HCR 2: Urging Governor Bill Walker to join with the Alaska State Legislature to respond to the public and behavioral health epidemic of adverse childhood experiences by establishing a statewide policy and providing programs to address this epidemic.
00 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2 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 to use a 21 government food program, and 4.2 times more likely to have experienced hunger in the 22 previous year; and 23 WHEREAS, in research conducted outside the state, when compared with all states 24 surveyed, a person with four or more adverse childhood experiences is 2.4 times more likely 25 to have a stroke, 2.2 times more likely to have ischemic heart disease, 2 times more likely to 26 have chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, 1.9 times more likely to have a type of cancer, 27 1.6 times more likely to have diabetes, 12.2 times more likely to attempt suicide, 10.3 times 28 more likely to use injection drugs, and 7.4 times more likely to be an alcoholic; and 29 WHEREAS the Alaska Mental Health Board and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism 30 and Drug Abuse have estimated the direct and indirect cost to the state of adverse childhood 31 experiences in six categories (adult Medicaid, current smoking, diabetes, binge drinking,
01 arthritis, and obesity) to be approximately $774,000,000 annually; and 02 WHEREAS the life expectancy of a person with six or more adverse childhood 03 experiences is 20 years shorter than the life expectancy of a person with no adverse childhood 04 experiences; and 05 WHEREAS early childhood offers a unique window of opportunity to prevent and 06 heal the effects of adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress on a child's brain and body; 07 and 08 WHEREAS the emerging science and research on toxic stress and adverse childhood 09 experiences have uncovered evidence of a growing public health crisis for the state with 10 implications for the state's educational, juvenile justice, criminal justice, public health, public 11 safety, labor, and commerce systems; and 12 WHEREAS it is more effective and less costly to positively influence the architecture 13 of a young child's developing brain than to attempt to correct poor learning, health, and 14 behaviors later in life; 15 BE IT RESOLVED that the state's policy decisions acknowledge and take into 16 account the principles of early childhood brain development and, whenever possible, consider 17 the concepts of toxic stress, early adversity, and buffering relationships; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that early intervention and investment in early childhood 19 years are important strategies to achieve a lasting foundation for a more prosperous and 20 sustainable state through investing in human capital; and be it 21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor join with the Alaska State Legislature 22 and address the presence of adverse childhood experiences as factors for many societal issues 23 and to fund research for statewide solutions.