HCFC hosts multiple groups for community information session

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Houston County Family Connection hosted a variety of organizations during their community information session Monday, with featured presentations from Resilient Middle Georgia and Unite Us.

Amanda Juarez, project coordinator with Resilient Middle Georgia, said the organization was part of a statewide coalition of 123 local partners, covering areas surrounding 14 counties in Middle Georgia: Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington and Wilkinson.

“Part of my mission in this role is to definitely expand into the rural counties, because we do have a large focus in Bibb County, but we definitely want to reach out to the other counties and see what kind of services we can help provide,” Juarez said.

Some of the organization’s goals include educating the community on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and ways to mitigate those impacts by creating positive experiences for children.

They work alongside area organizations — such as Primary Pediatrics, Bibb County School District and Middle Georgia Regional Libraries to name a few — in order to make these groups more trauma-informed.

From examining 10 different types of household abuse, neglect or challenges during an ACEs study, Resilient Middle Georgia asked individuals if they experienced these types of events when they were under 18.

“There were 64% of Americans that reported experiencing at least one childhood adversity,” Juarez said. “ACEs negatively affect health and well-being, and they can change our lifespan.”

The original study had involved educated, middle-class Caucasian Americans, she added.

“When you take that into account and you think about the other communities, for instance, that have experienced more adversity, trauma or poverty, that number of 64% would be much higher,” Juarez said.

Around the state, three in five Georgians report they have experienced adversity, with 17% reporting four or more examples of ACEs.

Juarez added that when noting ACEs, preventing these scenarios can eliminate chronic conditions, health risks, behaviors and negative socioeconomic outcomes.

“By creating healthy communities and focusing on primary prevention, we can reduce the risks of ACEs and mitigate the impact for those affected,” Juarez said.

The following information is pulled from the 2022 Kids Count Data Book, offering some numbers relative to ACEs in Houston County:

– Children with a Substantial Incident of Child Abuse and/or Neglect (2020): 136; 3.3/1,000

– Children whose Parents Lack Secure Employment (2016-2020): 2,172; 5.9%

– Children Living in Poverty (2020): 6,298; 15.6%

– Families, with Children, with Annual Incomes of Less than 150% of the Federal Poverty Threshold (2016-2020): 4,761; 23.6%

– Crime Rate, Age 17 or Older, Violent Crime (2018): 783; 6.6/1,000

– Children Absent More than 15 Days from School (2021): 7,823; 25%

She said that it’s a good idea to analyze a person’s whole situation and experience — whether that’s a disruptive child in school or a patient considered difficult at a doctor’s office — because a shift in focus will benefit the entire community.

Resilient Middle Georgia’s evidence-based training is offered at no cost to the community and its organizations, coming in one, two and four-hour options.

Lacey Resch, community engagement manager with Unite Us — a coordinated care network of health and social service providers — said their team serves communities around the nation.

“A lot of people think of health care in a clinical setting, so your emergency departments, your FQHCs [Federally Qualified Health Centers] and your health departments — but we know that it really starts in the community,” Resch said. “It starts in our neighborhoods, it starts in our schools, it starts in our clubhouses where we have our resource fairs, it starts wherever people live their everyday lives.”

She said Unite Us specializes in the coordination of benefits, saving residents time and headache by making the health referral process more streamlined and personalized. In order to keep client data secure, Unite Us staff takes part in quarterly training.

Unite Us has partners in areas around the state, including Metro Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah, Macon-Houston County and more, with statewide goals in mind.

iHope, Inc., a recovery community organization in Middle Georgia, is hosting a rural recovery rally next Saturday, Jan. 21.

Walk and Talk with the Department of Public Health will be taking place at Memorial Park in Warner Robins on Saturday, Jan. 28.

“It’s a program [where] we show up, cover a different health program every month and that professional stays throughout the walk,” a health department representative said.

The Middle Georgia Community Action Agency currently holds funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and EFS emergency assistance.

New LIHEAP appointments are available every 15 days, and the next call-in date will take place Jan. 17. Call 1 (844) 588-1552 to arrange an appointment.

WorkSource Georgia is hosting a digital literacy program for people ages 50 and older, located at 400 Elberta Road this Thursday at 11 a.m. Also, the group will offer access to the Be Pro Be Proud interactive career information trailer at the Georgia National Fairgrounds on Jan. 17-20 from 2-4 p.m.

Reconciliation Movement, a nonprofit through Holistic Mental Wellness, started a program, Cause and Recovery, specializing in trauma response, recovery and prevention from violence, addiction and neglect in relation to trauma.

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