OHIO — Last fall, Spectrum News explored the effects from adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, on Ohio’s kids. This story starts the second of the Building Resilient Communities series, which focuses on trauma informed care and how this approach to health and healing can help Ohioans from all walks of life. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mass shootings, pandemics and just the wear and tear of life can take a toll on overall health, and that makes trauma informed health care critical

  • Trauma informed care focuses on, "what happened to you?" which is different from traditional care, which usually asks, "what is wrong with you?"

  • Using a person’s perception of their experiences offers a way forward in trauma treatment

“Not everyone comes in screening positive for depression, or anxiety or suicidal thoughts, but we do know that most children living in Cleveland will have some adversity in their life," said psychologist Dr. Lisa Ramirez.

It was another day for Ramirez and her team at Metro Health’s mobile unit at Cleveland’s John Adams High School.

Over a dozen students a day came to the unit for various issues, both physical and emotional. Ramirez and her team want to be a step ahead of the trauma.

"‘It’s not always direct intervention, but we have relationships with schools where we’re doing prevention groups. We’re coming in, and we’re talking about mental health," Ramirez said.

Mass shootings, pandemics and just the wear and tear of life can take a toll on overall health, and that makes trauma informed health care critical.

Different from traditional health care, a trauma informed approach accounts for links between physical and emotional harm. Both have lasting impacts on people and communities. 

Katie Kurtz, a Cleveland mental health professional, said these effects are unique to each person.

“It’s the human response, not the event or the experience. And it can feel like too much, too fast, too soon, and overwhelm our bodies and is beyond our capacity to master at the time.” 

The key in trauma informed care is to ask “what happened to you?” Traditional health care focuses on “what’s wrong with you?” In this case, the trauma focus values the person’s experiences beyond what physical examinations alone will show.

The difference may sound minor, but it’s actually a major distinction. Trauma informed care requires understanding and appreciation of each patient’s experiences. 

It’s a logical approach for Kurtz.

“If we know that’s around us every day, and it’s within us ourselves, why wouldn’t we expand our knowledge to expand our empathy toward one another?" Kurtz explained.

Using a person’s perception of their experiences offers a way forward in trauma treatment. It also lays out a path to resilience to similar events people will face later. 

Trauma informed care focuses on everyone. This is why Cleveland is not alone in its efforts. Cincinnati’s 911 center is rolling out what it calls an alternative response to crisis. 

“People call us for help, and that can be any kind of help in any kind of situation," said 911 director Bill Vedra.

Vedra explained the city’s emergency response used to focus on police, fire and parking services.

“Emergency means different things to different people. Crisis means different things to different people, and at the end of the day when people have nowhere else to get help, they turn to 911," Vedra said.

Cincinnati’s alternate response pilot program has 911 operators assess a person’s emergency and determine whether it calls for a mental health clinician. These clinicians are better trained than other first responders to offer trauma informed care.

Both the Cleveland and Cincinnati programs demonstrate efforts in building resilient communities through something as simple as showing people concern for their experiences. As Ramirez reflects, “we get to come out and support the families and the students, and they know that no matter what they’re coming here and they feel valued.”