First 5 LA would like to acknowledge the Trauma-Informed Care workgroup’s support for this feature in Hoy Los Angeles, the LA Times’ Spanish language newspaper.
Originally penned by Selene Rivera, translated and reprinted with permission.
Maria
C. had just given birth to her daughter three months before, but instead of
being happy, optimistic and energized, like her family thought she would be,
this woman had suicidal thoughts.
Maria, who
is not revealing her identity, was diagnosed with post-partum depression.
She was
supposed to be taking care of her baby and her other children ages 14, 10 and 4,
as well as her nephews that a sister had asked her to care for, ages 12 and
five.
With so
much to do at home, Maria did not provide the needed care and attention to each
one of her children or nephews. Often the children would see her tired, crying
or with financial problems, because her husband could not find a job.
According
to some experts, thousands of adults just like Maria, are facing emotional
problems that can have a traumatic impact on their children. Experts also state
that all of these issues may get to the point of preventing a healthy
development of the minors.
To help
the community with this problem, a coalition in Los Angeles County, led in part
by First 5 LA, is developing a plan with the purpose of understanding and analyzing
the repercussions of childhood trauma, given the fact that research shows that
80% of the children’s brain development happens before the age of three.
“Through this evaluation, we can
recommend a treatment for mental health, educating the parents and other
support services to help build healthier families.” —Elisa Nicholas, Pediatrician and Executive Director
of The Children’s Hospital.
This comprehensive
effort will recommend practices to be followed within the systems that offer
public services in the Los Angeles County, to benefit families, according to
the coalition of health and education experts.
Unexpected
help
Maria
declares that for her, fortunately help came just on time. During a routine checkup
for her baby at The Children’s Clinic in Long Beach, she received a
questionnaire concerning physical and mental health.
“They
told me that I was suffering from post-partum depression. The experts not only
asked questions about how I was feeling, but also about what was the situation
at my home and how they could help me” says Maria.
Through
the clinic, this 35 years old woman received not only therapy, but also
clothing, diapers and a baby carrier to replace the “rebozo wrap” that she had
been using to carry her baby, as well as other essential items.
A year
and a half after her diagnosis, Maria declares: “If it had not been for the
help I got, I don’t know what would have happened with me or my family”.
The
importance of getting to the root of the problem
Elisa
Nicholas, Pediatrician and Executive Director of The Children’s Hospital,
maintains that the key to helping children is by helping their parents.
“With
almost two thirds of Californians having survived some type of significant
trauma, and another 25% with three or more emotional issues in their lives, childhood
trauma is perhaps the biggest crisis in public health,” declared Nicholas.
“Through
this evaluation, we can recommend treatment for mental health, education for
parents and other support services to create healthier families,” added
Nicholas.
According
to the pediatrician, if every family with emotional problems could have access
to this kind of comprehensive care, the future of many minors would change.
The
effort
Together
with First 5 LA, the California Community Foundation, the California Endowment
and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, as well as other well known organizations
within the health and education community, all are part of the effort to get to
the root of the problems that parents are facing, to be able to help children.
This
plan is crucial for the children and their education, declared Pía Escudero, Director
of Mental Health and Crisis Services Advisor for the Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD).
“We
have decided to be part of the effort to be better informed. Trauma prevails in
all cultures and socioeconomic levels. Children arrive at our classrooms to
learn, carrying those traumatic burdens, and that is why many of them have very
little opportunity to achieve success,” declared Escudero.
In the
district of Los Angeles, the expert affirms, nearly 1,500 students receive some
form of service every year.
Additionally, Kim Belshé,
Executive Director of First 5 LA, asserted that, “Childhood trauma
is a serious health concern affecting many children and families. A young child
living through a difficult home situation may be unable to express their fears
and feelings clearly. We must speak for them. By using a trauma informed
approach in our work with County residents, we can help minimize the impact of
trauma and give families the opportunity to reverse its harmful impact on our
youngest children.”
Before delivering their
recommendations, the coalition’s work will happen over the next coming months from
July through December. The goal will
then be to implement this work through public services that care for parents
and their children, such as non-profit organizations, hospitals and schools.
The results of these findings will be
revealed in early 2017.
