March – Child life month

Did you know that 9 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States — including chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, cancer, heart disease and diabetes, along with a range of mental illnesses — are related to toxic experiences that people experience in their first 18 years of life? These experiences are called adverse childhood events (ACEs), and they are made up of 10 categories that fit under the broad domains of abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. The more of these categories experienced, the higher lifetime risk of complications from these illnesses; the life expectancy of individuals with six or more ACEs is 19 years shorter than that of individuals with none. This is why the California Surgeon General has made it a priority to start screening for ACEs during regular doctor appointments for both adults and children and then connecting identified Californians with the proper resources to lower their level of risk.

The screenings and two-hour training, including two CME or MOC credits, are all provided online for free. Once this training is completed, Medi-Cal Managed Care providers can be reimbursed for each screening done and can help their patients live longer, healthier lives. For more information, check out https://www.acesaware.org.