Nearly two-thirds of the general population report experiencing at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), such as loss of a parent, abuse, or domestic violence. Members of marginalized populations, including low-income and ethnic minority youth, are at an even greater risk of experiencing ACEs. Higher rates of ACEs have been linked to an increase in poorer health outcomes during adulthood; including heart attack, cancer, depression and an increase in smoking, illicit drug use, and risky behaviors. Through the Building Public Health Infrastructure Initiative grant awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CTEC is conducting a two-year Tribal Adverse Childhood Experiences (TACEs) project with three California Tribal Health Programs (THPs).
 

The project goal is to increase awareness in ACEs and Trauma Informed Care (TIC) in California Tribal communities and clinics. To accomplish this goal, the TACEs project is comprised of three components:

1. Community surveys – CTEC has adapted and pilot-tested a culturally sensitive survey based on the CDC version of the original ACEs tool. Our Tribal ACEs survey includes questions on demographics, resilience, community, and culture.
2. Clinic staff surveys – CTEC will collaborate with the three IHPs to determine providers’ extent of trauma-informed beliefs utilizing the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Scale. These attitudes can have an enormous impact on patient’s experiences. ACEs and trauma shape health across the life span and the need for trauma-informed service systems is urgent.
3. Prevention/intervention strategy implementation – CTEC will analyze the results of the Tribal ACEs survey and the ARTIC Scale survey and work with the THPs to identify targeted community prevention activities, interventions and/or trainings they feel will resonate in their communities and clinics.

After project completion, CTEC will assist IHPs prepare individual and collective reports summarizing the results of the Tribal ACEs survey tool, implemented interventions/trainings, and the ARTIC Scale survey. As CTEC’s aim is to increase awareness on ACEs and TIC, more information on the collective findings will be disseminated September 2021.