A group in Georgia is working to equip people and organizations to combat what are known as Adverse Childhood Experiences, the traumatic events in a child's life that can affect them into adulthood.

They include violence, abuse and growing up in a household with mental health or substance abuse issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports they cause toxic stress, which can alter brain development and lead to chronic health problems.

Teresa Raetz, chief operating officer of the Gwinnett Coalition, said her group's Resilient Gwinnett initiative zeros in on specific groups to promote safe and stable home environments, to keep Adverse Childhood Experiences from being passed to future generations.

"It's not just something bad that happened when someone was five or six, or whatever age," Raetz pointed out. "We want people to understand that the body keeps a record of what happens, and it can have lifelong impacts. So, healing that trauma is really critical in order to mitigate those health consequences."

She noted Resilient Gwinnett provides community organizations and individuals with training on how to better understand trauma and resilience, and increase awareness of child sexual abuse, mental health first aid, and suicide prevention. According to the CDC, 61% of adults weathered at least one major trauma as kids, and 16% experienced four or more.

Raetz emphasized while such events can affect anyone, there are factors which can put some individuals and communities at higher risk, and stressed it is important to bring resources directly to those who may be most vulnerable.

"Poverty is a significant factor in creating Adverse Childhood Experiences, and so, we are able -- through our data partner -- to take a look at the different population statistics and different indicators, and see where there are some neighborhoods and areas where the risk of ACEs is higher," Raetz said.

She added Resilient Gwinnett tackles the problems as community issues rather than individual concerns, and with proper resources, addressing them early, they can foster more resilient communities.

Mental health experts have released a checklist for parents of students headed back to school in Montana.

Research shows kids who need services are often go without and substance abuse and mental health experts say half of students who are clinically depressed are not getting the mental health care they need.

Caitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy for the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable, said it is important services are available to students as they return to school.

"They help improve access to care and are really one of the most effective tools we have to help
improve children's mental health well-being," Hochul explained. "We are reaching kids where they spend most of their time, and that is in schools. "

The U.S. Department of Education said young people who get school-based services are six times more likely to complete treatment than those who get their services in community settings. A program at Montana State University has shown success in reducing the teen suicide rate by increasing mental health literacy among young students.

Hochul pointed out research showed increasing mental health literacy decreases symptoms of depression, and noted there are several steps to achieving the goal.

"One is making sure that kids understand what brain health is, what mental health is, similar to physical health education," Hochul outlined. "Then there's also training up staff and teachers, too, so they're understanding warning signs and can help with suicide prevention and substance use disorder prevention."

Hochul added regular mental health check-ins with kids, even if they are just informal, can help identify students who may need support.

Between 2016 and 2023, more than 14,000 Missourians died from drug overdoses, making it the leading cause of death for adults aged 18-44 in the state.

Many drug-abuse prevention organizations across Missouri concur syringe service programs reduce the devastating effect abuse has on the community by providing clean, sterile needles to people who inject drugs, in exchange for used ones.

Marietta Hagan, substance abuse initiative project coordinator for CoxHealth, has worked in substance abuse prevention for eight years, primarily in Stone and Taney counties. She is a strong advocate for the syringe programs in Missouri and talked about the roadblock organizations such as hers face.

"Syringe access programs are not allowed and that is because Missouri drug-paraphernalia laws include sterile syringes as drug paraphernalia," Hagan explained. "Organizations are not allowed to hand them out to people and people who use drugs are not allowed to have them on them."

Studies showed the programs can decrease the incidence of hepatitis C and HIV infections by up to 50% among those who participate.

Research also found syringe service programs are economically beneficial, saving more than $75 million in lifetime HIV treatment costs with an annual investment of just $10 million. Hagan pointed out beyond providing sterile syringes, the programs offer vital resources, including safe drug use information and connections to treatment services for people who need help.

"What they found in global research studies is that people who utilize the syringe access programs, they are five times more likely to enter treatment and three times more likely to stop using drugs altogether," Hagan reported.

A legislative task force meets monthly at the Missouri state Capitol to discuss ways to reduce substance abuse in the state.


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The Coach Beyond program, started by Ohio State University's Life Sports, is making waves across Ohio by helping coaches address more than just the athletic performance of their players.

This week, an upcoming Youth Sports Summit will highlight the importance of the program in fostering mental health and positive team environments.

Samantha Bates, Director of Research for LiFEsports at Ohio State, emphasized how the initiative is equipping coaches with essential skills.

"Coach Beyond has trained 20,000 coaches in the state of Ohio, first on mental health and second, really sport-based positive youth development," Bates outlined. "Things like how to foster a positive team environment, how to develop yourself as a leader, how to ask for support, working with coaches to help make sport a place for kids to kind of go beyond."

The program aims to reshape the role of coaches, encouraging them to take an active part in the emotional and psychological well-being of their players. This holistic approach is particularly relevant in today's competitive sports environment, where athletes often face intense pressure.

Bates noted a grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has allowed the training to be available for free for coaches in any youth sport system in Ohio such as through Parks and Rec, YMCA and other clubs.

Joe Roberts, athletic director for Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, shared his firsthand experience with the program's effect on student athletes, recounting a specific instance where Coach Beyond brought new perspectives into his school, leading to meaningful changes in its athletic culture.

"Listening to how our student athletes want more connection and less pressure meant so much to me," Roberts explained. "Because it brought back the essence of what high school sports are about."

Randy Tevepaugh, athletic administrator and coach at Streetsboro High School who has gone through the program, noted how the training sessions have provided him with new tools to create a more supportive environment for his team. He said the significant role the strategies play in developing not only better athletes but better people.

"I learned about some things that I didn't know about the coaches, some things that they had gone through with kids that thought about suicide and had some emotional things going on, that our coaches handled," Tevepaugh recounted. "From our student athlete perspective, when they're doing some of the interaction part of the program, it made a big difference."

As the upcoming event approaches, the Coach Beyond program continues to gain traction, with more schools across Ohio taking part. The initiative may mark a shift in how sports programs address the mental health needs of young athletes. As more coaches are trained to look beyond the game, the long-term effect on student athletes could redefine the landscape of high school sports across the state.