A comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to affecting change.

Our efforts to transform the standard of pediatric practice are based on a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. To achieve this, we:

  • Learn from our direct experience in providing coordinated clinical care to children and families.
  • Integrate research into clinical practice.
  • Ignite systemic change by informing, engaging and activating parents/caregivers to support and advocate for their children’s health.
  • Partner with stakeholders across all child-serving sectors.
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Universal ACEs Screening by All Clinical Practitioners

Translating ACEs Science

Our work is firmly grounded in ACEs science. We advance this science through clinical research aimed at validating an ACEs screening tool and identifying biomarkers of toxic stress. Our goal is to drive ACEs and toxic stress science forward to support clinical innovation and improve outcomes in pediatric health care.

We are also dedicated to ensuring that the research on ACEs and impact of stress is understood and accessible by all so that it can lead to clinical innovation and improved outcomes for children.

We are able to do this thanks to grants from generous organizations such as Google, the Tara Health Foundation and Genentech. Also, we work in close partnership with leading research institutions, including UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and the Adversity Bio-Core (ABC) Bank at the UCSF School of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Driving the Science Forward

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Advancing Clinical Practice

Through our close partnership with the Bayview Child Health Center (BCHC), a pediatric primary-care clinic in San Francisco, we’ve developed a community-based health model that integrates primary health care with family-focused behavioral health services to meet children and families where they are to support them in leading healthier lives.

Our integrated health model enables us to implement and evaluate promising practices to detect and address the disruptive impact of stress in pediatric patients.

Early Detection and Intervention

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Building a Movement

We strive to be a strong voice in leading the charge for universal ACEs screening of children in the primary-care setting through a two-pronged approach:

  • Educating pediatric clinicians on the connection of ACEs and toxic stress to physical health and giving them tools to support their ACEs screening
  • Creating demand for systemic and policy change by helping parents and caregivers understand toxic stress as a physical health issues and encouraging them to demand access to early intervention.

A key component of our movement-building work is to create forums that convene child-serving experts across all sectors to share insights and best practices, deepen collaboration and develop new ideas to take on ACEs and toxic stress as a public health crisis.

Leading the Charge for Universal ACEs Screening

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Email us at info@centerforyouthwellness.org or call us at (415) 684-9520.

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Your support and voice can help change the trajectory of generations of children and families.

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Center for Youth Wellness is not a crisis center. Those experiencing urgent medical or psychiatric concerns should dial 911 or their local emergency agency for assistance. We are unable to respond to messages requesting referrals, treatment or clinical consultations from individuals who are not our patients.