CCC&Y, Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff continue to make progress meeting the goals of “The Reimagine Community Project,” a mental model change program ensuring trauma-informed and resilience information is understood at the City and County levels and enacted as policy change.
CCC&Y was one of four organizations in Arizona to be selected in April 2023 for the Vitalyst Health Foundation’s System Change Grant. The goal of the project is to improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, health outcomes and provider and staff wellness.
During a Zoom presentation in December 2023, CCC&Y Executive Director Virginia Watahomigie presented a draft webinar presentation for city leaders to receive feedback.
The webinar included an overview of “The 10 ACES,” (Adverse Childhood Experiences),” and how the effects of childhood trauma adversely affects individuals in their adult lives. Those 10 ACES include — physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, mental illness, divorce, substance abuse, violence against mother, having a relative who has been sent to jail or prison.
By understanding how both ACES and ongoing stress affect individuals, including oneself, the training is expected to improve customer service for community members and self-care and support to County and City employees.
Often, those employees can end up on the front lines of a person’s worst day. This training by CCC&Y is designed to help identify how trauma and stress impact the biological system and create empathy and understanding for all parties involved.
The next steps for the project include creating trainings that include feedback and suggestions from the December meeting. Full rollout to all employees is expected early in 2024.
