Healthcare Providers & Medical Professionals
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress are a pressing public health crisis that deserves our attention as physicians and medical practitioners.
A large and growing body of science shows that those who have experienced ACEs have a significantly higher risk of developing serious health challenges. It also shows that cumulative adversity — especially when experienced in childhood during critical periods of development — is a root cause to some of the most harmful, chronic, and costly challenges facing our nation.
There are many healthcare providers and health systems working to prevent, mitigate, and treat the effects of toxic stress associated with ACEs and other childhood adversity.
You can learn more about best practices, early detection, screening, clinical interventions and referrals, and providing support and resources by visiting the following sites and reviewing the work of these leaders in the field.
ACEs Aware
ACEs Aware is an initiative led by the California Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of Health Care Services to give Medicaid providers training, clinical protocols, and payment for screening children and adults for ACEs. In December 2020, they released an in-depth Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health.
We partnered with ACEs Aware “State of CAre” campaign in 2021 to raise awareness about ACEs, toxic stress, and the long-term health effects they can have on children and adults if not addressed. As part of the campaign, a new patient education poster on ACEs was developed with Number Story for patient exam rooms. It has been sent to all Medi-Cal providers in California, and can be used by any healthcare provider.
The posters are available at no cost via direct download in English or Spanish at no cost via direct download at ACEsAware.org.
ACEs Action Plan
ACEs Action Plan was released in February 2021 by the New Jersey ACEs Collaborative, which consists of three NJ-based foundations — The Burke Foundation, The Nicholson Foundation, and the Turrell Fund — and the NJ Department of Children and Families. Click here to learn more.
For a more in-depth look at the science of ACEs, read the CDC’s Vital Signs on ACEs or a 2019 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on adult health problems attributable to ACEs. Also check out ACEs Aware, or read the original ACEs study conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente.