SR0099 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0099 LRB101 09347 MST 54443 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are traumatic experiences occurring during childhood that may have a profound effect on a child's developing brain and body and may result in poor health during the person's adulthood; ACEs can be physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect, and household dysfunction, such as domestic violence, separation or divorce involving household members, and substance abuse, untreated mental illness, or incarceration of a household member; and

WHEREAS, Research over the last two decades in the evolving fields of neuroscience, molecular biology, public health, genomics, and epigenetics reveals that experiences in the first few years of life build changes into the biology of the human body that, in turn, influence the person's physical and mental health over the person's lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Strong, frequent, or prolonged stress in childhood caused by adverse childhood experiences can become toxic stress, affecting the development of a child's fundamental brain architecture and stress response systems; and

WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experience studies have also found a strong correlation between the number of ACEs and a person's risk for disease and negative health behaviors, including suicide attempts, cancer, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, smoking, substance abuse, depression, obesity, unplanned pregnancies, workplace absenteeism, lower educational achievement, and lower wages; and

WHEREAS, Findings from the Illinois 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative found that almost 60% of non-institutionalized adults in Illinois say they had at least one ACE; this number equates to almost 5 million Illinois residents; 14.2% of Illinois adults reported four or more ACEs; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois 2013 BRFSS also found that approximately one in seven women and one in eight men reported experiencing four or more ACEs; and

WHEREAS, BRFSS data also showed that approximately 20% of African American and Hispanic adults in Illinois reported four or more ACEs, compared to 13% of non-Hispanic whites; and

WHEREAS, Individuals with six or more ACEs were found, on average, to live 20 years less than those individuals with zero ACEs; and

WHEREAS, Among those who misuse opioids, the individuals most likely to experience problems with addiction are those who suffered ACEs; general population surveys have estimated that 75% of individuals with substance use disorders have experienced trauma at some point in their lives; rates are even higher among populations seeking treatment for opioid addiction; and

WHEREAS, ACEs appear to be a root cause of many of our most challenging health and social problems, including smoking, substance abuse, obesity, heart disease, low birth weight, unemployment, depression, and suicide; without adequate family intervention and support, ACEs appear to be transmitted from one generation to the next, further exacerbating this problem; and

WHEREAS, It is more effective and less costly to positively influence the architecture of a young child's developing brain than to attempt to correct poor learning, health, and behaviors later in life; and

WHEREAS, Trauma-informed care is an approach that can bring greater understanding and more effective ways to prevent, identify, and support and serve children, adults, families, and communities affected by ACEs, trauma, adversity, and toxic stress; and

WHEREAS, Trauma-informed care is not a therapy or an intervention, but a principle-based, culture-change process aimed at recognizing strengths and resiliency as well as helping people who have experienced trauma to overcome those issues in order to lead healthy and positive lives; and

WHEREAS, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and many other agencies and organizations provide substantial resources to better engage individuals and communities across the United States in order to implement trauma-informed care; and

WHEREAS, A trauma-informed Illinois enhances the ability of children and adults to adapt, cope and thrive despite difficult times, supporting the mental well-being of everyone in our state; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that policy decisions enacted by the Illinois State Legislature should acknowledge and take into account the principles of early childhood brain development and should, whenever possible, consider the concepts of toxic stress, early adversity, and buffering relationships, and note the role of early intervention and investment in early childhood years as important strategies to achieve a lasting foundation for a more prosperous and sustainable State through investing in human capital; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we declare May 15, 2019 as Trauma-Informed Awareness Day in Illinois to highlight the impact of trauma and the importance of prevention and community resilience through trauma-informed care; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all officers, agencies and employees of the State of Illinois whose responsibilities impact children and adults, including the Office of the Governor, the State Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Corrections, to become informed regarding well-documented short-term, long-term and generational impacts of adverse childhood experiences, toxic stress and structural violence on children, adults and communities and to become aware of evidence-based and evidence-informed trauma-informed care practices, tools, and interventions that promote healing and resiliency in children, adults and communities so that people, systems and community, family and interpersonal relationships will be able to maximize their well-being; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Governor J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, House Majority Leader Greg Harris, Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, the Secretary of Human Services, the State Superintendent of Schools, and all directors of the above mentioned State departments.