Improving Lawyers’ Health by Addressing the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Although the legal profession has recognized the importance of improving attorneys’ mental health, it has largely ignored recent social and scientific research on how adverse childhood experiences (“ACEs”) can harm attorneys’ long-term well-being. This article reviews the science of ACEs and argues that law schools and the legal profession should educate law students and attorneys about the impact of prior trauma on behavioral health. Without such education, law schools and the legal system are missing a crucial opportunity to help lawyers prevent and alleviate the maladaptive coping mechanisms that are associated with ACEs. Until such knowledge is widespread, many lawyers will be plagued by their own trauma histories—to the detriment of individuals, families, communities, and the legal system

A First Response: Educating Paramedics to Identify Signs of Human Trafficking

Introduction: Human trafficking (HT) affects approximately 21 million victims, representing a serious public health concern exacerbated by missed intervention opportunities. Targeted training has previously resulted in increased victim identification. While intervention with hospital staff increased HT awareness, less is known about prehospital personnel, specifically emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. This gap is problematic, as EMS personnel are uniquely positioned to conduct patient and environmental assessments that provide critical information for victim identification. This study evaluates a training module specifically designed for EMS professionals. Methods: The online training module was developed in collaboration with Florida State University. Data were collected anonymously using voluntary pre- and post-tests. In total, 237 participants (majority American, n=224) completed at least 80% of the questions which asked about identification of HT indicators, previous training, frequency of suspected contact, and demographics. Data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate statistics. Results: Preliminary results suggest training effectively educates EMS personnel to recognize signs of HT. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrate increased suspicion for 26/27 indicators; the likelihood of suspecting HT before (m=107.23, SD=16.23) versus after training (m=118.61, SD=15.90) based on summed values of all indicators was statistically significant; t(208)=-9.129, p\u3c.001. Conclusions: This research falls under the Grand Theme of ‘Building Viable, Healthy, and Safe Communities’ by describing efforts to raise the visibility of HT among paramedics. Training may provide knowledge and confidence to report HT to resources equipped to effectively intervene. Training EMS personnel in HT will help fight modern day slavery and create healthier and safer communitie