|
Dear Collaborative Members,
As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against racism and police brutality, we are reminded of the many ways that trauma and toxic stress impact our brains and bodies. Here at the Collaborative, we are committed to continuously focusing on incorporating anti-racism principles and actions into our work. We are also reminding ourselves of the importance of supporting our individual and collective well-being as we join together in these struggles. We hope you will join us in both of these efforts.
With gratitude,
Lara Altman, MPH, MSW
Director, Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative
|
|
|
Collaborative Releases Policy Scan Highlighting Trauma-Informed Legislation
The Collaborative is excited to release “Policy Approaches to Addressing Childhood Adversity: Findings from a Policy Scan of 2019 State-Level Legislation." As legislators, advocates, and other stakeholders focus on the impact of childhood adversity across the lifespan, there is a growing call to create trauma-informed states and to incorporate trauma into legislation. To date, few—if any—reviews assess the current landscape of state-level legislation to understand how childhood adversity is currently addressed in policies. To encourage lawmakers to utilize a trauma-informed framework when crafting policy, we undertook such a review. We focused on state-level legislation across the country that incorporated ACEs, trauma, and trauma-informed care, and we found more than 100 pieces of legislation in 32 states, including nine in Illinois. We hope this scan will be the first step in monitoring not only areas for growth in policy, but to also discover new ideas for potential pieces of legislation and collaboration across sectors and state lines.
|
|
|
|
|
Collaborative Launches New Advisory Council
To help the Collaborative continue to innovate, support other organizations’ and communities’ efforts, and catalyze change in our state, we are announcing our revamped Collaborative Advisory Council. This group of dedicated, experienced, and insightful leaders will help us continue to amplify the impact of the many dedicated stakeholders working in the field of childhood adversity in Illinois. We are honored to have their support and input in our work. Please join us in welcoming the Advisory Council members:
Blanca Campos, MPA, Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois (CBHA)
Sarah Hess, JD, Legal Council for Health Justice
Rebecca Levin, MPH, Cook County Sheriff’s Office
Jen McGowan-Tomke, MPH, NAMI Chicago
Andrea Ortez, Partnership for Resilience
Elena Quintana, PhD, Institute on Public Safety & Social Justice, Adler University
Jackie Samuel, PhD, National Louis University
Margie Schaps, MPH, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group
Mashana Smith, PhD, Center for Childhood Resilience
Audrey Stillerman, MD, Office of Community Engagement and
Neighborhood Health Partnerships, UI Health
Marlita White, LCSW, Chicago Department of Public Health
Asif Wilson, PhD, Harold Washington College
|
|
|
|
|
The Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative Supports #PoliceFreeSchools
As the nation, Illinois, and Chicago grapple with the role of law enforcement in our communities, the Collaborative is proud to support the #PoliceFreeSchools movement led by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students in Students Strike Back. Here in Chicago, this determined group of students is advocating for the removal of Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers from CPS schools and for their $33 million dollars budgeted to be reallocated to trauma-informed supports such as school counselors, social workers, and restorative justice programming. We were disappointed that a recently introduced ordinance to remove CPD from CPS has stalled in the Chicago City Council, and the CPS School Board voted against unilaterally removing officers from schools. However, we continue to stand in solidarity with the students and community members advocating for trauma-informed over traumatizing school safety policies.
To find out more about why the Collaborative supports #PoliceFreeSchools, view and retweet our thread here, and to pledge your support, visit #PoliceFreeSchools Coalition.
|
|
|
|
|
Bill to Support Healthcare Workers' Mental Health as a Response to COVID-19 Introduced in New York State
|
|
Legislators in New York have recently introduced a bill that would help frontline healthcare workers, such as emergency responders and hospital staff, struggling with traumatic stress in the wake of caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a summary, S.B. 8606 would “establish the frontline workers trauma-informed care advisory council to link frontline workers affected by COVID-19 to evidenced-based trauma-informed support resources and learning opportunities.” Introduced by State Senator David Carlucci, the bill amends New York’s mental hygiene laws to create a council who would identify evidence-based, trauma-informed tools to track the impact of “associated collective trauma and the needs of frontline workers,” in the wake of COVID-19. This council would also provide trainings, technical support, and guidance to healthcare organizations on supporting frontline healthcare workers’ mental health and wellness. S.B. 8606 is currently in committee in the New York State Senate.
|
|
|
|
|
What We're Reading
The last month has seen an overabundance of news and changes in the country and here in Illinois and Chicago. For June, we’ve created a reading list of news stories that are capturing this moment best right now:
Police Violence and Trauma
|
|
|
|
|
Black Kids are Watching this Moment, What Will it Teach Them? by Kelly Glass, Vox Media
The trauma of witnessing and experiencing racist violence is nothing new for Black children. With coronavirus and police killings dominating the news, and Black children’s lives, this article examines how the country has failed these children, and what we can do to address these traumas.
We Need Police Out of Our Schools--Now by Jesse Hagopian, The Nation
An interview with Minneapolis student leader Nathanial Genene about the uprising, removing police from public schools, and the need to rethink what school looks like.
“Protests Are Galvanizing Demands to Take Cops Out of Schools” by Sarah Jones, New York Magazine
A national look at student-led movements across the nation, including here in Chicago, to take police out of schools and focus on addressing trauma and social service needs of students.
“Schools or Police: In Some Cities, a Reckoning on Spending Priorities” by Daarel Burnette II, Education Weekly
As calls for defunding police departments rise across the country, Education Weekly highlights how the tangled web of state and local budgets mean transferring the billions of dollars used to pay for policing to education and social services may be easier said than done.
“What’s the Alternative to Police in Schools? Restorative Justice” by Curtis Black, Chicago Reader
The idea of removing police from schools has prompted many to ask what would replace them. This article highlights the role of restorative justice in discipline procedures and the success stories seen in schools through partnerships with organizations like Alternatives, Inc.
|
|
|
“The Impact Racism and Coronavirus can have on Mental Health in the Black Community.” Video interview by Gayle King, CBS News
This interview with psychiatrist and social media influencer Dr. Jess Clemons of Ask Dr. Jess highlights not only the impacts of racism and coronavirus on Black Americans’ mental health, but also offers tips and ideas for wellness and support.
“Coronavirus: Children ‘Developing Post-Traumatic Stress’ From Pandemic” by Ashitha Nagesh, BBC News
This article highlights a recent study on the mental health effects of the pandemic and social distancing measures on children in the United Kingdom, where 83% of children have reported their mental health is worse due to coronavirus. The study also notes that minority children are more likely to be impacted by the mental health strain of the pandemic, while also being less likely to have access to mental health services and social supports. Recommendations for continued support for parents and children are provided.
“I Have Never Felt So Helpless’ Frontline Workers Confront Loss During the Pandemic’s First Wave,” by Ariana Eunjung Cha, Ben Guarino and William Wan, The Washington Post
This in-depth, multimedia feature examines the strain of the pandemic on a global scale on healthcare workers. With interviews from EMTs, doctors, nurses, and more from across the globe, this piece showcases the silent pandemic of traumatic stress and burnout that threatens healthcare workers and systems as they prepare for a potential second wave of coronavirus.
|
|
|
Donate to the Collaborative and Health & Medicine to ensure issues of trauma and toxic stress remain central to our response to this pandemic and in the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
