Children who witness or are victims of physical and sexual abuse often suffer from these traumatic events. But more common things such as divorce; the absence of a parent for any reason; food insecurity; not having clean clothes for school or living in a home where there’s visible adult concern about making ends meet — all of these can harm a child’s well-being — as youngsters and adults.
That’s why a taskforce has teamed with the health department and added a webpage to the Healthy Humans Hendry-Glades website to specifically address adverse childhood experiences and where to find help.
Clewiston mental health counselor Heidi Jameson said addressing trauma in childhood is crucial.
“I have clients in their 60s, 70s, and one even in their 80s, that are still affected by these things that happen to us as children. These are traumas that we carry throughout our lifetime,” she said. “And we have increased risk of things like diabetes; obesity; risky sexual behaviors; substance abuse and poor mental health — all of these things. And if we can improve the experiences of our community's children now, it can prevent them from needing additional services later on.”
The Healthy Human Hendry-Glades website was created to help families in rural communities connect with providers and resources, though the website is full of information that people from other counties can find beneficial.
There’s a listing of up-coming educational events, medical screening and social services as well.
To learn more about understanding adverse childhood experiences as well as numerous medical and mental health topics go to Healthy Human Hendry-Glades website at https://healthierhendryglades.org
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