LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Family Resource Center has received $50,000 in grant funds from the Office of the California Surgeon General and the Department of Health Care Services to participate in the state’s Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, Aware initiative.

ACEs Aware seeks to change and save lives by helping Medi-Cal providers understand the importance of screening for adverse childhood experiences and training them to respond with trauma-informed care.

A total of $14.3 million was awarded to 100 organizations throughout the state to extend the
reach and impact of the ACEs Aware initiative.

The ACEs Aware grants provide funding to design and implement training, provider engagement, and education activities for providers and organizations that serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Lake Family Resource Center applied for the grant funding prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, it has embraced diverse virtual platforms such as email, YouTube, podcasts, web series and radio to promote the ACEs Aware initiative among the Medi-Cal provider community in Lake County.

“We look forward to utilizing old and new virtual platforms to better connect with local providers and serve our community,” said Lake Family Resource Center Director of Behavioral Health Jennifer Nielson.

“This work is critical, now more than ever, given the stress so many Californians are experiencing as a result of COVID-19 and the role of racial injustice as a risk factor for toxic stress,” said California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. “A trauma-informed health care workforce is vital for helping our state heal.”

The grant funding will provide critical support to community organizations serving Medi-Cal providers and beneficiaries, which have been experiencing increased stress during the COVID-19 emergency.

Grant activities will augment California’s efforts, underway since the summer of 2019, to develop provider training and engage providers, including the promotion of payments to MediCal providers for screening their patients for ACEs.

Added Dr. Karen Mark, Department of Health Care Services, or DHCS, medical director, “DHCS is committed to preserving and improving the overall health and well-being of all Californians.
The ACEs Aware initiative is a vital part of the Medi-Cal program’s response to the COVID-19 emergency. These grants will help us reach Medi-Cal providers who serve diverse and often at-risk populations throughout the state, and will help to ensure that Medi-Cal members receive the high-quality, integrated care that every Californian deserves.”

The full list of ACEs Aware grantees is available on the ACEs Aware website.