Resolution: S-20-1: ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES SCREENING

[Valerie Lile]

1  WHEREAS, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are cumulative potentially traumatic events that
2  occur in childhood (0-17 years), including experiencing or witnessing violence in the home or
3  community, having a family member attempt or die by suicide, or growing up in a household with
4  substance misuse, mental health problems, or instability due to parental separation or household
5  members being in jail or prison¹; and

6  WHEREAS, the ACEs can be accurately scored on a validated screening instrument in the primary
7  care setting²; and

8  WHEREAS, the ACEs score has been recognized through multiple agencies, including but not limited
9  to: Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy
10  of Family Medicine (AAFP), and the American Psychological Association (APA), as a strong predictor
11  of both medical and physical health outcomes, including but not limited to: risks of injury, sexually
12  transmitted infections, maternal and child health problems, teen pregnancy, involvement in sex
13  trafficking, and a wide range of chronic diseases, education and job opportunity losses, and leading
14  causes of death¹, ^3-6; and

15  WHEREAS, as of January 1, 2020, per the Surgeon General of California, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris,
16  the ACEs Aware Initiative in California has begun funding providers for ACEs Screening to improve
17  public health and address the state’s estimated $112.5 billion per year cost in health care expenditures
18  and disease burden as a result of ACEs-related premature death and years of productive life lost to
19  disability²; and

20  WHEREAS, preventing ACEs could potentially reduce many health conditions with economic and
21  social costs to families, communities, and society of hundreds of billions of dollars each year⁷; and now,
22  therefore, be it

23  RESOLVED, that the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) support and advocate for the
24  inclusion of an ACEs screening in establishing care visits with patients in primary care setting; and, be it
25  further

26  RESOLVED, that the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) recommends that the
27  American Osteopathic Association (AOA) support and advocate for the inclusion of an ACEs
28  screening in establishing care visits with patients in primary care settings.

References
1. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/aces/fastfact.html. Published December 31, 2019. Accessed February 10, 2020.
2. Miller TR, Waehrer GM, Oh DL, et al. Adult health burden and costs in California during 2013 associated with prior adverse childhood experiences. PLOS ONE. 2020;15(1):e0228019.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0228019
3. American Academy of Family Physicians. Adverse Childhood Experiences. cdc.gov.https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/adversechildhood-experiences.html. Published April 2, 2019. Accessed February 10, 2020.
4. Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998;14(4):245-258. doi:10.1016/s0749- 3797(98)00017-8
5. Portwood S. Adverse childhood experiences: Current research and practice applications. https://www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2018/11/adverse-experiences. Accessed February 10, 2020.
6. American Academy of Pediatrics. ACEs and Toxic Stress. AAP.org. http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/resilience/Pages/ACEs-and-Toxic-Stress.aspx. Published 2020. Accessed February 10, 2020.
7. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Leveraging the Best Available Evidence. 2019.

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Submitted by:
Emily Artz, OMS-II – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens Michelle Beeson, OMS-II – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens Joel Manzi, OMS-III – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Cleveland Josh Mohn, OMS-I – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens

Action Taken: [Leave Blank. Will be Approved by the House of Delegates or Not Approved.]
Date: [Leave Blank. Date submitted to National Vice President and the National Office.]
Effective Time Period: Ongoing

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