Individuals who have experienced an increasing amount of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are at increased risk for drug use, developing a drug use disorder, and injection drug use. West Virginia has one of the highest scores for ACEs and the highest drug overdose death rate in the nation. To respond to this social determinant of health, the Martinsburg Initiative was established as a multidimensional partnership between the police department and the school district in Martinsburg, West Virginia to provide a long-term solution to the opioid crisis by strengthening families and empowering communities. The initiative leverages the unique connection that police and schools have with families and at-risk children to prevent ACEs and to provide support and teach resilience to students already subjected to multiple ACEs. 

The initiative has three main goals:

• Prevent ACEs by building a trauma-informed community
• Foster resilience in children in Martinsburg to minimize the impact of ACEs
• Provide wraparound services for students experiencing complex trauma

Focused on a family-based, school-centered, and community-building approach, the Martinsburg Initiative's strategies include increasing ACE assessment and early identification of at-risk children, a mentoring program, trauma-informed trainings to educators, police visits to classrooms, and wraparound services for children with complex trauma. 

More details and contact information can be found in the presentation here, the news article here, and the program summary here. Trauma-informed training information for the program can be found here.