PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s independent senator has introduced a proposal to collect better information about the impact of childhood trauma on long-term health.
Sen. Angus King said the coronavirus pandemic motivated him to propose the bill. He said America’s children “have experienced an unprecedented number of changes this past year, as they’ve had to break their usual routines, stay distant from friends and loved ones, and for far too many, cope with the loss of a loved one due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
King’s proposal would authorize $10 million per year for five years to help the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research and data collection efforts about childhood trauma and long-term health.
King cited studies from the National Institutes of Health that show factors such as social isolation and school closures made worse by the coronavirus pandemic could be leading to more adverse childhood events.
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