New and Noteworthy

Launch Alert: Live Beyond Campaign to Increase Awareness of ACEs and Toxic Stress

This month, the Office of the California Surgeon General launched Live Beyond, a campaign to increase awareness and understanding of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and their potential impacts. As the first statewide ACEs campaign with a primary audience of youth and young adults, the campaign will also provide science-based, healing-centered resources for all Californians.

ACEs Aware Clinical Pilot Series: Connecting with Nature to Mitigate Toxic Stress

May 16, 2024 

12 - 1 pm 

The new ACEs Aware Clinical Pilots webinar series highlights the work of researchers, health care teams, and community organizations that have received funding from ACEs Aware to advance the field of ACEs and toxic stress.  

The series shares innovative strategies to identify, prevent, and respond to ACEs and toxic stress in different settings and patient populations. Each webinar in this series features specific work to address current gaps in evidence and practice, lessons learned, and implications for the field to advance ACE screening and toxic stress treatment.

In the inaugural webinar in this series, Dr. Candace Gragnani, MD, MPH, will discuss the evidence base for connecting with nature to mitigate toxic stress and improve physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Attendees will learn how nature can be leveraged as part of a Trauma-Informed Network of Care from two nature-based programs that engage youth at the clinical and community level. Dr. Gragnani will highlight findings from the ACEs Aware pilot project that explored park staff and pediatric health care provider views of nature and ACEs and opportunities for future interventions and research. 

First 5 Stronger Starts Video Channel Educates Parents about ACEs and Toxic Stress

First 5 California last year launched the Stronger Starts campaign to help parents and caregivers learn about toxic stress, the physical, mental, and emotional effects of toxic stress on children, and how ACEs can lead to the development of toxic stress.  

It has since expanded to help parents understand things like when to act if toxic stress impacts their child, and how their support can prevent toxic stress. One way they’ve helped educate parents and caregivers is through a YouTube channel that offers various toxic stress prevention methods. Videos are available in both English and Spanish.   

In-Person Becoming ACEs Aware in California Training Offered at School Health Conference

The ACEs Aware team provided an in-person Becoming ACEs Aware in California training at the California School-Based Health Alliance’s statewide School Health Conference in Santa Clara on April 29. The training offered continuing education credit and was free to conference attendees. 



Please contact us at questions@acesaware.org if you are interested in holding an in-person training at a future conference or event.

Resource Roundup: Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and acceptance of individuals living with mental and behavioral health issues, and to reduce stigma. This month, ACEs Aware curated a roundup of mental health resources for physicians, care team members, and parents and youth.  

For Everyone:  

• Stress Busters: Seven ways you can manage your day-to-day stress as well as toxic stress from ACEs: Learn More
• Ways to take care of your mental health from the National Institute of Mental Health: Read Now 
• Department of Mental Health Suicide Prevention Resources: Learn More

For Physicians and Health Care Teams:  

• Physician Wellness from the California Academy of Family Physicians: Read Now 
• Understanding and Addressing Physician Mental Health from AAFP: Read Now 
• National Institute of Mental Health Digital Toolkit: Learn More

For Parents and Youth:  

• Suicide Prevention Resources from the California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS): Read Now  
• California Department of Public Health “Never a Bother” suicide prevention campaign: Learn More 
• Free CalHOPE Behavioral Health Services Apps: BrightLife Kids and Soluna: Learn More

News, Events, Resources, and Research

News

DHCS Press Release: California’s Medi-Cal Transformation Continues

April 2024 | DHCS

New data show more counties are implementing enhanced care management (ECM) and community supports, helping more Californians get the care they need.

Read→ 

EVENTS

Visit the ACEs Aware Team at the ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting

May 17-19, San Francisco

The ACEs Aware team will attend the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting on May 17-19 in San Francisco. Come visit us.

Details and Registration Information →

Upcoming ACEs Aware Webinars

May 9, 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Science and Innovation Speaker Series: Leveraging Neuroplasticity to Redirect Youth from Carceral Involvement

Diana Fishbein, PhD

Register →

May 16, 12 – 1 pm

Clinical Pilot Series: Connecting with Nature to Mitigate Toxic Stress

Candace Gragnani, MD, MPH

Register →

May 23, 12 – 1 pm

Implementation with Intention: Prevention of Burnout for Health Care Teams

Ana Amador, LCSW 

Chris Bradley, PhD  

Susan Finley, EdD 

Leena Singh, DrPH, MPH

Register →

June 20, 12 – 1 pm

Clinical Pilot Series: Addressing The Health Impact of ACEs and Toxic Stress in California Farmworker Communities

Elena Josway

Yuriria López

Anuradha, Rao, M.D.

Veronica Del Carmen Treviño-Sosa

(Registration coming soon)

ACEs Aware Webinars on Demand 

We provide continuing education credit for our live webinars as well as for the on-demand versions that are posted a few weeks after the live sessions. Visit the ACEs Aware Learning Center to access past webinar trainings. 

RESOURCES

CalAIM Resources for Providers

Health Net

This resource page has been developed to provide tools and resources to help providers easily navigate the CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) program so they can better serve their members.

Access →

RESEARCH

Adverse Childhood Experience and Persistent Insomnia during Emerging Adulthood: Do Positive Childhood Experiences Matter?

January 2024 | National Library of Medicine

This study finds that it is essential to prioritize positive experiences during early life to promote lifelong sleep health.

Read→ 

The Relation Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Behaviors in Adult Women

January 2024 | National Library of Medicine

This study aims to identify whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) influence health lifestyles throughout adulthood and examine how ACEs influence dimensions of health lifestyles.

Read→ 

Adults' Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences in the United States Nationwide and in Each State: Modeled Estimates from 2019-2020

January 2024 | National Library of Medicine

This study finds that ACEs are common but not equally distributed. ACEs exposures estimated by state and sociodemographic group can help decisionmakers focus public health interventions on populations disproportionately impacted in their area.

Read→ 

Becoming ACEs Aware in California is a free, two-hour online training for clinics to become trauma informed and launch an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) screening initiative. Completion of the training is required for eligible Medi-Cal providers to be reimbursed for conducting ACE screenings. 

Ready to help improve health for all and promote health equity through screening for and responding to ACEs and toxic stress? Visit the ACEs Aware Learning Center to take the training today. 

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and other continuing education credit. 

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