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square bulletTrauma Informed Oregon Happenings January 2016

January 23, 2016

From Diane Yatchmenoff, Ph.D, Director, Trauma Informed Oregon

Regional Forums Will Focus on Implementation

In 2016, Trauma Informed Oregon will continue to offer training sessions regularly for partners around the state who are asking for basic information on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the impact of trauma, and trauma informed care. Other trainers are also available and some are listed on the Trainer DatabaseBut this year, we are also turning our attention to what happens after training. Upcoming meetings will focus on implementation efforts. We’ll share what we’ve learned from partners around the state about the process of implementation as well as resources from Trauma Informed Oregon to support it. We’ll ask local partners in those areas to share what they’re doing, what they’re learning, and we’ll bring providers and stakeholders together to talk about key issues that come up in the process. Watch for invitations to the Spring events:

  • March 4, Implementation Forum (Lane County), 8am – noon, Lane Community College, Eugene. Registration will open on February 1, 2016.
  • April 21, Implementation Forum (Multnomah County), Portland (time and location TBA).

We have also been invited to present a workshop on implementing trauma informed care during the Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOBHI) Conference scheduled for May 11-13 in Bend. If you are attending the conference you are welcome to join us.

More on the OHA Trauma Policy

Although there are many different ways to go about planning and implementing trauma informed care, the Standards of Practice for Trauma Informed Care may provide a useful framework for agencies and programs that will need to document progress and to set priorities. Last month, we provided Oregon Health Authority (OHA) with a crosswalk between the Standards and the provisions of the OHA policy and procedures document. The crosswalk was presented to the OHA quality assurance site review team, and early this year, Trauma Informed Oregon will provide foundational training to site reviewers and other OHA staff. More communication will be coming from OHA soon, but expect site reviewers to begin including trauma informed care in their audits beginning in July.

In the meantime, we are continuing to develop and post information and fact sheets on the Trauma Informed Oregon website to assist agencies with planning and implementation. More on that in Mandy Davis’ blog post, Implementation, Training & Education Updates.

On the Adult Mental Health and Addiction Side

We’re pleased to be working with new partners serving adults with mental health and addiction challenges. Early in March, we will conduct an implementation workshop for providers in the Substance Abuse Disorders network. In April, we’ve been invited to present at the regional Focus on the Future Conference sponsored by the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling. In conjunction with our Implementation Forums in Lane and Multnomah Counties, we hope to engage in listening sessions with adults who have lived experience seeking or utilizing public mental health and addiction services.