The UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN)
UCAAN develops, promotes, and sustains evidence-informed responses to prevent and help all patients heal from the impacts of trauma and toxic stress.
In October 2021, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) contracted with the UCLA/UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN) to implement the ACEs Aware initiative, with oversight provided by DHCS and the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG).
UCAAN is a multi-campus initiative that leverages the substantial interdisciplinary resources of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) campuses. UCAAN is housed in the Department of Pediatrics at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
ACEs Aware – Leading the Nation
ACEs Aware is a first-in-the nation effort to promote early detection and intervention to mitigate the health and societal impacts of ACEs and toxic stress. The initiative was launched in December 2019 as part of Governor Newsom’s California for All initiative and is a collaborative effort between the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG).
Learn more at acesaware.org
Academic Anchoring at the University of California
UCAAN develops, promotes, and sustains evidence-informed responses to prevent and help all patients heal from the impacts of trauma and toxic stress through investments in the following areas:
UCAAN Values
Four values inform UCAAN’s work across all departments, advisory groups, and committees:
Whole Person and Whole
Family Wellness
Including the whole family unit in care we provide, including dyadic care
Health equity
Recognizing the role that structural discrimination has played in determining inequitable health outcomes and ensuring access to screening and services for all Californians
Community engagement
Ensuring that we reach communities that have been historically marginalized and underserved
Alignment of systems
Aligning resources and systems of care to ensure that clinicians, families, and communities are able to overcome the impacts of toxic stress
Spotlight
ACEs Aware Progress Report: 2019-2023
ACEs Aware has demonstrated significant progress in the effort to prevent, identify, and respond to ACEs and toxic stress since its launch in 2019.