On April 6, 2018 the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health – Region 5 hosted Shared Learning in ACEs, Trauma, and Trauma-Informed Approaches from Norway and Illinois, a day-long summit that brought together a delegation of Norwegian government officials, Chicagoland leaders in ACEs and trauma-informed work, and key federal government officials spearheading these efforts on the national level.

The day was a testament to the incredible collective impact of the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative members and how we are influencing policy, practice, and systems change. After opening remarks from Douglas O’Brien, CAPT Anna Gonzales, and Michelle Hoersch from HHS, as well as Margie Schaps Executive Director of Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Dr. Julie Morita spoke about CDPH’s leadership in making Chicago a trauma-informed city.

Attendees also heard from Inga Marte Thorkildsen, the Vice Mayor for the Department of Education and Early Childhood in Oslo, about the Norway delegation’s progress on making their programs, agencies, and systems more trauma-informed. The rest of the day included sessions on ACEs and trauma work with communities, health systems, youth and schools, and the criminal justice system across Chicagoland. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about ACEs Connection as well as an innovative online curriculum for medical professionals.

The success of the day hinged on the participation of our Collaborative members, and it was truly an honor work with such dedicated and skilled partners. We also want to thank our partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health – Region 5, Michelle Hoersch and Lesley Craig, who were instrumental to the planning and implementation of the day.

To further share learning from the informative event, we invite you to review conference resources and handouts below:

• Speaker bios and bios of the Norwegian delegation
• Agenda
• Speaker Handouts
• Session slide decks:

• Promoting Safety, Healing and Wellness in Communities
• ACEs and Trauma-Informed Care in Health Settings
• Integrating Trauma-Informed Work with Youth and Schools
• Federal Level Approaches to ACEs and Trauma
• Working in the Criminal Justice System

• Spotlight slide deck:Using ACEs Connection to Build Community
• Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative overview