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Allegany County Social Services Commissioner Vicki Grant
discusses increased likelihood of individuals experiencing negative effects of
early childhood trauma during trauma-informed community awareness seminar at
the Hope Center in Wellsville. The activity was part of the Center's Kids
Danger focus for April.
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WELLSVILLE – Allegany County's social services commissioner
says a new group will be exploring how best to increase awareness of the
lifetime effects of early childhood trauma that goes unaddressed and available
resources for overcoming them.
Vicki Grant told those attending a public awareness seminar
on Kids Dangers at the Hope Center in Wellsville Thursday (April 18) that an
Allegany County Trauma Informed Communities committee, comprised of government
departments and agency representatives, met for the first time earlier this
month to begin discussion on how to address this need.
She said county legislators were the first in the state to
adopt a resolution last year to encourage county agencies, the state, all profit
and nonprofit organizations and individuals to become informed about the
negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and to provide
services to help those having experienced such situations to recover from them.
The commissioner said that individuals with unmitigated
early childhood trauma are more likely to have work absences, depression, be an
alcoholic, smoke, inject drugs, use antidepressant medicines, develop sexually
transmitted diseases due to risking behaviors, and be suicidal.
They also are at increased risks for chronic disease, acute
illnesses, injuries and early deaths, with children often being overwhelmed by
fear, anxiety, depression, hopelessness and anger, resulting in inappropriate
and aggressive behaviors and other negative impacts.
Grant said these situations were discovered some 20 years
ago in a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and Kaiser Permanente. Children experiencing increasing numbers of traumatic
events, such as parental divorce, an alcoholic father, multiple movings or
evictions, physical, mental or sexual abuse, neglect, household challenges and
others were more likely to suffer and retain negative impacts in adulthood.
As a result, those working with individuals having experienced
early childhood trauma need to be sensitive to social, emotional and learning
behaviors, she said, and instead of asking or thinking “What is wrong with
you?” to be attuned to “What happened to you?” and how to obtain resources to
help overcome these situations.
To do this, the commissioner said, individuals need to be
able to sense a safe environment of care, trustworthiness of those seeking to
help, having a choice in what happens to them, a collaborative environment in
which they are part of the solution rather than someone doing for them, and
empowerment that focuses on a person's strengths and hopes.
This involves a culture change in which people seek to be
aware and help one another rather than hurting one another due to the pain they
have experienced, Grant said.
She noted an umbrella approach needs to be developed in
which all communities of care, including individuals, governments, education,
human services, churches, law enforcement and others are trauma-informed,
including those not having been impacted personally by trauma needing to be
aware that family members, friends, co-workers and acquaintances may have been.
The next level is agencies being trauma-sensitive to the
underlying needs of clients, followed by trauma-specific types of treatment,
ranging from professional systems to safe family and community supports.
The commissioner said the work of the committee still is
being determined but is likely to include greater collaborative efforts toward
public and services provider awareness as to the subject of ACEs and other
types of trauma occurrences, how it may be causing some of the issues occurring
in households, workplaces and other venues, and public dissemination of
available resources to help create a better understanding of trauma, its
impacts, and how to obtain assistance to overcome issues resulting from such
occurrences.
Grant also discussed historical and cultural trauma that can
have impacts for generations unless it is understood.
In the rural Allegany County area, part of the 13-state
Appalachian Region, residents have experienced strong economies at times due to
the influence of the railroad and canal, with areas of both wealth and poverty.
Industry, education, tourism, agriculture and more all have had various
impacts.
When the wealthy made money and then left the area at
different times, she said it can lead to feelings of distrust of new people who
come into the area due to an underlying feeling that they will do the same. At
the same time there is belief in self-determination, individualism, and respect
for experts, there can be feelings of a pre-determined destiny of poverty,
distrust of outsiders, and responsibility to stay with family and friends
versus seeking better solutions for a productive life, the speaker said.
Our cultural models, she related, result from our
experiences forming our values and beliefs which then help create our
behaviors, some of which can be negative unless they are recognized and worked
through. Additional information on ACEs is available at www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/index.html.
The Hope Center is focusing each month on a specific area of
need, with various types of Kids Dangers being explored in April. Last month
the subject was reading issues being experienced by many county children and
adults, with May being mental health that affects one out of two individuals in
the United States during their lifetimes.
The full schedule for April and updates for future months
are available at www.facebook.com/HopeCenterAlleganyCounty.
Individuals also can obtain schedules by email by sending a message to
bps461@msn.com with “Subscribe – Hope Center” in the Subject line and community
of residence in the message.
The Hope Center, which includes information and referral and
reading assistance in addition to its education center, currently is open from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, by appointment, and for daytime and evening
presentations, workshops and seminars. Services are free and available to all
persons, regardless of faith background.
It is an outreach ministry of the Mission Genesee Valley
coalition of churches, Christian organizations and individuals seeking
community transformation and revival in Allegany County. The Hope Center is
designed to be “A Hub of Hope of Allegany County Churches,” building community
awareness and approaches for solving issues facing county residents and
equipping churches to help address these needs.