A school-based trauma intervention program developed and being used here will be expanded to Seattle through a collaborative effort and with the help of a three-year, $651,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Spokane-based program's director says.

The foundation recently awarded the grant to Public Health-Seattle & King County and the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of Eastern Washington, a unit of Washington State University Extension, to fund a project to replicate and enhance an evidence-based model used in Spokane-area schools.

The project will be implemented in partnership with Seattle Public Schools—specifically Beacon Hill International School and Olympic Hills Elementary School—the City of Seattle Office for Education, and Odessa Brown Children's Clinic.

A press release announcing the grant says the goal of the project is to maximize the potential for school success for all children by addressing the needs of children who have experienced multiple traumatic events, or complex trauma. Such events might include homelessness, parents' divorce or separation, being exposed to or witnessing domestic violence, or substance abuse by a family member.

"With about a quarter to a third of U.S. children affected, complex trauma is truly a national public health crisis," says Christopher Blodgett, Spokane-based director of AHEC and the lead investigator for WSU. "It has been shown to directly compromise the success of schools, particularly those in high poverty areas. If schools are to improve academic outcomes, addressing complex trauma should be central to their educational mission."

As part of this project, the partners will implement a model developed by Blodgett and his team that improves school practices and trains teachers and other school staff to help mitigate the effects of trauma. They also will explore how the model might enhance existing practice for school-based health clinics.

Blodgett says the grant is the latest of three that AHEC has received from the Gates Foundation, totaling more than $1 million.

Locally, AHEC has introduced its trauma intervention program to a total of six elementary schools in the Spokane, Mead, Central Valley, and East Valley school districts, he says.

Through separate federal grants it has received, he says, it currently is expanding its program to a total of 20 schools, with the long-term intent of growing it further statewide.

AHEC works with university and community "allies" to promote health and wellness for underserved and at-risk populations through research, education, and community development. Based at WSU Spokane, it belongs to a network of AHEC organizations throughout the country that focuses on health professions education and training, as well as the recruitment and retention of health care providers.

Research conducted at the Eastern Washington AHEC has focused primarily on fostering long-term success in early learning and K-12 education and evaluating mental and behavioral programs.

The press release says the newly announced project will be conducted as an integrated part of the established work plans of Seattle's Families and Education Levy, which supports programs and initiatives that help Seattle's children to be safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

Beacon Hill International School has a partnership with Odessa Brown Children's Clinic, which provides school-based health care funded by levy dollars.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says, "This grant will help children who have experienced trauma to get the emotional support they need and learn coping skills to succeed in school and life."

Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public HealthSeattle & King County, says, "Many adult health problems—including chronic diseases, depression, suicide, being violent, and being a victim of violence—can be traced to childhood trauma. If we can reduce the impacts of childhood trauma, we can improve not only success in school, but also lifelong health."

The King County project builds on earlier work undertaken by Blodgett and his team, the news release says. In 2010, AHEC received grants from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Gates Foundation to integrate trauma response and social emotional learning into Spokane-based early learning programs and Eastern Washington elementary schools, respectively.

Last year, a grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provided funding to implement the program in more than 40 schools and small districts across Washington state.

Blodgett calls the additional funding and the ability to expand the program further statewide gratifying and "a little overwhelming," considering that it's led by a relatively small team of 14 people who work in the unit here.

Public HealthSeattle & King County says it strives to nurture safer and healthier communities for more than 2 million residents and visitors of King County everyday by protecting against health threats, promoting better health, and helping people get access to health care.

Its services include programs in prevention, environmental health, personal health, emergency medical services, jail health, public health emergency preparedness, and community health assessment.