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square bulletWashington County Targets Childhood Trauma

October 26, 2015

From Octavia Chambers, Washington County ACEs Initiative

Washington County has been working with key stakeholders and the community on upstream approaches to decreased tobacco use, chronic disease prevention and suicide prevention, however, early strategies did not include addressing the role ACEs play. Due to the immense range of problems that arise from the exposure to ACEs, Washington County sought to develop a community intervention program― the ACEs Initiative―to promote awareness of ACEs and prevent or mitigate their impact.

The Washington County ACEs Initiative is a multi-sector collaboration among service providers and organizations that are interested in educating the community on the impact of ACEs and developing a coordinated strategy for preventing the negative impact of ACEs.

The purpose of the ACEs Initiative is to prevent or reduce the burden of childhood trauma and the development of chronic disease in individuals who work, live and play in Washington County. We will do this by:

  1. Developing and disseminating educational materials,
  2. Incorporating ACEs, Resilience and TIC messaging into existing trainings and services, and
  3. Supporting current efforts that build resilience and create safe, stable nurturing relationships and environments for children and families.

The collaborative of more than 50 partners meets quarterly.