HHS to Establish Centers To Treat Childhood Trauma

Lessons learned after previous traumatic events suggest that children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to trauma, whether the source is a terrorist attack, the death of a loved one, or physical abuse.

To provide federal support for the treatment of the consequences of child trauma, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched the Child Traumatic Stress Initiative in October. It seeks to broaden community services for children affected by trauma and further the understanding of research and clinical issues related to trauma in children.

Children who are abused, witness family violence, lose a family member, experience serious medical problems, or endure natural- and human-caused disasters will benefit from the initiative, HHS believes.

“The attacks of September 11 remind us how essential these programs are to help our children deal physically and emotionally with traumatic events,” HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said in an October press release announcing the initiative. “We are committed to substantially improving mental health services for children and adolescents and supporting the valuable services provided by” the programs receiving the initial HHS grants, he said.

Recipients of the funds, which come from HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will establish centers to treat children who have experienced trauma, collect clinical data on child trauma cases, and develop education-oriented materials for health professionals, children, and the public.

The largest proportion of the funding, ($3,063,132) will go to the University of California at Los Angeles–Duke National Center for Traumatic Stress in Los Angeles. This center will use the funds to establish the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, which will coordinate the national effort to increase services and raise the standard of care for traumatized children, adolescents, and their families.

The remainder of the funds will be used to establish a number of treatment centers and community service centers across the country. These include the following:

• Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine

• The Early Trauma Treatment Network at the University of California, San Francisco

• Northshore University Hospital, Long Island, N.Y.

• Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

• Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, Pittsburgh

• Miller Children’s Hospital Abuse and Violence Intervention Center, Long Beach, Calif.

• Center for Multicultural Human Services, Falls Church, Va.

• Children’s Institute International, Los Angeles

• Arbour Health Systems, Boston

• Aurora Mental Health Center, Aurora, Colo.

• University of Missouri–Kansas City

• Mental Health Corporation of Denver

• Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center, New York City

• New Mexico Alliance for Children With Traumatic Stress, Santa Fe

• Northwest Ohio Child Trauma Community Practice Center, Toledo, Ohio

• Intermountain Health Care, Salt Lake City

• Safe Horizon at St. Vincent’s Child Trauma Center, New York City ▪