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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Building an Illinois that can thrive now and in
3the future requires a steady commitment to supporting the
4physical, mental, and emotional well-being of all of the
5State's residents; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Equitable strategies are needed to ensure that
7all residents have the supports at home and in their
8communities that build a well-being, buffer against negative
9experiences, foster resilience, and make it possible to
10thrive; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Trauma, which may include adverse childhood
12experiences and other experiences across the life-course,
13disrupts health and well-being, making it more difficult for
14people to reach their potential and participate fully in their
15communities; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
17Study identified a profound connection between poor health
18during a person's adulthood and ACEs, which include physical,
19emotional, and sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect,
20and household stressors such as domestic violence, separation
21or divorce involving household members, substance abuse,
22untreated mental illness, or incarceration of a household

 

 

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1member; and
 
2    WHEREAS, ACEs studies have also found a strong correlation
3between the number of ACEs and a person's risk for health and
4social outcomes that include cancer, cardiovascular disease,
5diabetes, smoking, substance abuse, depression, obesity,
6unplanned pregnancies, low birth weight, suicide attempts,
7workplace absenteeism, unemployment, lower educational
8achievement, and lower wages; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Individuals with six or more ACEs are at risk, on
10average, to live 20 years less than those individuals with
11zero ACEs; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Findings from the Illinois 2017 Behavioral Risk
13Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) Illinois ACEs Response
14Collaborative found that almost 60% of non-institutionalized
15adults in Illinois say they had at least one ACE; this number
16equates to almost five million Illinois residents;
17approximately 16% of Illinois adults reported four or more
18ACEs; and
 
19    WHEREAS, BRFSS data also showed that approximately 20% of
20African American adults in Illinois report four or more ACEs,
21compared to 15% of white residents; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, ACEs are not the only potentially traumatic
2experiences that can influence health across the lifespan;
3extensive research demonstrates that community experiences
4such as gun violence, lack of educational or economic
5opportunities, poor or unaffordable housing, and lack of
6community cohesion can have the same detrimental effects on
7later health outcomes in individuals as ACEs; and
 
8    WHEREAS, These adverse community experiences are the
9result of historical traumas, such as slavery and genocides,
10and subsequent systemic inequities and oppression, such as
11racism; racism, which can include power inequalities,
12prejudices, stereotypes, discrimination, beliefs, and a
13systemic lack of access to essential supports including
14healthcare, has been directly linked to reduced physical and
15mental health in communities and individuals; and
 
16    WHEREAS, As a result of these historical traumas and
17subsequent systemic inequities, Black and Latinx residents in
18Illinois are more likely to live in neighborhoods with
19restricted access to essential resources such as education and
20economic opportunities, healthy food choices, safe and
21affordable housing, and behavioral and physical healthcare;
22like adverse childhood experience, these have all been linked
23to health and social outcomes that include reduced life
24expectancy, higher rates of infant and maternal mortality,

 

 

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1high rates of asthma, higher rates of lead poisoning, and
2higher vulnerabilities to public health pandemics, including
3COVID-19; and
 
4    WHEREAS, These health inequities have been compounded and
5exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has
6disproportionately affected Black and Latinx communities in
7Illinois; Black and Latinx residents are more likely to
8contract and more likely to die from the disease than white
9residents; Black and Latinx Americans are also significantly
10more likely to have COVID-19 be a "major threat to their
11general health and well-being" than the overall population;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, COVID-19 has exacerbated burnout, and its
14associated conditions such as secondary trauma and compassion
15fatigue have affected those in the health care, education,
16human service, and other community supporting workforces; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Immigrant and refugee populations have been under
18the additional strain of stigmatizing rhetoric and an
19immigration system that fosters fear, mistrust, isolation, and
20injustice; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Robust research demonstrates that positive
22supports and experiences, such as stable and nurturing

 

 

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1relationships and equitable access to food, housing, health
2care, financial resources, and other fundamentals of lifelong
3health and well-being can buffer against the effects of
4adversity and build resilience; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Resilience, the capacity to adapt and thrive in
6the face of adversity through strengths-based methods, can be
7built in individuals throughout the lifespan through
8trauma-informed, healing-centered care principles and
9practices such as trustworthiness and reliability,
10establishing physical and emotional safety, and providing
11opportunities for empowered decision-making; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Trauma-informed, healing-centered care is not a
13therapy or an intervention but is a principle-based, culture
14change process aimed at recognizing strengths and resiliency
15as well as helping people who have experienced trauma heal;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, Implementing trauma-informed policies and
18practices mitigates the effects of workforce burnout, improves
19provider well-being, and leads to better outcomes for
20patients, students, and people engaged in human service and
21other community-supporting organizations; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Healthy and thriving communities are also

