Increasing Equity in Pain Management, Substance Use Disorder Treatment, and Linkages to CARE

STRATEGY: Practice Trauma-Informed Care

Why is trauma-informed care important? Many health center patients have experienced trauma in their lives, which can increase risk for chronic pain, SUD, or poor mental health. If health centers do not recognize and respond to patient trauma, they are unlikely to gain the trust necessary for the patient to engage and remain in care and services. Minoritized and stigmatized patients may already have little trust in the healthcare system, due to personal or historical racism and other forms of discrimination. The experiences of racism, discrimination, and oppression can be traumatic experiences. To achieve health equity, it is therefore critical for organizations to apply a trauma-informed approach with a focus on building relationships and trust with patients. What is trauma-informed care? Trauma-informed care is an organizational-level approach to providing care and services that are oriented towards healing and resilience. To become trauma-informed, organizations seek to do the following: 6 ❚ Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths for recovery ❚ Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in patients, families, and staff

Sharad Kohli discusses the manifestation of trauma as pain and substance use, and the importance of using a trauma-informed and relational approach to rebuild trust for patients so that they will engage in care.

6 Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resources Center. What is trauma-informed care? Adapted from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s “ Trauma Informed Approach .”)

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