Prince George
County, VA

Crater Health District and Partners Host Summit on Adverse Childhood Experiences and Community Resilience

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2017
For More Information Contact
Tiffany Cox
Public Information Officer
Office: 804-862-8951
Cell: 804-704-7554
tiffany.cox@vdh.virginia.gov


CRATER HEATLH DISTRICT AND PARTNERS HOST SUMMIT ON ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

The Crater Health District of the Virginia Department of Health along with United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, The Cameron Foundation and the Petersburg Wellness Consortium have partnered to present a major summit entitled “Beyond Adverse Childhood Experiences: Building Community Resilience.”

The Summit will be held on Thursday, June 1st and Friday, June 2nd at Tabernacle Family Life Center at 444 Halifax Street, Petersburg, VA 23803. It ends with an at no cost community day on Saturday, June 3rd at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School located at 512 West Washington Street, Petersburg, VA 23803.

Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, can have a tremendous impact on health outcomes and opportunity. Thus, early experiences are an important public health issue. Much of the foundational research in this area has been referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The Summit partners invited a variety of participants including teachers, healthcare providers, social workers and community members to learn about ACEs and Trauma Informed Care (TIC). An understanding of ACEs and TIC can improve delivery of care, and help build resilience to prevent the negative impacts of ACEs.

“ACEs continue to have a significant impact on the health and well-being of our communities. The Beyond ACEs Summit is just one of the first steps of addressing this important public health issue. I encourage all community members, school staff members, law enforcement, social services, faith leaders, hospitals, etc. to attend this meaningful event” emphasizes Crater Health District Director Alton Hart, Jr., MD, MPH.

The Summit will host over 30 presenters to the area for three days of workshops. Some featured speakers include Jonathon Kozol, Dr. Marva Lewis, Dr. Allison Jackson, Reverend Paul Abernathy and Kwame Shaka Opare. Visual and performing arts were used as tools for building resilience within TIC. Petersburg students will showcase their talent during the Thursday and Friday evening Summit sessions, as well as the Saturday summit session, which are all open to the public free of charge.

Since mid-April, three artists have collaborated with area youth to teach them various art forms. Kwame Shaka Opare, Orisegun Bennett-Olomidun, and Danita Rountree Green will showcase their talents with youth from the community through dance, visual art and spoken word. On Friday, June 2nd, Mr. Bennett-Olomidun and community youth will unveil a sculpture at 5:30 pm with a drum call in front of the Petersburg Health Department at 301 Halifax Street. The Healing Our People Everyday (H.O.P.E.) Fest will immediately follow the unveiling. Participants can enjoy an evening of LIVE JAZZ and SELF CARE with a community awareness focus to help people rest, relax and recharge. The evening will feature live jazz with saxophonist James “Saxmo” Gates and other jazz greats. Food will be provided.

Saturday’s session focuses on Building a Trauma Resilient Community with a Faith Based Approach. The day will start with a community breakfast for registered participants. Highlighted talks include an overview of ACEs trauma and resilience and a faith-based panel discussion led by faith leaders. The Summit will close with a youth celebration!

Summit Costs:
The cost is $100 for two days (including meals) or $75 for either the Thursday, June 1st or Friday June 2nd summit days. Friday evening’s H.O.P.E. Fest and Saturday at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School is at no cost and open to anyone in attendance.

Volunteers
To volunteer for any of the summit days, please use the VA MRC link to register as a volunteer for the 2017 Beyond ACEs Summit - Help is needed!!! Upon Registering select Crater as your locality of interest. You may contact Katrina Broner at (804)862-8962 or katrina.broner@vdh.virginia.gov to volunteer as well. Volunteers will be notified via email/phone of the volunteer training dates that are scheduled for the week of May 22nd. The training dates are flexible!! Volunteers will not be able to attend the conference while volunteering. However, individuals can sign up to volunteer and also register to attend the conference while they are not on duty.

For more information about the Summit, including registering or volunteering, please visit craterhd.net, or call 804-863-1652.

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