By: Jennifer Aufill

Earlier this week, Dr. Wen joined representatives from city agencies and partners from across the city to celebrate the accomplishments of the Baltimore City Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Learning Community program.

For the past year, BCHD has joined with Behavioral Health System Baltimore (BHSB) to train thousands of volunteers through this organizational structure and treatment framework that involves that provides care and counseling services to victims of trauma.

Through trauma-informed care, we have offered city employees a mechanism to better understand recognize, and respond to the effects of all types of trauma so that survivors can begin to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment in their lives.

During Tuesday’s celebration Dr. Wen shared how the program’s emphasis on survivor stories and case studies is a critical step in ensuring that our residents are treated with dignity and in lessening the impact of trauma across the lifetime and between generations.

Thank you to BCHD Assistant Commissioner Olivia Farrow, Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore Vice President of Strategy, Lynn Mumma, and all of our partners for their work in this program over the past year, as well as our volunteer participants from agencies including AmeriCorps VISTA, Recreation and Parks, Baltimore City Public Schools, Dayspring programs, Healthcare Access Maryland, and the Mayor’s Office on Information Technology for making this program a success!

“These kids aren’t numbers,” said Arrie Dawson, an AmeriCorps VISTA member and TIC volunteer, who also reiterated that victims of and violence are too often studied within the context of statistics, ratios, and numbers, rather than as individuals in need of care and support.

BCHD looks forward to continuing to work with other city agencies to help prevent and ameliorate the impact of trauma in our city as a critical step in trasnfomring Baltimore into a trauma informed city.