SEPTEMBER 2012 ACE CONSORTIUM QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

What is the ACE Study? What is the ACE Study? What is the ACE Study?

Our Vision: Arizona is a state that has safe, stable and nurturing

families and communities that contribute to a prosperous society.

Our Values:

Health: We believe that early childhood trauma is a significant social issue that affects public health.

Community: We believe that a strong community supports families to raise

strong, physically and emotionally healthy

children.

Commitment: We are committed to bring a clear

understanding to the people of Arizona of the

effects of child abuse and neglect and its ramifica-tions on public health.

Education: We believe that the awareness of the

impact of childhood trauma and its subsequent

health effects will contribute to a

societal commitment to acknowledge child abuse and neglect as a public

health issue.

Collaboration: We believe in working

together to prevent child abuse and neglect and in promoting resiliency and

healing through treatment.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is an epidemiological study that analyzed over 17,000 adults and the rela-tionship between traumatic stress in child-hood and the leading causes of morbidity, mortality and disability.

The concept for the study originated in 1985 when Dr. Vincent Felitti, with Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, was working with a weight loss program for obese patients. Dr. Felitti found that many patients who were actually successfully losing weight dropped out of the program. After looking at the patients’ histories, it was noted that many of them had been physically or sexu-ally abused as children and it was hypothe-sized that they had unconsciously used obe-sity as a protection against unwanted sexual attention and/or physical aggression.

Around the same time as Dr. Felitti’s re-search, Dr. Robert Anda of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was in the process of researching both medical and public health programs such as smok-ing, substance abuse and other diseases. Dr. Anda’s interest lay in the study of psy-chosocial origins of health-related risk be-haviors. Because Dr. Anda’s findings were similar to that of Dr. Felitti’s, the CDC and Kaiser Permanente teamed up to perform a longitudinal epidemiologic study on the im-pact of adverse (traumatic) childhood ex-periences.

The underlying message derived from the study is that throughout all populations, trau-matic experiences in childhood are common and tend to occur in groups. Nearly two-thirds of the study participants reported at least one ACE. Of those, more than 80 per-cent reported experiencing two or more ACEs in their lives. ACEs are a strong pre-dictor of later health and mortality risk.

High stress in childhood may lead to dis-ruptions in brain development impacting

social, emotional and cognitive develop-ment. These early threats can lead to the adoption of health risk behaviors such as overuse/abuse of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, food or unsafe sexual promiscuity. These behaviors are frequently seen as the prob-lem when actually the underlying issue of adverse childhood experiences is the root of the problem. The observed problems of obe-sity, drug abuse, etc. can actually be an al-most effective coping solutions.

Child abuse is prevalent in our culture and its prevention is necessary. The results from the ACE study indicate that this information should be at the forefront of medical training, patient medical and psychological assess-ment and intervention, parent education and public education. To reach this goal profes-sionals, community agencies and community members must work together to strategize an effective campaign.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital led the way with creation of a small group of volunteers and professionals in 2007 to meet infor-mally, discuss and determine what could be done with the findings of the ACE Study. Subsequently, as more professionals ex-pressed interest, and ideas developed, the group grew and evolved into what it is today: the ACE Consortium.

The ACE Consortium is committed to get-ting the word out to doctors, psychologists, patients, parents, teachers and other adults who work with children so that our commu-nity can become well-versed in how to heal the effects of abuse, how to prevent it from happening and to create stronger communi-ties in which everyone understands the im-plications of abuse on the emotional as well as the physical lives of all, especially chil-dren.

For more information on the ACE study visit www.acestudy.org and www.cdc.gov/ace/.

.

S cie nce s how s t hat exp os ure

t o c i rc um -s ta nc es t hat

p rod uc e p ers i ste nt fea r

a nd chroni c a nxi ety c a n

have l i fe l ong c ons eq uence s by d isrupt i ng

t he devel op ing a rchi t ect ure of

t he bra in.

The ACE network offers a wealth of infor-mation on how anyone may assess the im-pact of trauma or abuse suffered in child-hood. The more types of childhood trauma a per-son has, the more likely she/he will have a chronic disease. In other words, the higher your ACE score, the more problems you’ll have as an adult. The ACE Study looked at 10 different types of childhood trauma. These are the five usual suspects: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, physical and emotional neglect. The study also looked at five types of family dysfunction: a parent or adult in the house who was an alcoholic or diagnosed mentally ill, a battered mother, a family member in prison and a parent who disappears through abandonment or divorce.

Only 30 percent of us have no ACEs. ACEs rarely appear alone — if there’s one type of childhood trauma, there’s a 87 per-cent likelihood that there are others and a 50 percent chance of at least 3 others. In addition, ACEs are very common, even in predominately white, middle- to upper-middle class college-educated Americans. What is your ACE score? If you are interested in finding out your ACE score take a shortened version of the ACE questionnaire at: www. acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score. Visit ACEs Too High interactive website at www.acesconnection.com.

ACES Too High

reports that

the more types

of childhood

trauma a

person endures,

the more likely

she or he will

develop or

have a chronic

disease or an

addiction.

Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy child development.

When we are threatened, our bodies prepare us to respond by increasing our heart rate,

blood pressure and stress hormones such as cortisol. Some stress in life is inevitable.

When stress is buffered through supportive relationships, stress becomes tolerable and less

damaging to children’s development.

