Michigan Association of Health Plans
Become A Member
Written on October 5, 2020

MPHI Center for Strategic Health Partnerships receives Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Data to Action grant

The CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention awarded MPHI’s Center for Strategic Health Partnerships (CSHP) the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Data to Action grant. MPHI’s Center for Strategic Health Partnerships was one of four recipients, along with the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The Michigan ACE Initiative is focused on raising awareness about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and developing trauma-informed, healing organizations and communities across the state.

“By building diverse, multi-stakeholder partnerships to identify barriers and develop solutions to overcome them, my team consistently implements effective strategies that are readily adopted into practice” said Dr. Mathew J. Edick, PhD, Director of MPHI’s Center for Strategic Health Partnerships. “While our work typically focuses on individual health conditions, our work in ACEs is pervasive across all communities and has the potential for significant generational impact on the health of communities across the state.”

MPHI’s Center for Strategic Health Partnerships is focused on increasing access to healthcare and improving health outcomes for medically underserved communities.

ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years-old). ACEs are linked to chronic physical and mental health problems, future violence victimization and reduced life opportunities. Examples of ACEs include experiencing neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, and having a family member attempt or die by suicide.

Examples of ACEs also include aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with substance misuse, mental health problems, instability due to parental separation, or household members being in jail or prison.

“Preventing ACEs in children is an important strategy that can thwart health complications across their lifespan,” said Dr. Renée Branch Canady, Chief Executive Officer of MPHI. “With this grant, the Center for Strategic Health Partnerships will advance impactful and vital work to make Michigan communities safer and healthier for families across the state.”

Recipients of the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Data to Action grant will

  • Enhance or build the infrastructure for the state-representative collection, analysis, and application of ACE-related surveillance data that can be used to inform and tailor ACE prevention activity.
  • Implement strategies based on the best available evidence to prevent ACEs.Conduct data to action activities to continue to assess state-wide surveillance and primary prevention needs and make needed modifications.

Recipients will focus on the implementation of at least two designated strategies derived from CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention’s (DVP) resource, Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the Best Available Evidence. In these endeavors, recipients will be expected to leverage multi-sector partnerships and resources in order to improve ACEs surveillance infrastructures and to coordinate and implement ACEs prevention strategies.

CSHP is partnering with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan ACE Initiative, Central Michigan University, and the Children’s Trust fund to develop and implement this work and has the support of more than 50 additional organization across the state. As a result, organizations across the state will better understand the burden of ACEs in their communities and engage in strategies that will prevent ACES from occurring, in order to help to promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments where children live, learn and play.

To learn more about the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Data to Action grant visit
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/fundedprograms/preventing-adverse-childhood-experiences/. To learn more about the Center for Strategic Health visit https://www.mphi.org/our-teams/center-for-strategic-health-partnerships/.