Recently we were connected – through the Pa. Attorney General’s office – to a SERG grant program where the leadership there requested that we conduct regional trauma conferences in specified communities. Our staff had been working with varied representatives in these communities to develop a meaningful two-day conference featuring a variety of contextual trauma trainings including: a systems simulation, inter-professional conversations, the presentation of a new organizational certification program presented by Dr. Sandra Bloom, entitled PRESENCE, and Wellness training for law enforcement and other criminal justice staff by Rob Reed from the Pa. Attorney General’s office. We are thrilled to be the primary training organization for these conferences. We hope this will launch an enhanced community-wide understanding of the impact of trauma. We also hope this will lead to other related long-range trainings and the development of trauma-informed policies and practices in our systems of care.
Here are the conference dates in the Counties that are planned:
August 19 – 20 Erie County
September 5-6 Berks County
September 21 Lehigh County
September 23-24 York County
September 26-27 Lancaster County
October 2-3 Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties
October 8-9 Dauphin County (date may change)
Since both Lehigh and York Counties have had a lot of recent trauma training activity they have a different schedule, but Lakeside will be providing a minimal level of training at both of these events. However, each conference is valuable for professionals to gain access to free professional training in trauma-informed care.
We are deeply appreciative of the key leadership in all of these counties, to Rob Reed in the Pa. Attorney General’s Office and to Anne Katona Linn for her support and leadership as she has guided us and supported us with the SERG grant. I also am deeply appreciative of our staff for their tireless efforts to work through the hundreds of details to make these conferences possible. Thank you Beth Hall and your staff for a huge and dedicated effort.
It is indeed a privilege to share our mission and message with hundreds of professionals who will receive trauma training at no charge. I look forward to each of these conferences as we share our vision for trauma-informed care throughout these Pennsylvania counties.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
