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Media Release from Sawtooth Mountain Clinic - October 11, 2019

In the mid-1990s, a study was conducted that has changed the way we view public health. For this research, more than 17,000 people had a new component added to their doctor’s visits.  In addition to the usual questions about their current health status and behaviors, they were also given a confidential survey about hardships that they had experienced in childhood (abuse, neglect, household challenges).

This was the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, and its results were astounding.  Almost 2 out of 3 respondents reported at least 1 adverse childhood experience and more than 1 in 5 had 3 or more ACEs.  For the first time, the direct link between ACEs and disease, disability, learning problems, productivity impediments, and even early death could be visualized.  The higher the number of ACEs, the more likely that someone would engage in risky health behaviors, develop chronic health conditions, and possibly too soon.  We have come to understand that toxic stress in childhood acts as a slow-release poison, with the results sometimes not showing up until decades later.  As we’ve learned about the life-long impacts of ACEs, we’ve also learned about the wonder of human resiliency and the power of protective factors.  With more knowledge about both sides of the ACEs coin, we are led to ask two questions:

·      How can we prevent ACEs from occurring in the first place?

·      How can we mitigate the damage after ACEs happen? 

To help the communities, organizations, and businesses in our area find answers to these questions, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic is hosting an “Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities” presenter training.   In this train-the-trainer program, a group of up to 30 people will become certified “ACE Interface” presenters.  They will learn to share information about: 

• the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study,
• the neurobiology that explains why ACEs impact people’s lives,
• what we can all do to dramatically improve health and resilience for this and future generations. 

Sawtooth Mountain Clinic has contracted with Minnesota Communities Caring for Children (MCCC) to provide this 2-day workshop.  MCCC is licensed through ACE Interface, LLC to train cohorts of presenters to share the “Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences: Building Self-Healing Communities” curriculum widely in their communities.  A cohort of presenters is a diverse and inclusive group that support ongoing shared learning, community conversations, and community-based planning.  The goal is to create a resilience action plan in their community.   The facilitator will be Susan Beaulieu.  Susan has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute.  As a member of the Red Lake Nation, Susan’s work has been primarily with Indigenous communities across Minnesota, working with tribes to strengthen individual, family, and community resilience and wellbeing.

This cohort of presenters can help spread the awareness of ACEs and resilience research by offering an "Understanding ACEs" presentation at their worksites and places of worship, to their service organizations, to families, and other diverse sectors and audiences.  This model of community-wide information dispersal has already helped achieve tremendously positive outcomes for children, youth, and families in other parts of Minnesota and several other states.  It can make a difference for us as well.

To learn more and to apply to be part of this training cohort, visit:  https://bit.ly/2OLyYO5

Dates:  November 12 & 13, 2019
Location & Address:  Cook County Community Center

Application Deadline:  Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Event Contacts:  Andrea Orest, SHIP Coordinator ([email protected])
& Hartley Newell-Acero, Outreachr Coordinato ([email protected])
 Applications can be emailed to either Hartley or Andrea, or a hard copy can be dropped off at the front desk of the clinic.