 

 

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1fostered through these same trauma-informed, healing-centered,
2resilience-building principles; and
 
3    WHEREAS, It has been shown to be cost effective and
4sustainable to build programs and policies that foster
5positive experiences and are dedicated to the prevention and
6mitigation of traumatic experiences and their potential
7effects on physical and mental well-being and health,
8particularly in childhood; and
 
9    WHEREAS, This can be seen in allocated resources, as well
10as the creation of policies that acknowledge trauma and its
11effects on the health of individuals and communities, and how
12historical and contemporary systemic oppression may lead to
13potentially traumatic events such as adverse childhood
14experiences and adverse community experiences; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Applying a trauma-informed and healing-centered
16framework to the development and implementation of public
17policies has the potential to create sustainable, scalable
18change; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has previously recognized
20the impact of ACEs on its residents' health and how
21trauma-informed, healing-centered principles, policies, and
22practices can prevent and mitigate the adverse health outcomes

 

 

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1associated with trauma, such as Trauma-Informed Awareness Day
2in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the passage of the Children of
3Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights, and the creation of the
4Whole Child Task Force introduced by the Illinois Legislative
5Black Caucus, as well as local resolutions recognizing
6Trauma-Informed Awareness Day in communities such as Winnebago
7County and the City of Chicago; and
 
8    WHEREAS, These same trauma-informed, healing-centered
9principles, policies, and practices must also recognize the
10detrimental effect that systemic oppressions such as racism
11can have on the health of individuals and communities and how
12these are, in fact, traumatic experiences with the same
13potential adverse health outcomes as ACEs; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has made these systemic
15inequities more apparent and impactful, and a comprehensive
16response must recognize the role of racism and other
17oppressions in contraction of the disease, patient outcomes,
18and vaccine and treatment distribution; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The State's commitment to the support of a
20trauma-informed Illinois must be expanded to include
21recognition of the role that systemic policies and oppression
22have played in the creation and impact of trauma and
23communities; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, This recognition must include a racially-just and
2healing-centered approach with an acknowledgment of the
3additional potential burden of trauma faced by Black and
4Latinx residents in Illinois and the United States; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The inclusion of recognizing the issue of
6systemic oppression and its impact on the creation of
7historical, community, and individual trauma will allow for a
8more thorough and effective response to reduce and eliminate
9health disparities in Illinois; and
 
10    WHEREAS, A trauma-informed, healing-centered Illinois can
11work to dismantle these systemic inequities and address the
12effects of racism and poverty, while working to prevent
13continued disparities; and
 
14    WHEREAS, This expanded definition of a trauma-informed,
15healing-centered Illinois enhances the ability of individuals
16and communities to adapt, cope, and thrive, including during
17difficult times, supporting the physical and mental well-being
18of everyone in Illinois; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we declare May 25, 2022 as Trauma-Informed Awareness Day in

 

 

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1the State of Illinois to highlight the impact of trauma and the
2importance of prevention of adversity and fostering individual
3and community resilience through trauma-informed,
4healing-centered care; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That we encourage members of the General
6Assembly and their staff to incorporate trauma-informed
7principles, such as safety, trustworthiness, collaboration,
8strengths-based approaches, and social justice, into the
9policymaking process; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That we encourage all officers, agencies, and
11employees of the State of Illinois whose responsibilities
12include individuals throughout the life course and
13communities, including the Office of the Governor, the State
14Board of Education, the Department of Human Services, the
15Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
16Public Health, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and
17Department of Corrections to become informed regarding
18well-documented, short-term, long-term, and
19multi-generational impacts of adverse childhood experiences,
20toxic stress, systemic racism, and other potentially traumatic
21experiences for children, adults, and communities and to
22become aware of and implement evidence-based and
23racially-just, trauma-informed, healing-centered care
24practices, tools, and interventions that promote positive

 

 

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1experiences and racial justice to build resilience in
2individuals and communities so that they will be able to
3maximize their well-being and thrive.