognitive, health and mental health problems into adulthood. A consensus of scientific research shows that childhood adversity is a root cause to some of the most common, serious and costly health challenges facing our society today. In fact, ACEs are strongly associated with 9 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.


ACEs are not destiny.
We can heal the negative impacts of trauma and toxic stress.

By increasing our awareness and understanding of how ACEs contribute to chronic health problems, illnesses, and unhealthy behaviors throughout life, we can take steps to support children, adults and families and reduce the impact of ACEs. Together, we can make sure every child is healthy, growing and thriving in a strong family, and supported by a safe and nurturing community.

Free ACEs Aware Supplemental Trainings for Providers and Community


Tri-City Mental Health has developed certified ACEs Aware Supplemental Trainings to address key topics that support providers as they screen and respond to ACEs and to increase community understanding of ACEs. We are committed to educating and training providers and our community about how toxic stress may impact a person’s current and future health and how screening for ACEs can help heal the negative health impacts of trauma.



African american father smiling and hugging his child

Rising Together

This free training, available in English and Spanish, explores how we each play a role in supporting the health and well-being of children, adults and families. Participants will learn about the landmark 1998 ACE study and how ACEs and toxic stress shape the developing brain and body. Participants will also learn how safe, supportive and caring relationships can buffer the impacts of toxic stress, and gain resources to build resilience and suppport individuals who have experienced ACEs.

Who should attend: This training is open to service providers, educators, parents, caregivers and community members.

Learn More

African American doctor talking to young mother with her child

The Power of Trauma-Informed Care

This free training, available in English and Spanish, aims to enhance provider insight about ACEs. Providers will learn how screening for ACEs, assessing risk for toxic stress and responding with trauma-informed care can help inform patient treatment and improve health outcomes. The earlier we can identify that an individual is experiencing ACEs and toxic stress, the sooner they can be connected to the resources they need to heal. This training is supplementary to the ACEs Aware Core training.

Who should attend: This training is open to primary care, pediatric, health care and behavioral health providers and staff.

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How Can I Reduce the Impact of ACEs?

The more you know about ACEs, the more you can help reduce its impact and protect the health and well-being of children, adults and families so that they can thrive.

 

 

Cheerful mult-ethnic family against a wall

What you can do as a parent or careviver

  • Get trained to enhance your understanding of ACEs. As a parent or caregiver, learning about ACEs and how to reduce toxic stress can help you create a safe and supportive environment for you and your family to thrive. Schedule or attend an upcoming "Rising Together" community training. Contact us today >
  • Build safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments where children feel emotionally and physically safe. Research shows that support of at least one caring and responsive adult can increase a child's sense of belonging and protect their brain and body from the harmful effects of toxic stress.
  • Create positive experiences for yourself and your family to help build resilience. Healthy nutrition, regular exercise, restful sleep, practicing mindfulness, building social connections, and getting mental health support can help decrease stress hormones and improve your and family's current and future health.
  • Ask your doctor about completing a free ACE screening. By screening for ACEs, your health care provider can better determine if you or your family are at increased health risk to due a toxic stress response,  and connect you to the resources and supports you and your family need to heal.
 

 

Female doctor smiling and high-fiving a young patient

What You Can Do as a Health Care Provider

  • Get trained to enhance your understanding of ACEs and how you can reduce the negative impacts of toxic stress. Schedule or attend an upcoming "Power of Trauma-Informed Care" provider supplemental training. Contact us today >
  • Get certified to screen children, adults and families for ACEs. Tri-City encourages all medical and behavioral health providers who bill Medi-Cal to complete the free, 2-hour certified ACEs Aware Core Training to receive Medi-Cal payment for ACE screenings. You will receive 2 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and 2 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits upon completion. Learn about ACEs Aware Core Training >
  • Attest to completing a certified ACEs Aware Core training to receive Medi-Cal payment for ACE screenings. Medi-Cal providers can receive $29 for conducting each qualifying ACE screening for their patients up to age 65. ACEs Provider Training Attestation >
  • Implement ACE screening at your practice. You can help screen individuals for exposure to ACEs that may impact their physical or mental health, offer a supportive, compassionate response and engage them in services to heal the impacts of toxic stress. ACE screening has been utilized effectively across clinical settings, adds less than 5 minutes to a patient visit, and is associated with improved patient satisfaction. Learn how to implement ACE screening >
 

 

                         

Resources

Find Tools to Become ACEs Aware
Group of diverse medical providers
Find an ACEs Aware Health Care ProviderThe ACEs Aware Provider Directory offers individuals and families a way to find and connect with trained ACEs Aware providers throughout California. Provider Directory
Hispanic parents smiling and hugging son
Rising Together for All to Thrive An informational booklet created to enhance understanding of ACEs and toxic stress, importance of screening and ways to build family resilience.
English  Español
NumberStory.org
Your Number Story (La Historia de tu número)The ACE Resource Network's (ARN)  Number Story Campaign is a reference to understanding the story behind one's ACE score.
Number Story
African american doctor smiling and looking at young child holding a teddy bear
ACEs Aware Provider ToolkitThis toolkit provides information on how to screen for and respond to ACEs. It includes self-care tools, fact sheets and educational handouts for providers to promote healing.
Provider Toolkit
 
Rising Together webinar with presenter Dr. Vincent J. Felitti, MD. Hosted by Tri-City Mental Health, ACEs Aware Grantee.
Learn About the Original ACE StudyDr. Vincent Felitti, MD, one of the world's leading experts on childhood trauma and co-principal investigator of the ACE study shares the study's findings and science of ACEs. Hosted by Tri-City Mental Health.
Watch Webinar
TED Talk presentation with guest speaker Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
How Childhood Trauma Affects Lifelong Health California's first Surgeon General, Dr. Burke Harris, explains how repeated stress of ACEs has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.
Watch TED Talk
Join the Movement to Screen, Treat and Heal Toxic Stress. Take the ACEs Aware Training.
Join the Movement to Screen, Treat and Heal Toxic StressDr. Burke Harris explains the symptoms of toxic stress and encourages providers to sign up for ACEs Aware's free, two-hour online training.
Get Certified Today
Couple of female medical students smiling and raising their hands in a classroom.
ACEs Aware Educational EventsACEs Aware is hosting a series of activities to promote shared learning and quality improvement among Medi-Cal providers in adopting ACE screenings and providing trauma-informed care. 
Learn More
 

Join the Movement Today to Become ACEs Aware

Each of us play an important role in breaking the cycle of childhood adversity and building a stronger, more resilient community. We can take action now to change and save lives.