Support HR 6625 / S 3461: Urge Congress to Pass the Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act

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Nationwide, nearly 35 million children have had at least one traumatic experience, and nearly two-thirds of children have been exposed to violence. (See also: Children Affected by Trauma: Selected States Report Various Approaches and Challenges to Supporting Children | U.S. GAO)

The Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act (H.R. 6625 / S. 3461) is bipartisan legislation built on a well-supported premise: prevention and early intervention cost far less than waiting for crises to compound. And when communities have the right tools, children heal.

Introduced in the House by Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Bryan Steil (R-WI) and in the Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), RISE would fund community coalitions, expand the mental health workforce in schools, and strengthen training for educators, first responders, and healthcare providers nationwide.

The numbers behind the bill are striking:

• Children who experience six or more adverse childhood experiences have an average life expectancy 20 years shorter than their peers.

• Those with four or more ACEs are 12 times more likely to attempt suicide and 10 times more likely to use illicit drugs.

• A recent study found that nearly 60 percent of the youngest children in Chicago lived in neighborhoods that accounted for 91 percent of homicides.

RISE would establish a $600 million HHS grant program for community-based coalitions delivering local trauma prevention and response services, create hospital-based trauma intervention grants, expand the National Health Service Corps to recruit more school-based mental health clinicians, and reauthorize four federal programs covering ACEs data collection, trauma-informed training, and services for children.

Prevention pays. The Communities that Care model returns $5.31 for every $1 invested. Washington State's Self-Healing Communities Network returned $35 per dollar. Reducing ACEs could save the federal government an estimated $217 billion annually in healthcare costs.

Want to get more involved and speak with your representatives or local media to support this legislation? Explore our communications and advocacy resources and/or email CTIPP’s Laura Braden, Director of Communications (laura AT ctipp.org).

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