You can give a child a better chance for a happy & healthier future by understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences

Date: 12/11/20

Health Net aims to raise awareness of the disproportionate high rates of ACEs in California

By: Ramiro Zuniga, MD, MBA, FAAFP
Vice President, Medical Director, Medi-Cal at Health Net and California Health & Wellness

Sometimes the best way to help a child is to take a moment and reflect on the time when you were one yourself. How many good moments do you remember? How many bad moments do you remember? Did you live with a parent or caregiver who went to jail or prison? Did you witness violence in your neighborhood or at school? Did your caregivers struggle with too much alcohol, street drugs or prescription meds? These types of experiences are referred to as ACEs or Adverse Childhood Experiences. These are more common than you may think.

Lowering Toxic Stress as a Child Leads to Less Health Issues

The body has a way of protecting itself when faced with scary situations. This commonly known “fight or flight” response can be triggered in several ways for kids, like when a dog barks at them or the lights go out. This stress system can also be activated when a child encounters an adverse experience. ACEs can stay in a child’s mind much longer than other stressors. This can lead to toxic stress that can cause harm to their overall health over time.

Adults with one or more ACES as a child are likely to encounter negative physical and mental health outcomes. Many of these outcomes are the leading causes of death in the United States, according to a seminal study published in the late 90s by Felitti, Anda, and their colleagues. This was the first time the term “adverse childhood experiences” was coined.

The good thing to know is that prevention is possible. A nurturing adult can intercept these substantial effects of toxic stress by delivering a feeling of safety to the child. This effort helps to turn off the stress response.

If you have a cold there’s a medication for that. If you have a headache there’s a medication for that. But when it comes to toxic stress the most effective medication is safe, consistent and nurturing relationships in a young child’s life.

Helping to Strengthen Families Leads to Lower ACEs

There are several key approaches to lowering ACEs, including initiatives that:

• Prevent via public education and addressing systemic and structural factors.
• Screen children and adults for early detection, intervention, and vertical transmission interruption— with special focus during the prenatal through early childhood periods.
• Treat via effective, culturally sensitive, accountable and easy to navigate referral networks for children, adults and providers.
• Heal through advanced science identifying potential therapeutic targets and improve efficacy of interventions for toxic stress.

The ACEs Aware Initiative

At Health Net, we are supporting the nation’s first ACEs Aware initiative led by the Office of California Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and the Department of Health Care Services. The effort is all about offering training, clinical protocols, and payment for screening children and adults for ACEs. Medi-Cal providers are key to the ACEs screening process. Health Net has ensured that these providers have the training, tools, and resources they need to identify ACEs in patients. ACEs Aware recently announced that 14,000 health care providers have taken part in the training.

Continuous learning is essential for children, but it’s good for parents as well. Understanding how ACEs impacts you and your parenting can make a big difference in your child’s life. As a parent, it’s vital that you discover ways to resolve your own trauma. This makes the path to healing and resilience for your child that much more possible. The groundwork is being laid down right now so the support from providers is there when you need it. For additional references and resources, read Health Net’s latest blog on ACEs here.