Authored By Rick Murdock, Michigan ACE Initiative Grant Coordinator

In my role with the Michigan ACE Initiative I have been asked to periodically produce a blog on the current activities and events.  Doing so in January naturally brings the expected context of expected new activity, but maybe not this year. The past few weeks brought a new reality and sense of urgency in focus that affirms the need for “healing communities” in Michigan. Healing is important and it was no mistake that is also the formal title of the Michigan ACE Initiative: Creating Healing Communities: Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in Michigan.

We started the month off with the anticipation of seeing the new statewide data that would reveal the prevalence within the Michigan adult community of adverse childhood experiences, ACE.  We anticipate that this data will affirm the extensive impact of that ACE has on our human fabric at a cost that is incalculable. We expect this will add more credibility to our objective of creating awareness on ACE and working with communities to create that “healing” environment and culture. This is our core objective.

At the same time, we have been in active communication with partnering organization in the Flint community regarding both the staging of our next statewide event this spring as well as planning for a cohort of Master Trainer training under our Michigan ACE Initiative that would take place this fall. We do that knowing that we need to prepare for the future health outcomes of children in that region and contribute to its healing.

Now, without any doubt, the litany of stress, trauma and adverse experiences was brought to everyone’s attention in very profound and heartbreaking testimonies last week during the sexual assault trial for Larry Nassar. While the public focus and energy of many national, state, and local organizations will now move to take all steps to assure that nothing like this ever happens again—our efforts to create “healing communities” for survivors became even more important.

We could go on to mention the additional stress in our society, including the “38 minute” warning in Hawaii that they were under nuclear attack—imagine receiving that message and what you do.  But perhaps the most important thing we can do is to “double down” in achieving our objective of “creating healing communities”.

To do so, our efforts will continue to be focused on enabling and assisting our Michigan ACE Initiative Master Trainers to reach their population with the evidence based awareness and to sustain the interest of their communities in solutions.  Recent conference calls with those trained in our first two cohorts raised many suggestions and best practices.

To do so, we also need to raise the awareness and commitment of the legislature and administration regarding adverse childhood experiences and the need for healing communities. The Michigan ACE Initiative Steering Committee is reviewing a comprehensive proposal that is intended to exactly that and the recent events should only add more urgency.

Our name is important. Now more than ever.

 

The MAHP Foundation received funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to support the Creating Healing Communities: A Statewide Initiative to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Michigan. Learn more here.