00 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 21 01 Urging Governor Bill Walker to join with the Alaska State Legislature to respond to the 02 public and behavioral health epidemic of adverse childhood experiences by establishing 03 a statewide policy and providing programs to address this epidemic. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS more than two-thirds of adults surveyed in the state report experiencing 06 adverse childhood experiences at a rate higher than other states that have conducted surveys; 07 and 08 WHEREAS adverse childhood experiences are traumatic experiences occurring 09 during childhood that may have a profound effect on a child's developing brain and body and 10 may result in poor health during the person's adulthood, including physical, emotional, and 11 sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect, and household dysfunction, such as domestic 12 violence, separation or divorce involving household members, and substance abuse, untreated 13 mental illness, or incarceration of a household member; and 14 WHEREAS research over the last two decades in the evolving fields of neuroscience, 15 molecular biology, public health, genomics, and epigenetics reveals that experiences in the 01 first few years of life build changes into the biology of the human body that, in turn, influence 02 the person's physical and mental health over the person's lifetime; and 03 WHEREAS strong, frequent, or prolonged stress in childhood caused by adverse 04 childhood experiences can become toxic stress, affecting the development of a child's 05 fundamental brain architecture and stress response systems; and 06 WHEREAS Alaska Natives experience adverse childhood experiences at a rate of up 07 to twice the rate of non-Natives, according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 08 in 2013, with nearly 30 percent of Alaska Natives having experienced four or more adverse 09 childhood experiences; and 10 WHEREAS adverse childhood experience studies have also found a strong 11 correlation between the number of adverse childhood experiences and a person's risk for 12 disease and negative health behaviors, including suicide attempts, cancer, ischemic heart 13 disease, diabetes, smoking, substance abuse, depression, obesity, unplanned pregnancies, 14 workplace absenteeism, lower educational achievement, and lower wages; and 15 WHEREAS, when compared with other states surveyed, an adult in the state with 16 four or more adverse childhood experiences is 2.6 times more likely to use Medicaid, 2.7 17 times more likely to be unable to work, 2.4 times more likely to be a current smoker, 2.6 18 times more likely to have not graduated from high school or received a general education 19 development diploma, 5.2 times more likely to have ever been diagnosed with a depressive 20 disorder, 1.8 times more likely to be a heavy drinker, 2.9 times more likely use a government 21 food program, and 4.2 times more likely to have experienced hunger in the previous year; and 22 WHEREAS, in research conducted outside the state, when compared with all states 23 surveyed, a person with four or more adverse childhood experiences is 2.4 times more likely 24 to have a stroke, 2.2 times more likely to have ischemic heart disease, 2 times more likely to 25 have chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, 1.9 times more likely to have a type of cancer, 26 1.6 times more likely to have diabetes, 12.2 times more likely to attempt suicide, 10.3 times 27 more likely to use injection drugs, and 7.4 times more likely to be an alcoholic; and 28 WHEREAS the Alaska Mental Health Board and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism 29 and Drug Abuse have estimated the direct and indirect cost to the state of adverse childhood 30 experiences in six categories (adult Medicaid, current smoking, diabetes, binge drinking, 31 arthritis, and obesity) to be approximately $774,000,000 annually; and 01 WHEREAS the life expectancy of a person with six or more adverse childhood 02 experiences is 20 years shorter than the life expectancy of a person with no adverse childhood 03 experiences; and 04 WHEREAS early childhood offers a unique window of opportunity to prevent and 05 heal the effects of adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress on a child's brain and body; 06 and 07 WHEREAS the emerging science and research on toxic stress and adverse childhood 08 experiences have uncovered evidence of a growing public health crisis for the state with 09 implications for the state's educational, juvenile justice, criminal justice, public health, public 10 safety, labor, and commerce systems; and 11 WHEREAS it is more effective and less costly to positively influence the architecture 12 of a young child's developing brain than to attempt to correct poor learning, health, and 13 behaviors later in life; 14 BE IT RESOLVED that the state's policy decisions acknowledge and take into 15 account the principles of early childhood brain development and, whenever possible, consider 16 the concepts of toxic stress, early adversity, and buffering relationships; and be it 17 FURTHER RESOLVED that early intervention and investment in early childhood 18 years are important strategies to achieve a lasting foundation for a more prosperous and 19 sustainable state through investing in human capital; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor join with the Alaska State Legislature 21 and address the presence of adverse childhood experiences as factors for many societal issues 22 and to fund research for statewide solutions.