Exploring the Science of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress through ACEs Aware

Since August 2019, Aurrera Health Group has been leading the California ACEs Aware initiative on behalf of the Office of the California Surgeon General and the California Department of Health Care Services. The mission of the initiative is to educate clinical teams about the importance of providing trauma-informed care and the role they can play in improving the health of patients who have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Through the initiative, Aurrera Health is also helping communities improve connections between primary care practices and community-based organizations to help people get the comprehensive support they need to thrive.

Virtual educational webinars have served as a key education and engagement strategy for ACEs Aware. With AHG’s support, the initiative has hosted more than two dozen widely-attended webinars in the last two years examining all facets of trauma-informed care, ACE screening, and treating and healing from ACEs. These webinars are free and available to anyone who is interested in viewing them.

This summer, Aurrera Health Group hosted a three-part webinar series exploring “The Science of ACEs and Toxic Stress,” which offers continuing medical education (CME) credit to physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, psychologists, social workers, and other health care providers engaged in screening patients for ACEs and risk of toxic stress.

The “toxic stress response” refers to long-term developmental disruptions resulting from high doses of early adversity. Toxic stress is associated with numerous adverse health conditions, including nine of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States; however, research demonstrates that the effects of toxic stress are amenable to treatment. Screening for ACEs to assess the risk of toxic stress and responding with evidence-based, trauma-informed care across sectors creates a tremendous opportunity to improve the health and well-being of individuals and families for generations to come.

The “Science of ACEs and Toxic Stress” webinar series features Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California Surgeon General; Al Race, recently retired Deputy Director and Chief Knowledge Officer from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; and Dr. Rachel Gilgoff, Senior Clinical and Science Advisor for Aurrera Health Group/the ACEs Aware initiative.

Part 1 with California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

The series kicks off with Dr. Burke Harris discussing about how ACEs and toxic stress can affect our biology; how ACE screening can be used to identify toxic stress risk; and the importance of joining a trauma-informed network of care to provide and coordinate buffering resources across sectors.

Part 2 with Al Race, Deputy Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Part two, featuring Al Race from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, focuses on applying these concepts to implement trauma-informed clinical practice changes based on proven science-informed design principles of reducing the sources of stress, strengthening core skills, and leveraging positive relationships.

Part 3 with Dr. Rachel Gilgoff, Senior Clinical and Science Advisor, Aurrera Health Group/ACEs Aware initiative

Dr. Gilgoff wraps up the series by exploring examples of clinical interventions for toxic stress-mitigation strategies and internal and external support services.

To date, the ACEs Aware initiative has trained more than 20,000 providers across California to screen patients for ACEs and respond with trauma-informed care and evidence-based interventions. As a result, Medi-Cal providers have conducted more than ACE screenings with their patients since the launch of the initiative, but there is more work to be done.  Stay tuned for updates on the evolution of ACEs Aware and the trauma-informed care movement nationally!