Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress are public health crises. ACEs are stressful or traumatic events experienced by age 18, identified in the landmark Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente (KP) Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, to be strongly associated with increased health and social risks. Early detection and intervention can help prevent or reduce the health risks associated with ACEs.
With our longitudinal patient relationships, family physicians have a unique opportunity to make a lasting healthcare impact by thoughtfully identifying cumulative adversity as a root cause to some of our patients’ most persistent and debilitating healthcare challenges.
Over the next year, CAFP will organize a series of regionally-based, peer-to-peer learning workshops - one in each district of the state. During theses online workshops, facilitators will introduce ACEs screening rationale and methods, followed by peer-to-peer discussion groups on best practices, overcoming barriers to care, and practice approaches for this new screening tool.
Meet our Expert Advisory Panel! These experienced and insightful clinicians are working with CAFP to design and conduct the forthcoming 2021 peer-to-peer learning workshops.
At the end of this workshop, you should be able to:
Who are these workshops intended for?
The Family Medicine Initiative on Trauma-Informed Care (FIT) workshops are intended for family physicians, practicing in the state of California.
Can I invite other members of my healthcare team to participate?
These first workshops are intended for physicians. We hope to provide subsequent training opportunities for the wider healthcare team.
How about residents in our local chapter’s residency program?
They are welcome to attend.
How many sessions and how long are they?
The FIT workshop consists of two sessions, two week apart. The first session will be 90 minutes and the second session will be two hours.
How will the workshop be delivered?
All sessions will be delivered via Zoom.
Do I need to attend both sessions?
The two sessions are designed to work together. The first session provides a foundation; the second session builds on that foundation to discuss practical strategies for responding to ACEs in your patients. Up to 6 AAFP Prescribed Credits are available for attending both sessions.
If I can’t make the dates for my regional session, could I attend another?
Yes. All FIT workshop dates will be posted on the CAFP website. However, our expectation is that learners will participate in both sessions in the geographical region in which they practice, in order to take full advantage of regional specifics and solutions.
Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.
Use the following links to access the tools and resources offered by the Office of the California Surgeon General.
Screening Tools: https://www.acesaware.org/screen/screening-tools/
Clinical Assessment and Treatment Planning: https://www.acesaware.org/treat/clinical-assessment-treatment-planning/
ACEs Resources: https://www.acesaware.org/heal/resources/
Watch the Community Conversation: ACEs with Adia Scrubb, MD, MPP, PGY3 - inaugural Susan Hogeland, CAE Health Policy Fellow (recorded on April 26, 2020)
In addition to the PDF monograph, we are pleased to offer the We Are Not Our Numbers: Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences cases on the CAFP’s Homeroom platform. Learners can read one chapter at a time, complete cases, and earn 4 AAFP Prescribed credits, 4 AMA PRA Category 1TM credits and 4 California Bureau of Registered Nursing credits.
