Since launching the ACEs Aware initiative in December 2019, more than 15,500 providers have taken the training. About 9,100 Medi-Cal providers in California have attested to completing the training and are receiving Medi-Cal payment for conducting qualified ACE screenings.

Medi-Cal providers – primarily pediatric, family medicine, and internal medicine physicians – have conducted over 155,000 ACE screenings of more than 130,000 unique Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Of the unique beneficiaries screened, 6 percent had an ACE score of four or greater, indicating a high risk for toxic stress.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to underscore the need to provide California communities with trauma-informed networks of care to mitigate the negative health impacts of ACEs and toxic stress. ACEs Aware has been an integral part of the Medi-Cal program’s response to COVID-19, helping providers identify, treat, and prevent the secondary health effects associated with stress caused by the pandemic.

ACEs Aware supports providers and patients to manage stress and the secondary health effects of COVID-19 with trauma-informed care resources and educational events. In addition, ACEs Aware is supporting the growth of trauma-informed networks of care to engage health care providers, clinics, community-based organizations, and social service agencies to grow cross-sector networks of care that support children, adults, and families in effectively mitigating the impact of ACEs and toxic stress.