Garrett County Trauma-Informed Care Summit Scheduled in August

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

The Garrett County Health Department is hosting a Trauma-Informed Care Summit on August 10^th and 11^th at the Wisp Conference Room. The Summit will run from 8 am- 4 pm each day.

This two-day event is designed to help attendees better understand those who have been impacted by trauma and adverse childhood experiences through presentations, workshops and simulations.

Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event such as an accident, child abuse, rape, domestic violence or a natural disaster. Long term reactions could include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks and strained relationships.

Trauma-informed care seeks to:

Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths for recovery;
Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in patients, families, and staff;
Integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and
Actively avoid re-traumatization.

The Summit Keynote speaker is Tonier Cain, who will talk about trauma and recovery. Tonier is a trauma survivor who has shared her experiences all over the word, and to all 50 states, to raise awareness of how trauma can present itself and to share the ever-changing best practices with individuals, agencies, businesses, and care givers.

Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” This approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective health care services with a healing orientation. Adopting trauma-informed practices can potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, as well as provider and staff wellness. It can also help reduce avoidable care and excess costs for both the health care and social service sectors.

Workshop titles include:

Bridges Out of Poverty
Mindfulness
Incorporating Trauma- and Asset-Informed Practices into the Care of Our Communities
Poverty Simulation
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

This training qualifies for 6.5 social work CEU’s per day, for a total of 13 hours of Category 1 continuing education units sponsored by AHEC West and authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland.

The training is free of charge for attendees and lunch will be provided.

To register visit forms.gle/5m9LR6WouoqvaAeJ8 or call the Garrett County Health Department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111. The registration deadline is July 8^th.

This event is provided by the Garrett County Health Department with funds from HRSA and the Garrett County Local Behavioral Health Authority/Local Management Board.