A study conducted in 2016 found that one in eight Pennsylvanians reported having four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which encompass both physical and emotional trauma. To increase awareness and help community organizations improve support for those who have experienced trauma, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and Let’s Talk, Lancaster, offer free Trauma 101 community trainings.
“The goal is to create more places where survivors of trauma and ACEs feel safe, valued and empowered. Many organizations are coming together to build networks of support from the classroom to the doctor’s office to the workplace,” explained Alice Yoder, executive director of Community Health. To date, about 2,700 people have completed the four-hour community training.
Music for Everyone (MFE) staff, volunteers and interns recently took the training as part of the nonprofit’s commitment to becoming a trauma-informed organization. MFE serves residents of Lancaster County by providing resources and experiences in support of music education. The organization launched a new initiative called Music for Everyone’s Well-Being, which will explore, assess and leverage the power of music as a healing tool. Research shows that music can play an important role in helping individuals and communities to cope with trauma, whether it be through music therapy or community music-making programs.
“LG Health’s trauma-informed care training opened our eyes to the myriad challenges facing individuals who have experienced trauma and validated our efforts to provide music as a tool for healing,” said MFE’s Deb Rohrer. As a follow-up to the training, MFE will begin to review their policies, procedures and programs to understand the role that trauma plays in the lives of the people MFE serves.
“While we support and empower survivors of trauma, we ultimately want to prevent traumatic childhood experiences from happening in the first place. Our community is already coming together in coalitions and partnerships, such as Let’s Talk, Lancaster, and Lancaster Joining Forces. Addressing and preventing the root causes of these issues are at the core of our collective efforts,” Yoder said.