Paul Chung, MD, MS, Chair of Health Systems Science at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, and Rebecca Dudovitz, MD, MSHS, Chief of General Pediatrics at UCLA, have been awarded a prestigious five-year R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support groundbreaking research in childhood health and well-being.
The project will launch a randomized controlled trial examining whether telephone-based care coordination through 211 LA—a nonprofit referral service connecting people in Los Angeles County with health, human, and social services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through a 2-1-1 call line, online resources, and chat services, and a key member of the national 2-1-1 call center network—can significantly increase referrals to and access for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)-related services among children aged 0-11 years compared to traditional care models.
ACEs-related services may include screenings, prevention programs, trauma-informed care, mental health and social support, and interventional strategies aimed at minimizing the long-term harm of childhood trauma and adversity. These services are delivered through healthcare, schools, child welfare, and community organizations to identify, address, and prevent the negative outcomes associated with ACEs.
This innovative KPSOM-UCLA partnership seeks to test the impact of connecting families to resources for ACEs via one of the United States’ largest and most accessible helplines. By leveraging 211 LA’s established infrastructure, the research aims not only to enhance service delivery and follow-through but also to improve both parent and child outcomes throughout Los Angeles County.
If successful, the care coordination model developed by Drs. Chung and Dudovitz may serve as a blueprint for national dissemination across the 2-1-1 network and similar organizations, reshaping how childhood adversity is addressed on a broad scale. Their work stands to make significant contributions to community-based screening, support, and recovery related to ACEs, offering new hope for families affected by childhood trauma.
