Attend Community Conversation on Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences on April 18th

Mary Washington Healthcare, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board, and Rappahannock United Way bringing Dr. Allison Sampson Jackson to Fredericksburg on April 18, 2018.

Fredericksburg, Virginia – Local organizations are partnering to bring international speaker and trauma expert Dr. Allison Sampson Jackson, LCSW, to Fredericksburg for a community town hall on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The event, “Building a Resilient Community: Understanding Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences” will be held at the John F. Fick, III Conference Center located at 1301 Sam Perry Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. The interactive program begins at 6:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be served at 6:00 p.m.

Mary Washington Healthcare, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board, and Rappahannock United Way are partnering to host and sponsor the event.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) impact the mental and physical wellness of youth and adults. ACEs take the form of physical, emotional, and/or mental trauma. By creating a trauma-informed community, we can build individual and community resilience. We can work together to prevent what is predictable and foster a community of wellness.

Xavier Richardson, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Community Benefit and President, Mary Washington, and Stafford Hospital Foundations, acknowledge the value of joining forces to address issues that impact the well-being of the public. “As the largest healthcare provider in the region, Mary Washington Healthcare is proud to collaborate with our community partners to create easy access and availability to the most current and relevant health and wellness topics for our citizens. MWHC is committed to building a healthier community for all.”

“Traumatic childhood experiences can have lasting impacts on individuals, but we know that healing is possible. Relationships and connections help restore the brain that has been changed by toxic stress,” shared Jane Yaun, Executive Director, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board. “We can create a supportive environment that promotes healing, compassion and respect. Everyone has a place at the table for this work, and we encourage the community to come together to learn more and to help.”

This free event is appropriate for adults interested in learning more about trauma as a public health concern and how trauma impacts the brain and can lead to at-risk health behaviors. Additionally, the town hall will support participants to increase their understanding of resiliency both personally and within the community.

The speaker, Dr. Allison Sampson-Jackson, holds her PhD in Social Work, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and Certified Sex Offender Treatment Practitioner (CSOTP) in Virginia. Additionally, Dr. Sampson Jackson is a Certified Facilitator for Dr. Brené Brown’s Daring Way™ curriculums (CDWF). She is a person of lived experience and a professional having provided services via Behavioral Health, Education, Child Welfare and Criminal Justice systems for over 20 years. Currently, Dr. Sampson-Jackson is the CEO of Integration Solutions, providing trauma and resilience informed care consultation to human service and healthcare organizations furthering their integration of resilience practices.

Sarah Walsh, Vice President of Community Impact, shares, “Rappahannock United Way is proud to join with other community partners to bring awareness to the relationship between trauma and abuse during childhood and behaviors and health outcomes later in life. We hope this interactive event will bring together individuals and organizations from across our community to better understand the life-long impacts of childhood trauma so that we can start to explore effective ways we can work together to help build resiliency and well-being for local individuals and families at all ages and stages of life.”

For additional event information: http://bewellrappahannock.org/sponsored-events

About Mary Washington Healthcare

Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, regional medical system that provides inpatient and outpatient care through more than 40 facilities and services, including Mary Washington Hospital, a 451-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. Mary Washington Healthcare is a not-for-profit health system with a longstanding commitment to provide care regardless of ability to pay. For more information about our services and facilities, visit www.MWHC.com.

About Rappahannock Area Community Services Board

Founded in 1970, the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) provides public mental health, developmental disability, substance abuse and prevention/early intervention services to the residents of the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford. To learn more, visit Rappahannock AreaCommunity Services.

About Rappahannock United Way

Founded in 1939, Rappahannock United Way is a local nonprofit organization serving Fredericksburg, Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford. Our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community. Our goal is to have more households emerge from poverty and achieve greater financial stability. Together, we can create opportunities for a better tomorrow. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.