When I started my pediatric training, I expected to see kids with “typical” complaints, such as asthma attacks, ear infections, lacerations or maybe a COVID-19 case. Instead our emergency department was flooded with children and teens who suffered from anxiety, suicide attempts, and suspected physical or sexual abuse.
At least 10 times a day, the best care for my patients was for them to see a psychiatrist or a social worker.
COVID-19 is decimating our outdated safety net, and the vital links between families and their local economic, health and social supports.
The pandemic has made “underlying conditions” the new code phrase for the social and health inequities disproportionately impacting black and brown communities.
Shelter-in-place policies are compounding the isolation, stress, misinformation and trauma that are common to many communities of color.
Domestic violence is a learned behavior, and intergenerational trauma has real impacts on youth. To truly stand in solidarity with survivors, we must never lose sight of the hope in preventing violence for generations to come.
California health officials are gearing up for the launch of a statewide screening effort that aims to help doctors measure children’s exposure to trauma and their risk of related health problems.
Starting Jan. 1, California will become the first state in the nation to reimburse health care providers who screen patients enrolled in the Medi-Cal program for “adverse childhood experiences” or ACEs.
Addressing adverse community experiences, which disproportionately burden communities of color and people with low incomes, must be an essential part of our strategy.
In California, adverse community experiences are the result of underinvestment and disenfranchisement in too many neighborhoods, oftentimes rooted in racism or anti-immigrant bias.
What medical professionals don’t realize is that their medical setting is full of potential “triggers” for people with traumatic experiences. It should be standard practice for medical professionals to screen and assess for trauma in a safe environment.
We’re proposing state legislation to mandate trauma-informed care education in all California medical, dental and nursing programs.