BCHC urges Congress to include PACE Act in SUPPORT reauthorization

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BCHC signed onto a letter led by Trust for America’s Health to urge the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) and House Energy and Commerce Committees to include the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACE) Act in the final reauthorization of the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. The PACE Act will authorize critical efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) for five years.

ACEs are potentially traumatic events—in connection with abuse, neglect, and high community rates of violence, crime, or poverty—that occur in childhood and can have long-lasting effects on the life of an individual. CDC estimates, for example, that the prevention of ACEs could avoid 21 million cases of depression and 1.9 million cases of heart disease. he promotion of positive childhood experiences through safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments can help avoid these serious consequences by preventing ACEs and mitigating their impact.

The PACE Act will help prevent ACEs and promote positive childhood experiences through grants for data-driven, evidenced-based strategies and activities. The bill will also inform prevention strategies through data analysis to determine ACEs with high burden, positive childhood experiences with low prevalence, and specific subpopulations with disproportionate burdens of ACEs that contribute to health inequities. The PACE Act will also authorize new studies, evaluation, and research to support the prevention of ACEs, including through positive childhood experiences. The PACE Act would also enhance our understanding of ACEs by requiring the consideration of social, economic, and other community conditions.

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