Building Resilience With HOPE:
Healthy Outcomes of Positive Experience - September 15, 2020

The Maine Resilience Building Network invites you to join colleagues from Maine for a one-day virtual conference on HOPE (Healthy Outcomes of Positive Experiences); a framework co-authored by Dr. Robert Sege from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. The program begins at 9am and will conclude at 3:00pm.

We now know that positive childhood experiences have dramatic effects on brain growth and development and also on later adult health. HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) outlines approaches that we can take to incorporate a more holistic understanding of human development. The keynote address will describe the science of HOPE, and lay out the four pillars of HOPE. These pillars describe the common elements of programs that have been successful in promoting child and adolescent development.

Following the keynote, we will have a series of interactive sessions, designed to bring this new scientific understanding into practice. These sessions will explore four areas of implementation of HOPE: (1) HOPE-based intake and assessment, (2) How HOPE supports empathy with individuals who may have had childhood trauma, (3) Programming that creates Positive Childhood Experiences, and (4) Monitoring and improving HOPE-informed implementation.

This daylong session will leave participants, from trainee to experienced practitioners, with new approaches and concrete skills to improve the effectiveness of their work with young children and their families. All professionals are invited to attend: social workers, healthcare providers, guidance counselors, educators, child and family advocates, public health and behavioral health professionals, therapists, policy makers and public safety officers. 

MRBN's April 29th Meeting:  Restorative Justice &  211 Maine

Speakers included Ryun Anderson, Executive Director of the Restorative Justice Institute of Maine (RJIM) https://www.rjimaine.org/ and Sarah Mattox from the Restorative Justice Project (RJP) http://www.rjpmidcoast.org/ for a primer in restorative practice and restorative justice, as well as an overview of the exciting restorative work taking shape across the state of Maine.  

We also heard from Nikki Busmanis, 211Maine Program Manager, https://211maine.org/ who offered a program overview and updates on this statewide resource. For those living with opiate addictions, 211 Maine, in partnership with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, provides a toll-free statewide information and referral Opiate Helpline. 

MRBN's January 30th Meeting: MIYHS Data & the 2020 Census

Our January 30th meeting featured a presentation, '2019 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey Data (MIYHS) Review' by Korey Pow, MPH, Project Coordinator for MIYHS, within the Division of Disease Prevention at Maine CDC/DHHS. Korey's talk highlighted the 2019 data from the Maine Center for Disease Control which revealed that 21.3% of Maine high school students reported 4 or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's). There has been a significant upward trend in many areas including youth vaping, suicidality and bullying which serves to guide our collective focus for the coming year. 

Additionally, Helen Hemminger, Research and KIDS COUNT Associate from the Maine Children's Alliance spoke to us about the 2020 census. Helen shared how the Census will determine how much federal funding states and localities receive each year for the next decade. She explained the concern with undercounting - and how when kids aren’t counted, communities don’t get their fair share of federal dollars for Head Start, school lunch, public health insurance, housing, child care and various other programs and services that help young children.

Care of the Perinatal Patient with Substance Use Disorder            and Resilience Building

Dr. Alane O’Connor, DNP, a faculty member at Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency, MaineGeneral Medical Center, provided us with an overview of substance use disorder and care of the perinatal patient in a lunch and learn on June 19th. Dr. O'Connor's clinical work focuses on addiction medicine and the management of opioid use disorders using buprenorphine. 

She reviewed current standards of care and introduced the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model, which aims to improve care for pregnant and postpartum women with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and their infants. She also highlighted strategies to build community resilience and address stigma.

Early Child Care and Public Preschool Providers 
Caring for Children Birth-5

'Strong Kids, Strong Families, Strong Communities: The Impact of ACEs and Resilience Building' was held numerous times in regions around Maine to bring together Early Childhood and public Pre-K providers to learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences research, early brain development science and protective factors such as positive relationships. Family and classroom resilience-informed strategies to promote resilience building for our children birth-5 was offered. The virtual event provided an opportunity for new learning and meeting new providers from Maine programs and schools. 

This training was offered  by the Maine Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with the Maine Resilience Building Network through a Preschool Development Grant. Two contact hours were offered for each session. 

Love in the Time of Coronavirus - HOPE and Parenting

A workshop for organizations and individuals serving children and families - held on May 18, 2020. 

In this webinar, we explored the risks of adverse childhood experiences, the likely positive experiences as family relationships tighten, and how we can protect children and promote post-traumatic growth.  Participants shared stories of hope and concern in this interactive session with Tufts University, School of Medicine, Professor and Pediatrician, Dr. Robert Sege. Our children’s generation will always remember these days.  While they and their parents are unlikely to suffer directly from the infection, their own lives and those of their families and communities have been disrupted.

This program was created for teachers, social workers and mental health professionals, clinical and medical practice based staff, school nurses, and those who work for organizations serving children and families in Maine.

MRBN Conversations: Strengthening Resilience and Connection Together - held on multiple dates in April, May, and June

The capacity of resilience is invaluable during uncertain times. The good news is that resilience can be supported and promoted--even in the midst of adversity. During this gathering, we’ll prioritize connection as a vital ingredient for cultivating greater resilience and well-being. Our interactive conversation will begin with a short presentation and conclude with a stabilizing, stress-relieving practice. 

The wisdom of our network will also be harnessed as we gather a treasure trove of ways to stay healthfully connected to ourselves, one another and the outdoor beauty of Maine.