The Appalachian Mountains extend from Northern Alabama in the U. S. to South Quebec in Canada. Most, but not all, of the region is considered rural.
Published in Chapter:
Advocacy and Action in Appalachia Aimed at Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Watauga Compassionate Community Initiative
Adam Hege (Appalachian State University, USA), Denise Presnell (Watauga County Schools, USA), Kellie B. Reed-Ashcraft (Appalachian State University, USA), Karen Caldwell (Appalachian State University, USA), Damiana Gibbons Pyles (Appalachian State University, USA), Erin D. Bouldin (Appalachian State University, USA), and Jennifer Warren (Western Youth Network, USA)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2787-0.ch006
Abstract
Rural Appalachia faces extreme poverty-linked hardships, often referred to as ‘social determinants of health'. One social determinant of health often linked with rural poverty is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs refer to numerous experiences (e.g., forms of abuse and maltreatment, a dysfunctional household, mental illness in the household, etc.) that one encounters before the age of 18. Local leaders of a county in the heart of Appalachia in northwestern North Carolina (Watauga) embarked on a community level initiative (Watauga Compassionate Community Initiative) aimed at preventing and treating the effects of ACEs and building resiliency. This chapter delves into the academic research related to ACEs and poverty and details the background and ongoing story of the Watauga Compassionate Community Initiative, concluding with lessons learned and insights into what other rural communities can focus on when addressing ACEs, poverty, and other social determinants of health.