Challenge and Selection

My tool of choice was storytelling.  I work for a large healthcare organization that recognizes the lasting  negative health impacts that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have on the wellbeing of children  and adults.  The challenge was to begin tackling these health issues in our community by introducing the  data and educating first responders and other key community stakeholders about ACEs to open the  dialogue on how we might collaborate to reduce traumatic events and build resilience in children within  our community.  I selected storytelling to express the depth of the issues that I and other current  leaders of the organization faced as children.  These stories included positive moments and memories of  when family members, friends, coaches or neighbors invested time and resources in our lives, helping us  to build resilience in the face of adversity, to become productive, high functioning adults.  In preparing  for this outreach and education, I thought of James Bannister, Global Leadership Director and his video  presentation about Storytelling being the difference between solving a problem and creating a cause.   My colleagues and I want to create a cause to positively impact the lives of children and adults by  significantly changing their outcomes, through a community-based effort to build resilience by  partnering with other organizations in an effort to reduce toxic stress.

Application

We decided to focus initially on first responders as potential partners, as they have daily opportunities  to reach and engage people in stressful situations.  Our Physician in Chief and myself, met individually  with Fire and Police Chiefs, Sheriff, CHP and other key stakeholders in our county to provide information  and education related to ACEs, including local trauma data and how it impacts their work and the health  of the community.  During these meetings, we explained in brief, the research background of the initial  ACE study, published in 1998, by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente.  We also provided the results of the  key health findings from that study.

We explained the difference between positive stress, tolerable stress and toxic stress and how that  affects the developing brain of a child.  We further explained the data around youth who experienced at  least 1 report of abuse or neglect and how they were more likely to participate in delinquent acts.   Finally, we discussed the potential of first responders to help change that narrative.

At this point, we showed a video of our Chief of OB/GYN, who has a very high ACE score.  She told the  story of parents being divorced when she was 5 and the dysfunctional life she and her siblings lived  going between homes, living in very low income areas, having to fend for herself, being physically and  emotionally abused, having her best friend murdered when they were in high school, having to bury two  brothers, and care for her younger sister through it all.  She told of the few adults who helped her along  the way, encouraged her through HS, coached her athletically, and helped her get into and through  college and medical school.  She ended with how these adults helped her create resiliency and become  the person she is today and how many in our community are just like her and need caring adults.

The story, led to robust discussion and sharing of more stories, including mine and our PIC, which led the  chiefs to open up and begin talking about how this same concept of storytelling might be an effective  way for the first responder community to help their departments better understand ACEs and look for  ways to partner in building resilience.

By the end of the meetings a couple of chiefs were going to discuss the concept further with their  leadership teams, a couple of them had already identified a person within their department that had  high ACE scores and may be willing to share their story with their peers.  All decided that the  conversation was productive, and we should continue to partner and educate first responders on ACE,  the negative health effects associated with ACE and the simple yet proven significant things that can be  done to build resilience.

Insight and Approach

Storytelling appeared to release a flow of energy and enthusiasm for what could be.  Ideas rapidly began  to surface and perhaps more important at this stage, there was a deeper understanding of our various  roles and responsibilities and the potential for significant positive impact on our communities most  vulnerable population through this partnership.  A connection took root, and everyone felt they had  ways and means to contribute.

While we assumed first responders would be interested in this initiative, it was a risk using storytelling  as the method to confirm interest.  I have found over the years that many senior leaders, including the  medical field and first responders, are reluctant to expose personal vulnerabilities as a means of  communicating and furthering discussion to find solutions or strategies to address issues.

Based on this exercise, I would certainly use storytelling as a tool in the future, and could also see how  adding visualization to the next stage of the discovery process would be helpful and possibly provide  additional energy and insight.

