New Video Series Tells Stories of ACEs Aware in Action

When Aurrera Health launched the ACEs Aware initiative on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) in late 2019, we knew we were on the forefront of change. As the ACEs Aware initiative expanded, so did our reach – thanks in part to the ACEs Aware Community Grants program – established to ensure clinical teams and community organizations are equipped with evidence-based trainings, tools, and resources to effectively incorporate ACE screening into patient care. The success of the initiative was also amplified by a number of physician and community “champions” who spent extra time promoting the initiative and the importance of responding to ACEs and toxic stress.Aurrera Health is proud to announce the ACEs Aware Storytelling Series, by way of unique videos capturing the power of the work supported by the ACEs Aware initiative across California. The goal of this video series is to continue to expand the reach and impact of ACEs Aware by encouraging providers and care teams to take the “Becoming ACEs Aware in California” online training and share best practices for integrating ACE screening into their practices.

Screening for ACEs: A Pediatrician’s Story

The first story in the ACEs Aware Storytelling Series features pediatrician Dr. Eric Ball, from Children’s Health Orange County (CHOC), who offers a compelling case study around the importance of applying trauma-informed care principles to his patients and their families—as well as his clinical staff. With a holistic approach to treating disease, Dr. Ball uses techniques he learned from the ACEs Aware training to build resiliency in himself, his family, his patients, as well as his clinical staff. Finally, Dr. Ball talks also about how this training has helped him cope with the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other life stressors.“My job as a pediatrician is to make sure kids stay healthy and grow into healthy adults,” says Dr. Ball. “I’ve been referring to the COVID-19 pandemic as a ‘universal adverse childhood experience,’” says Dr. Ball. “My ACEs training, even though I was seeing lots of kids who had ACE scores of zero, really helped because I was able to teach all of these kids ways to calm themselves down, to reduce stress, and to be able to get back to life.”Please watch and share, and learn more about ACEs Aware at www.acesaware.org – and stay tuned for our next installment in the ACEs Aware Storytelling Series to be released this summer!