Health
On Tuesday, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), and Children Now announced legislation aimed at improving the mental health of children who have experienced childhood trauma, including abuse, neglect, and community violence.
The bill would establish a four-year pilot program to assist elementary schools in providing mental health services to students, prioritizing schools in communities with high levels of childhood trauma and adversity.
"Childhood trauma can have a devastating and lasting impact not only on our children but also on our families and our communities. The evidence is clear that when we don't intervene, many children are more likely to be either victims or perpetrators of crime,” said Attorney General Harris. “This legislation will connect our most vulnerable children with the support they need and is a smart investment in the health and safety of our state.”
Assembly Bill 1644 will help schools and communities address the extensive impacts of childhood trauma, which can result in negative educational, health, social, and economic outcomes for children across the state.
Left unaddressed, exposure to childhood trauma can have devastating effects on children’s developing brains and leave children less ready to learn and more likely to exhibit anxiety, withdrawal, and aggressive behavior in school.
Providing trauma-informed interventions, including mental health supports, are critical to promoting healthy childhood development and addressing the root causes of crime.
“I’m excited to author AB 1644 with the support of Attorney General Harris and a stellar group of advocates in order to provide children suffering from trauma with the healing they need to survive and thrive,” said Bonta. “A child’s exposure to trauma is one of the greatest public health threats of our time, seriously compromising a child’s long-term physical and emotional wellbeing. As chair of the Assembly Health Committee and the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color, I’ve had the opportunity to extensively address the impact of trauma on our most challenged communities in the state, and I am confident that AB 1644 will provide our kids with the transformative support they need to heal.”
AB 1644 builds upon the former Early Mental Health Initiative (EMHI), a highly successful evidence-based program aimed at helping elementary school students experiencing difficulty in adjusting to a school setting.
EMHI awarded matching grants to local schools to fund prevention and intervention programs from 1992 to 2012, before the program was defunded in 2012.
More than 75 percent of children who completed the EMHI program showed an improvement in learning behaviors, attendance, school adjustment, or school-related competencies.
AB 1644 would provide schools that have continued to offer EMHI services with technical assistance to strengthen and expand existing programs, while also expanding EMHI services to more schools, particularly those serving students who have experienced high levels of childhood trauma and adversity.
Children Now President Ted Lempert said, “Childhood trauma is a public health crisis that can impede emotional well-being, diminish kids’ school performance and set children up for a lifetime of problems. This bill would help kids exposed to trauma reach their full potential by helping schools provide quality mental health supports to their youngest students.”
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sutter Lakeside Hospital is proud to announce an expansion of outpatient cardiology services.
Beginning at the end of January, Sutter Lakeside Community Clinic welcomes Dr. John Minotti, who will expand cardiology services to include long-term EKG event monitors, in addition to cardiology consults, pacemaker insertions and checks, stress tests, and echo cardiograms.
Dr. Minotti joins Dr. Brad Clair, who sees patients in the Family Medicine Clinic each week.
“Our goal is to build community awareness about healthy lifestyle choices that will reduce the risk of heart attacks,” said Dr. Minotti.
“The expansion of cardiology services to clinic patients is essential to improving access to care for our community,” said Dr. Clair, who has practiced cardiology for 23 years. “I’m pleased to have Dr. Minotti join me as the second cardiologist to see patients at the clinic.”
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in California, and Lake County’s rate of heart disease is significantly higher than the state average, according to the Department of Human Services.
Prevention is a key factor in reducing the risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
Ways to reduce the risk of heart disease include regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and balanced diet, not smoking, controlling blood pressure, and keeping cholesterol levels in check.
“Cultivating awareness of heart-health is vital for Lake County because of the demographic we serve,” said Sutter Lakeside Chief Administrative Officer Siri Nelson. “We’re proud to partner with Dr. Minotti and Dr. Clair to better serve our patients and offer the services they need.”
To access the expanded cardiology services, contact Sutter Lakeside Community Clinic at 707-263-6885 or Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic at 707-262-5088, or visit www.sutterlakeside.org .
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