However, if the stress response is extreme and long-lasting, and buffering relationships are

unavailable to the child, the result can be damaged, weakened systems and brain architec-

ture, with lifelong repercussions. This can lead to lasting difficulties in learning, memory and

self-regulation. Children who are exposed to serious early stress develop an exaggerated

stress response that, over time, weakens their defense system against diseases, from heart

disease to diabetes and depression.

Trying to change behavior or build new skills on a foundation of brain circuits that were not

wired properly when they were first formed requires more work and is less effective. This

means we need to invest in the kinds of programs that prevent child abuse and neglect from

the point of birth onward through childhood and adolescence.

Check out this website for more information on the developing brain:

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/videos/brain_hero/

WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN ARIZONA: WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN ARIZONA:

SUMMIT

The 2012 Trauma Informed Care

Summit was held on February

22, 2012 at the Arizona State

University Downtown Campus.

This collaborative project

between the Arizona

Department of Health Services,

National Association of State

Mental Health Program

Directors, ASU Center for

Applied Behavioral Health

Policy and the Pacific Southwest

Addiction Transfer Technology

Center included several

nationally recognized trauma

informed care speakers.

DOCUMENTARY SHOWING OF “Healing Neen”

Following the 2012 Trauma Informed Care Summit, a

screening of the documentary “Healing Neen” was held

which included a discussion with Tonier “Neen” Cain.

After surviving a childhood of abuse and neglect, Neen

lived on the streets for two nightmarish decades,

where she endured unrelenting violence, hunger and

despair while racking up 66 criminal convictions

related to her addiction. Incarcerated and pregnant in

2004, treatment for her lifetime of trauma offered her

a way out... and up. Her story illustrates the

consequences that untreated trauma has on individuals

and society at-large, including mental health problems,

addiction, homelessness and incarceration. Today, she is a nationally renowned speaker

and educator on the devastation of trauma and the hope of recovery.

THIRD ANNUAL “Strong Communities Raise Strong Kids” TRAINING OF TRAINERS On May 24, 2012 the ACE Consortium conducted

an all day trainer of trainers session in Flagstaff,

AZ. The response was outstanding with 73

participants, some coming as far away as Yuma

and Benson. Participants were provided with

toolkits to use in their own communities to

educate members on the ACE study and

strategies individuals and communities can

implement to strengthen families and

communities.

ACE CONSORTIUM MEETINGS

The ACE Consortium meet-ings are held each quarter on Thurs-day mornings from 10:00 to 12:00 at Phoenix

Children’s Hospital. Keep up to date with the Consortium happenings by becoming part of our email distribu-tion list. Contact Marcia Stanton for more information and/or to be added to the list: MStanto@phoenixchildrens.com

Look for the latest trainer resources online in the ACE Trainer toolkit! Share the ACE Brochure in English or Spanish, print additional posters or email presentation notes to participants in English or Spanish from this area of the ACE Consortium website (http://azpbs.org/strongkids). The link to the Trainer Toolkit can be found as a large yellow button on the lower right of the home page.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS

Our Community PartnersOur Community Partners M i s s i o n

2006

Phoenix Children’s Hospital hosts

Community Leader Luncheon with Vincent Felitti, M.D.

2007

Community Roundtable with Dr.

Felitti

Presentation at Annual Family Cen-

tered Practice Conference

Convened “ACE Think Tank”

2008/2009

Continued ACE community presen-

tations and meetings of the “ACE Think Tank”

2010

Developed “Strong Communities

Raise Strong Kids” Tool Kit includ-ing logo, ACE Brochure, ACE Poster

Inaugural “Strong Communities

Raise Strong Kids” Train the Trainer – two-day training

Participation in CDC Expert Panel

Eight PBS - Webpage Developed

PBS Horizon featuring Vincent Fe-

litti, M.D.

Ask an Arizona Expert PBS Prime-

time Special: Ask a Child Trauma Expert

2011

Second Train the Trainer

PBS special: Forgiveness: Ask an

Arizona Expert

Developed Mission, Vision, Values

and Strategic plan

Began social media campaign

Your are cordially invited to:

Become a member of the ACE Consortium

Attend ACE Consortium meetings

Share with us stories of resiliency

Like us on Facebook at:

ACE Consortium Strong Communities Raise Strong Kids

The next ACE Consortium quarterly meeting will be held Novem-

ber 15, 2012 from 10:00 to 12:00 at Phoenix Children’s Hospital

And, Save These Dates:

2013 ACE Consortium meeting dates—Feb. 21, May 16, Aug. 15 and Nov. 21

Greater Phoenix Child Abuse Prevention Council is hosting a “Strong Communities Raise Strong Kids” Train the Trainers workshop on October 18, 2012. Contact Marcia Stanton for more details at MStanto@phoenixchildrens.com Magellan Health Care of Arizona is planning a one day conference on December 6th on ACEs to include presentation by Dr. Robert Anda, Senior Researcher in Preven-tive Medicine and Epidemiology at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion and Co-principle investigator on the ACE Study along with Laura Porter, Staff Director—Washington State Family Policy Council. Look for details in the next

quarterly newsletter.

T h e A d v e r s e

C h i l d h o o d

E x p er i e n c e s

( A C E ) C o n s or t i um

i s a l e a d e r i n

s t r e n g t h e n i n g

A r i z o n a f a m i l i e s

a n d c o m m u n i t i e s .

THE ACE CONSORTUIM

TIMELINE

Osborn Communities Connect