IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 443 

Recognizing the importance and effectiveness of trauma-informed care. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 13, 2017 

Mr. GALLAGHER (for himself and Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 

and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance and effectiveness of traumainformed care. 

Whereas traumatic experiences affect millions of people in the 

United States and can affect a person’s mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, economic, and social well-being; 

Whereas Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can be traumatizing and, if not recognized, can affect health across 

the life span and, in some cases, result in a shortened life 

span; 

Whereas ACEs are recognized as a proxy for toxic stress, 

which can affect brain development and can cause a lifetime of physical, mental, and social challenges; 


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•HRES 443 IH 

Whereas ACEs and trauma are determinants of public health 

problems in the United States such as obesity, addiction, 

and serious mental illness; 

Whereas trauma-informed care is an approach that can bring 

greater understanding and more effective ways to support 

and serve children, adults, families, and communities affected by trauma; 

Whereas trauma-informed care is not a therapy or an intervention, but a principle-based, culture-change process 

aimed at recognizing strengths and resiliency as well as 

helping people who have experienced trauma to overcome 

those issues in order to lead healthy and positive lives; 

Whereas adopting trauma-informed approaches in workplaces, communities, and government programs can aid 

in preventing mental, emotional, physical, and/or social 

issues for people impacted by toxic stress and/or trauma; 

Whereas trauma-informed care has been promoted and established in communities across the United States, including 

the following different uses of trauma-informed care 

being utilized by various types of entities: 

(1) The State of Wisconsin established Fostering 

Futures, a Statewide initiative partnering the State with 

Tribes, State agencies, county governments, and nonprofit organizations to make Wisconsin the first traumainformed State. The goal of Fostering Futures is to reduce toxic stress and improve life-long health and wellbeing for all Wisconsinites. 

(2) The Menominee Tribe in Wisconsin improved 

educational and public health outcomes by increasing understanding of historical trauma and childhood adversity 

and by developing culturally relevant, trauma-informed 

practices. 


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(3) Chicago, Illinois: schools of medicine provide 

critical trauma-informed care, including the University of 

Illinois at Chicago Comprehensive Assessment and Response Training System, which improves the quality of 

psychiatric services provided to youth in foster care, and 

the University of Chicago Recovery & Empowerment 

After Community Trauma Initiative, which helps residents who are coping with community violence. 

(4) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: service providers, 

academics, and local artists use art to engage their community to educate and involve citizens in trauma-informed care activities. 

(5) San Francisco, California: the city’s public 

health department aligned its workforce to create a trauma-informed system. 

(6) Kansas City, Missouri: schools worked to become 

trauma-informed by encouraging teachers and children to 

create their own self-care plans to manage stress. They 

have implemented broad community-wide, trauma-informed culture change. 

(7) Tarpon Springs, Florida: the city crafted a community effort to gather city officials, professionals, and 

residents to coordinate multiple trauma-informed activities, including a community education day. 

(8) Worchester, Massachusetts: community members 

worked with the Massachusetts State Department of 

Mental Health to create a venue with peer-to-peer support to better engage individuals dealing with trauma or 

extreme emotional distress. 

(9) Walla Walla, Washington: the city and community members launched the Children’s Resilience Initiative to mobilize neighborhoods and Washington State 

agencies to tackle ACEs. 


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(10) The State of Oregon passed the first law to 

promote trauma-informed approaches to decrease rates of 

school absenteeism and understanding and promoting 

best practices to leverage community resources to support 

youth. 

(11) The State of Massachusetts passed a law to 

promote whole-school efforts to implement trauma-informed care approaches to support the social, emotional, 

and academic well-being of all students, including both 

preventive and intensive services and supports depending 

on students’ needs. 

(12) The State of Washington implemented the 

ACEs Public-Private Initiative, a collaboration among 

private, public, and community organizations to research 

and inform policies to prevent childhood trauma and reduce its negative emotional, social, and health effects; 

Whereas the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration provides substantial resources to better 

engage individuals and communities across the United 

States to implement trauma-informed care; 

Whereas numerous Federal agencies have integrated traumainformed approaches into their programs and grants and 

could benefit from closer collaboration; and 

Whereas national recognition through a trauma-focused 

awareness month would help to deepen the understanding 

of the nature and impact of trauma, the importance of 

prevention, the impact that ACEs can have on brain development, and the benefits of trauma-informed care: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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1 (1) recognizes the importance, effectiveness, 

2 and need for trauma-informed care among existing 

3 programs and agencies at the Federal level; 

4 (2) encourages the use and practice of trauma5 informed care within the Federal Government, its 

6 agencies, and the United States Congress; and 

7 (3) supports the designation of ‘‘National Trau8 ma Awareness Month’’ and the designation of a 

9 ‘‘National Trauma-Informed Awareness Day’’ dur10 ing such month to highlight community resilience 

11 through trauma-informed change. 

Æ 


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