Florida State University’s Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy (CPEIP) announced a new partnership with Simply Healthcare Plans (“Simply”) to improve patient outcomes by recognizing the role trauma plays in overall health through specialized training and educational programming for Simply team members.
“Recognizing early childhood trauma is an important factor impacting health throughout the lifespan, and by learning trauma-informed approaches in health care settings, Simply can more effectively treat patients and optimize health outcomes,” said Mimi Graham, director of CPEIP.
The partnership plays a critical role in Simply’s efforts to become a trauma-informed organization and ensures team members are well-equipped to recognize and properly respond to patients with a trauma history.
“At Simply, we consistently seek innovative opportunities to help us respond to the health needs of all our patients,” said Holly Prince, president of Simply Healthcare Plans. “For those who have experienced trauma, it is paramount that team members across our entire organization are well-versed in best practices to identify, respond to and treat these patients to ensure they get the help and support they need. That’s why we’ve partnered with FSU’s nationally recognized program to train our team members and implement a framework that increases awareness, knowledge and skills in trauma and resiliency.”
Trauma is highly prevalent as two out of every three adults report having experienced adversity in their childhood, which is linked to the top 10 causes of death and disability.
“Adverse childhood experiences and trauma have been shown to lead to negative health outcomes later in life,” said Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris. “Early intervention and trauma-informed care can change the entire course of someone’s life. I applaud this partnership between FSU and Simply and the positive steps they are taking to enhance patient care.”
FSU is supporting Simply’s efforts to become a trauma-informed organization through a variety of ways, including teaching a 20-hour training course in trauma and resilience that will allow team members to receive professional certification on the topic. In addition, FSU will assist Simply in developing state-of-the-art policies, practices and trauma support materials to disseminate across Simply Healthcare’s Primary Care Physician provider network and work with the organization to incorporate evidence-based, trauma-informed concepts and language into key documents.
The FSU Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy’s work is a nationally organized center of excellence in trauma, spearheading Florida as a trauma-informed state system, as seen in the Showcase of Florida’s Cutting-Edge Trauma Initiatives. The FSU Center’s Early Childhood Health Care Optimization project translated science of trauma and toxic stress and the impact of early mental health into easy-to-use resources for health care professionals and parents.
To learn more about CPEIP, visit https://cpeip.fsu.edu/. For more information about Simply Health Plans, visit www.SimplyHealthcarePlans.com.