Implementing trauma-informed care in a special education setting: An initial exploration of a multi-tiered model.

Implementing trauma-informed care in a special education environment serving youth from historically marginalized communities with high levels of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) requires a systematic tiered approach consistent with public health guidelines. Little is known about the implementation of this framework in special education settings where youth have significant emotional and behavioral difficulties. To address this need, a consultant-community partnership was forged between a hospital providing mental health services and a therapeutic day school that serves a special education cooperative. The current case study explores the design and implementation of a three-tiered model of trauma-informed care in a special education setting. This study will address the specific practices implemented at each tier, discuss successes and challenges, and summarize future directions for research, practice, and policy.

Case of Cocaine Induced Coronary and Carotid Artery Dissection.

Cocaine use has been individually linked to both carotid and coronary artery dissections. However, their simultaneous occurrence has not been previously reported. A 30-year-old man who suffered an acute ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction secondary to acute carotid and coronary artery dissections, respectively, 16 hours after snorting cocaine. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case describing the simultaneous occurrence of carotid and coronary artery dissections resulting from cocaine use.

Working on Womanhood (WOW): A participatory formative evaluation of a community-developed intervention.

The well-documented disparities in availability, accessibility, and quality of behavioral health services suggest the need for innovative programs to address the needs of ethnic minority youth. The current study aimed to conduct a participatory, formative evaluation of "Working on Womanhood" (WOW), a community-developed, multifaceted, school-based intervention serving primarily ethnic minority girls living in underserved urban communities. Specifically, the current study aimed to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and initial promise of WOW using community-based participatory research (CBPR) and represented the third phase of a community-academic partnership. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 960 WOW participants in 21 urban public schools, as well as WOW counselors, parents, and school staff over the course of one academic year. Results demonstrated evidence of acceptability of WOW and noteworthy improvements for WOW participants in targeted outcomes, including mental health, emotion regulation, and academic engagement. Findings also indicated several challenges to implementation feasibility and acceptability, including screening and enrollment processes and curriculum length. Additionally, we discuss how, consistent with participatory and formative research, findings were used by program implementers to inform program improvements, including modifications to screening processes, timelines, curriculum, and trainings - all in preparation for a rigorous effectiveness evaluation.