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Changing Medicine And Building Community: Maine’S Adverse Childhood Experiences Momentum, Leslie Forstadt Ph.D., Sally Cooper M.D., Sue Mackey Andrews

Home, Family & Youth

Physicians are instrumental in community education, prevention, and intervention for adverse childhood experiences. In Maine, a statewide effort is focusing on education about adverse childhood experiences and ways that communities and physicians can approach childhood adversity. This article describes how education about adversity and resilience can positively change the practice of medicine and related fields. The Maine Resilience Building Network brings together ongoing programs, supports new ventures, and builds on existing resources to increase its impact. It exemplifies the collective impact model by increasing community knowledge, affecting medical practice, and improving lives.