Skip to content
Help support CapRadio’s local public service mission 
and enrich the lives in your community.
Support local nonprofit public media.
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Health Care
  •  

California Is Giving Doctors Incentives To Ask Patients About Childhood Trauma

  •  Sammy Caiola 
Monday, December 9, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

California's first surgeon general, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, launched a statewide listening tour at the Fruit Ridge Community Collaborative in South Sacramento on April 2.

Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

California health officials want children and adults on Medi-Cal to get screened for traumatic childhood events that can cause negative health effects down the line. Now the state has started giving doctors and nurses tools to do the screenings. 

People who experience adversity early in life have much higher chances of substance abuse, depression, or chronic diseases than their peers, according to national research. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2019 budget included more than $40 million to reimburse doctors who can screen Medi-Cal patients for certain traumatic events, known as “adverse childhood experiences,” or ACEs. Examples include physical and verbal abuse, emotional neglect, or having a family member who is mentally ill, addicted or incarcerated. 

The goal is for providers to figure out a patient’s ACEs score and create a treatment plan accordingly.

Primary care providers can start screening people and billing Medi-Cal for the service starting Jan. 1 if they take a two-hour training course released by the state last week. They must take the course by July 1, 2020 in order to be eligible for a reimbursement of $29 per screening.

California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris said the state wants to incentivize doctors to screen patients for traumatic events.

“Individuals who’ve been exposed to adversity, often times it’s not identified,” she said. “And that means that biological process, particularly that overactive stress response, may be ongoing in a way that can be harming health.”

She said doctors who spot ACEs early can make recommendations for sleep, exercise, nutrition and healthy relationships, but only if they’re aware of a patient’s history.  

A major study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente found that people who experience four or more ACEs are twice as likely to be smokers and seven times more likely to develop an alcohol addiction than people with no exposure to ACEs. The CDC estimates that preventing ACEs could substantially reduce national rates of obesity, heart disease, asthma and other conditions. 

Anna Martin, a nurse in a UC San Diego neurological unit, said she went through nursing school with the goal of integrating a patient’s mental health history and social circumstances into their treatment plan. 

She took the state’s new training and said it has the potential to help providers across the board better connect with patients. 

“It creates a trauma-sensitive staff,” she said. “By being aware of the problem, it increases our compassion and our empathy.”

She feels asking about a patient’s trauma is just as important as asking about their family’s disease history.

“It’s about making the right referrals, it’s about integrating physical activity,” she said. “It just means we’re going to keep our eyes open for certain other chronic health conditions that could come up in the future.”

The state will reimburse doctors for once-a-year screenings of children on Medi-Cal, and once-a-lifetime screenings of adults, according to the California Surgeon General’s office. 

The curriculum roll-out this month is just the first phase of a larger effort to educate primary care providers about the importance of screening for trauma, Burke Harris said. California’s push is part of a broader national shift to incorporate trauma-informed care into doctor’s offices and schools.

Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    How Governor Gavin Newsom’s Plan To Identify Early Childhood Trauma In Kids Might Make Healthier, Smarter Students

    Monday, January 14, 2019
    Teachers and medical professionals say screenings could improve academic performance and prevent chronic illness down the line.

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Sammy Caiola

Former Healthcare Reporter

Sammy Caiola has been covering medical breakthroughs, fitness fads and health policy in California since 2014. Before joining CapRadio, Sammy was a health reporter at The Sacramento Bee.  Read Full Bio 

 @sammycaiola Email Sammy Caiola

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Health Care Stories

Damian Dovarganes/AP

California enters a contract to make its own affordable insulin

March 20, 2023

Heidi de Marco / KHN

Prescription for housing? California wants Medicaid to cover 6 months of rent

March 22, 2023

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

March 17, 2023

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: New COVID-19 origins point to raccoon dogs in China market

California coronavirus updates: Second round of Sacramento’s universal basic income program funded in part through COVID-19 relief budget

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Black community members discuss Sacramento schools’ approach to race-related incidents

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: New COVID-19 origins point to raccoon dogs in China market

California coronavirus updates: Second round of Sacramento’s universal basic income program funded in part through COVID-19 relief budget

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Black community members discuss Sacramento schools’ approach to race-related incidents

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a Tip / Story Idea
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.