Toolkit: Trauma Responsive Care for Emergency Departments
INTRODUCTION
More children than ever are arriving in emergency departments across the nation and staying for longer while they await appropriate care. This intensifying problem requires an approach that targets both upstream and downstream processes. The Trauma Responsive Care toolkit for EDs is part of the effort to address the downstream need to improve care and support of children and families who find themselves boarding in the emergency department while they wait for psychiatric care to become available. By providing Trauma Responsive Care, organizations create climates that are sensitive to individuals with trauma histories and foster inclusive settings where all feel welcomed, respected, and valued. This toolkit will contribute to the system-wide efforts to ensure Vermont ED providers are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to provide the highest quality of care for patients arriving to the emergency department with mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
VPQHC is partnering with the Department of Mental Health to offer Trauma Responsive Care trainings to emergency department staff across the state. This toolkit supplements the in-person trainings provided to Emergency Department staff across the state of Vermont and will serve as a centralized and structured source of information and resources for hospitals and providers.
This program is supported by the VT DMH Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Expansion Program with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of an award totaling $934,130 with 20% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
Thank you to UVM Medical Center Emergency Department team for inspiring this work with their 2022 Trauma Informed Care training, and for sharing their knowledge and resources.
Thank you to the Trauma Responsive Care training team: Kristy Hommel, MEd; Matt Dove, NP, DUAL PMHNP, FNP Certified; and Peter Cudney, LICSW, for your passion and dedication to this work.
SECTIONS
IMPLEMENTING TRAUMA RESPONSIVE CARE: INDIVIDUALS