In order to address the violence that continues to plague Chicago, we have to understand and tackle its root causes. There are many factors: poverty, struggling schools, unemployment, easy access to guns, economic disinvestment and a lack of opportunity.
But there are other key factors at the root of the issues Chicago’s children and families face today: trauma and toxic stress.
We’ve visited a heartbreaking number of classrooms in Chicago where nearly every hand goes up when students are asked if they know someone who has been shot or killed. A sibling, a classmate, a neighbor, an uncle.
OPINION
Our lives are intertwined. A single bullet can ripple through a family and a community, shattering the fragile sense of safety and security that many of us take for granted and leaving in its place grief and unimaginable loss and heartbreak.
For kids, whose brains are still developing and who have yet to build the resilience that could help them cope with such a tragedy, the cumulative effect of community violence can be catastrophic. The same is true for the daily stress of abuse or neglect at home, a parent battling addiction, or an incarceration or a deportation of a loved one, among many other factors.
As we search for solutions to counter the violence, we must deal, urgently, with its impact on these precious young minds.
The need in Chicago is staggering. A 2013 study conducted in the Chicago neighborhoods most impacted by violence found that nearly 9 out of 10 children ages 15 to 17 had been exposed to some form of violence.
One in three of those kids had lost a close friend or family member to violence and nearly one in five had witnessed a murder firsthand. When coupled with the fact that more than 75 percent of children in need of mental health services do not receive the appropriate care, it’s clear we have a problem to solve.
New scientific research and the cost of inaction make it clear how much is at stake. Experiencing repeated trauma not only leaves emotional scars that can last a lifetime, but literally alters a child’s brain chemistry. It can force children into constant “flight or fight mode,” which could lead to emotional development delays, poor school performance and a variety of chronic health conditions.
Children facing adversity can overcome these challenges to succeed and thrive. But all too often when left unaddressed, all of these factors can perpetuate the cycle of violence and poverty.
With the right care and support systems, we can help heal children who experience trauma and we can set them on the path for lifelong success. But today’s system shortchanges these kids, their families and our communities as a whole.
We’ll be introducing legislation this week to improve coordination and training to identify kids who have experienced trauma and provide them with immediate support. The Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act capitalizes on the amazing, innovative work being done in Chicago and across Illinois.
Our bill will help more children experience the benefits of curricula like Polaris Charter Academy’s, which goes beyond the books to teach kids resilience. It will promote in-school mental health services like Lurie Children’s Hospital’s Bounce Back program or Chicago Public Schools’ social worker training.
And we will share the best strategies to help strengthen families, such as through Family Focus’ home visiting programs or the Illinois Education Association’s efforts to build better partnerships between parents, students and school personnel.
The good news is that implementing these effective programs won’t break the bank either. Our bill ensures that strategies for identifying trauma and connecting kids with care are built into every major federal program that reaches Chicago’s youth: Head Start; formula funding for public schools; social services; health care; home visiting for parents; and child welfare funding, among others.
Adults who interact daily with children already have plenty on their plate, and it is our job to arm them with the right skills. The bill would better equip teachers and doctors to recognize the signs of trauma, weave this knowledge into their practice, and make the policy changes and workforce investments needed for them to provide the right help to those who need it.
To fully support our children, we also need to make sure they can get counseling when they need it. A combination of tight budgets, insurance barriers and stigma means accessing mental health care can be next to impossible in certain communities.
We know that students are 21 times more likely to visit school-based health centers than community-based centers. That tells us we need to bring care where our kids are.
Our bill works to solve these problems by expanding Medicaid coverage of trauma services to more schools and more clinicians. We invest in education and training to bring more health professionals to our neighborhoods and we enlist community leaders — like mentors from the YMCA’s Urban Warriors program or faith leaders at Bright Star Church — to help play a role in healing.
Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” We agree. We’ve seen how resilient our kids can be in the face of trauma and adversity.
We must start early and build stable, nurturing environments to support our children and strengthen our communities. Our bill will do just that, and we’ll work to see it through.
Dick Durbin, a Democrat, is the senior U.S. senator from Illinois. Danny Davis, also a Democrat, serves the 7th Congressional District that includes Chicago.
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