With all that is transpiring in our world lately, it is easy to lose sight of the tremendous positive progress made in the movement to engender a more trauma-informed America. Even though the Campaign is new, because of the wonderful work you do as members of the National Trauma Campaign’s network, it is already making an impact!
Thank you to those who organized around and advocated for CARES Act funding to be used in your states to advance trauma-informed approaches. In the face of unprecedented circumstances, we are finding that legislators and stakeholders are more open than ever before to learning about trauma.
Case in point: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that the state will become trauma-informed and other states are making similar progress. Your education and advocacy efforts continue to help decision-makers understand the impact of trauma and what measures can be taken to foster individual and collective resilience, healing, and growth as our country continues to navigate myriad challenges.
The Senate version of the CARES Act is expected in early July and it is anticipated that Congress aims to have a final bill to the President’s desk no later than early August. To sustain the momentum toward trauma-informed systems change, your engagement as a constituent will be needed! The Campaign Core Team will review the bill, devise and share calls to action, and connect with you to inform your advocacy efforts and clarify where funding can be directed to trauma-informed approaches. We are hopeful that there will be legislative provisions that make resources available for education and juvenile justice systems to become trauma-informed, and that there will be similar opportunities in other sectors as well.