Establishing a Trauma-Informed System of Care was identified by various community members and the Substance Use Prevention Alliance as an action, when combined with other actions in our community, that has a reasonable chance of making a difference in 'Life has been negatively affected by substance use (self or someone else)', 'Past-month binge drinking', and 'Emergency department visits for unintentional medication or drug overdoses in our community.' This is a new program in our community.

The priority population for establishing a trauma-informed system of care are all Haywood County residents using health, human, or public services (any organization serving Haywood County residents) and the establishment of a trauma-informed system of care aims to make a difference in the community, organizational, and policy levels. Implementation will take place at the organizational level.

Although anyone can experience trauma and especially adverse childhood experiences, this strategy addresses health disparities due to the higher prevalence of trauma in populations experiencing poor social determinants of health such as unstable housing, low income, and racism. Addressing trauma at the socio-ecological level mentioned above will create a more equitable environment to access quality healthcare, access to education, and increase social and community support among all Haywood County residents.

2022 update:

• The Haywood Connect collaborative continues meeting monthly.  Members distributed a holiday resilience guide, included in food bags for Head Start students. 
• County health educators completed trauma-informed care training and educated staff from public health and social services.  A training session was also offered to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/Elder Abuse Task Force. 
• Health educators and community partners, primarily school staff, were educated about the Trust-Based Relational Intervention® model. 

2023 update: 

• The Haywood Connect Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and resilience collaborative continues to meet virtually, with quarterly in-person meetings.  
• A job loss resilience guide was created and distributed following the 2023 Canton Mill closure.  
• Training sessions were offered to board members and staff of Haywood County Health and Human Services, as well as Reach of Haywood.  
• Potential data limitations- If an individual attended more than one session, they may be duplicated in the participant count.  In addition, the number of organizations and staff trained may vary.  Due to staff turnover in 2023, it is difficult to confirm training totals and dates.    

The partners for establishing a trauma-informed system of care include:

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the trauma-informed system of care initative through the use of Results-Based AccountabilityTM to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and Better Off Performance Measures. Currently, we plan to evaluate 'Number of HHSA staff who complete training sessions about trauma-informed care and ACEs', 'Number of members who participate in the ACES Collaborative group (Haywood Connect)', and 'Number of organizations who complete training session about trauma-informed care and ACEs'. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above (ongoing). 

Sustainability Plan:

• Sustainability Component:
  • Consistent evaluation of program performance measures to ensure ongoing effectiveness and demonstrate successes to funders and other key stakeholders.
  • Monthly meetings with Haywood Connect and stakeholders to ensure all are in agreement and concerns are addressed.
    • Consistent efforts in identifying new community partners/stakeholders.
  • Ensuring we have the capacity to accomplish documented goals.