News

On July 11, Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, convened a hearing entitled “Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Childhood Trauma: A Pervasive Public Health Issue that Needs Greater Federal Attention.”

About

Convening to hear directly from trauma survivors, public health experts, and government officials, the hearing examined the long-term consequences of childhood trauma and the insufficiency of the federal response to this urgent public health issue. The Committee on Oversight and Reform provided the following background information:

• • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente conducted a landmark study that found adults who had suffered “adverse childhood experiences” were at much higher risk for leading causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and suicide.
• • Extensive research demonstrates that exposure to community violence, homelessness, unsafe neighborhoods, bullying, racial and ethnic discrimination, income insecurity, natural disasters, intergenerational trauma, or historical trauma also increases the likelihood of negative health outcomes.
• • The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report on Children Affected by Trauma that reviewed the various approaches and challenges to supporting children affected by trauma in six states. GAO found that “Trauma is a widespread, harmful, and costly public health problem, and is especially detrimental to children.”

Key Takeaways

The hearing included the following key takeaways:

• • Childhood trauma is a pervasive public health issue with long-term negative effects that cost the United Stated billions of dollars.
• • Congress recently passed legislation that recognizes the severe consequences of childhood trauma, but current programs and initiatives are insufficient to address this public health issue.
• • Some states and localities are implementing promising programs to help prevent and treat childhood trauma that can inform federal solutions, but they are facing resource constraints that limit their ability to do so.
• • The United States needs a comprehensive federal approach that recognizes the severe impact of childhood trauma and prioritizes prevention and treatment.

*Information provided by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform