Download May 1, 2017 By E-MAIL The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp, The

May 1, 2017
By E-MAIL
The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp,
The Honorable Richard Durbin,
The Honorable Al Franken and
The Honorable Cory Booker
United States Senate
The Honorable Danny K. Davis
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senators Heitkamp, Durbin, Franken, Booker and Rep. Davis:
Thank you for introducing the Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S.
774, H. R. 1757). The undersigned organizations strongly endorse the bill and urge
deliberate and immediate congressional approval. If enacted, the bill has the potential
to improve the lives of millions of young people in measureable ways, while at the same
time reduce the financial burden and other costs to society caused by trauma. By
reducing childhood adversity, individuals will live longer and lead more productive lives.
Furthermore, through the bill, there is the potential for saving billions of dollars that
Congress now appropriates to address the symptoms rather than the causes of these
problems, many being rooted in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Over the last two decades, brain scientists have made dramatic discoveries about the
way adversity, particularly during early childhood, can cause changes in the brain that
reduce a child’s ability to concentrate, learn, and generally thrive. While scientists have
shown the powerful correlation between those changes and many of the health and
social problems experienced by individuals—substance abuse, youth suicide, domestic
violence, obesity, and diabetes and other health conditions—governments have been
slow in applying these discoveries in neuroscience to social, educational, law
enforcement and health policy.
The Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act is the first comprehensive
piece of legislation introduced in Congress that seeks to infuse brain science into
government policies and programs. First, the bill will direct Federal agencies to identify
and disseminate best practices for trauma-informed interventions. It will also develop
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the workforce needed to provide trauma-informed practices, including training for
police and teachers—two professions that have frequent and influential interactions
with traumatized youth. It will expand data collection to improve the understanding of
trauma, expand treatment capacity through a Medicaid pilot program, provide funding
for trauma-informed programs in communities hard hit by the effects of childhood
trauma, such as Native American and inner city communities, and authorize a pilot
program to break down silos between Federal funding programs by permitting local
communities to pool funding from different Federal grants in order to implement a
comprehensive trauma-informed program.
The organizations listed below are available to assist you in any way we can to promote
knowledge about trauma and to encourage Congress to enact the Trauma-Informed
Care for Children and Families Act.
ORGANIZATIONS:
The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice
The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities
Peace 4 Tarpon Trauma-Informed Community Initiative
United Way Worldwide
National Association of School Psychologists
Alaska Children’s Trust
Center for Gender and Justice
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
The Roundtable on Native American Trauma-Informed Initiatives
National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
Ozark Center, Joplin Mo.
Institute for Educational Leadership
Coalition for Community Schools
Georgia Advocacy Office
Mental Health America
Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
Children Services Council of Palm Beach County
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Center for the Study of Social Policy
The Village, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jacksonville Children’s Commission
National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
Sumner Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the George Washington
University
Florida Children’s Council
Florida Children’s Services Council
American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Art Therapy Association
American Counseling Association
American Dance Therapy Association
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychological Association
Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare
Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice
National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
National Association of School Psychologists
National Council for Behavioral Health
Sandy Hook Promise
School Social Work Association of America
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals
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Forum for Youth Investment
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