Pioneering Leader In The Field Of Toxic Stress And Health Tapped As State’s New Surgeon General
The state's surgeon general position was just created by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom’s office said Nadine Burke Harris’ role will be to urge policymakers and leaders across the state to consider how adverse childhood experiences affect people’s health, and focus on ways to combat the lasting negative effects that can follow kids into adulthood.
The California Health Report:
Appointment Of New Surgeon General Puts Spotlight On Early Childhood Adversity
The impact of stress and trauma on people’s physical and mental health looks set to become a central focus of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration in the wake of his appointment of the state’s first surgeon general. This week, Gov. Newsom tapped Nadine Burke Harris to fill the newly created position. Burke Harris is a physician and pioneering leader in the field of toxic stress and health. She founded the San Francisco-based Center for Youth Wellness, an organization that’s working with pediatric clinics nationwide to develop best practices for screening and treating children at risk for toxic stress. She will be sworn in Feb 11. The governor’s press office said Burke Harris was currently not available for interviews. However, in a press release from the Center for Youth Wellness, she praised the governor’s commitment to tackling health issues through the lens of childhood adversity. (Boyd-Barrett, 1/24)
In other news from Sacramento —
Capital Public Radio:
Is Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Juvenile Justice Reform Substantial Or Symbolic? Experts Say It’s A Wait-And-See.
The governor announced this week that he wants to “end juvenile imprisonment in California as we know it” by moving the Division of Juvenile Justice out of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and into the California Health and Human Services Agency. The division expects to oversee 759 youth this year, according to the governor’s office. (Caiola, 1/24)
The California Health Report:
New Year Brings New Gun Control Laws And Signs Of More To Come
Advocates for gun control in California have a lot to celebrate this year as the state enacts a slew of bills aimed at reducing gun violence, and hopes rise that Gov. Gavin Newsom will be more amenable than his predecessor to additional gun reform efforts. More than a dozen new gun laws passed by the state legislature went into effect Jan 1. These include Assembly Bill 1968, which bans people from possessing a firearm for life if they’ve been admitted to a mental health facility multiple times because they’re deemed a danger to themselves or others. (Boyd-Barrett, 1/24)