Last year, the California Department of Health Care Services, in partnership with the California Office of the Surgeon General, created a first-in-the-nation statewide effort to screen patients for trauma and the increased likelihood of associated health conditions due to toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

The ACEs Aware initiative is hosting a live, one-hour webinar on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at 12 p.m. to share how ACEs Aware training and resources to treat toxic stress can equip providers with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively incorporate ACE screening into patient care, and to better respond to and support their patients during a global pandemic.

Participants can expect to learn how to better:

• Define ACEs, the toxic stress response and principles of trauma-informed care.
• Recognize acute stressors inciting the toxic stress response that affect the physical and mental of patients, including increased rates of ACEs and ACE-Associated Health Conditions.
• Explain principles of trauma-informed care and evidence-based toxic stress interventions to implement ACE screening and response to address COVID-related secondary health impacts for pediatric and adult patients.
• Apply the ACEs Aware training and buffering resources to help patients mitigate the effects of the pandemic, including from secondary health impacts.

Presenters include:

• Devika Bhushan, M.D., FAAP, Chief Health Officer, Office of the California Surgeon General
• Eric Ball, M.D., FAAP, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Primary Care Network
• Martina J. Jelley, M.D., MSPH, FACP, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine

Register for this free webinar today, and explore the full series designed to help providers integrate ACEs screening and response into their clinic and workflows.

Materials will be posted after the event at acesaware.org/educational-events. Please email questions and comments to info@acesaware.org.

See also: CMA’s Top Issues: Adverse Childhood Experiences