Trauma Matters Here

We’re a collaboration of individuals and organizations across six counties in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa committed to understanding trauma and its effects on our communities.

what is trauma?

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Trauma in Uncertain Times

Information about COVID-19 is rapidly evolving each day. Staying informed and knowing how to prepare for an outbreak can reduce your stress and help calm anxieties.

We’ve compiled some resources to help you and your loved ones find peace of mind during this time.

COVID-19 resources

 

Building Resilience Together

It’s estimated that 70 percent of adults in America have experienced trauma sometime in their lives. Experts who have studied trauma and how it manifests have discovered several truths:

Trauma is unfortunately common. If you have experienced trauma, you are not alone.

Physical wounds from trauma often heal faster than emotional wounds.

People at their core are resilient. If you are a trauma survivor, you can become stronger than ever.

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We are Trauma-Informed

Experiencing trauma takes a toll on people of all ages, and Trauma Matters Omaha aims to make sure we as a community are not re-traumatizing survivors.

A trauma-informed community relies on first responders, organizations/public institutions and the general public to be aware, to be trained, and to be able to provide the right services to help survivors recover.

Our mission is to create safe, supportive and engaging communities throughout the Greater Omaha Metro Area (including Dodge, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass Counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa) where all people – young and old – can flourish.

who we are

 

Raise Awareness

Below is the number of people trained to work toward a trauma informed community in Omaha.

Current: 29,895
Goal: 22,000

Help our community raise awareness. Sign up to attend a training and contribute to our goal.

attend a training

Why Trauma Matters

Trauma matters because toxic stress, hardships and exposure to distressing situations dramatically affects your health.

This is even more true when adverse experiences happen to children. Things like emotional or physical abuse, emotional or physical neglect, substance abuse in the household, and parental separation can affect a person’s health in adulthood in significant ways.

These traumatic situations have been studied and categorized into 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

Find Your ACE Score

Adverse Childhood Experiences can have a lasting impact on a person for their entire life. The statistics are sobering: people with six or more ACEs die nearly 20 years earlier on average than those without any. A person with four out of 10 ACEs is twice as likely to develop heart disease.

The good news is that people are born resilient. And if resilience fades because of trauma, it can be taught. People can survive trauma and can live long, healthy lives. But they can’t do it alone – which is where we come in.

find your score

“What most people don’t recognize is that there is a connection between early life adversity and well-known killers like heart disease and cancer.”

— Dr. Nadine Burke Harris,
Pediatrician, Author, Speaker, and Founder & CEO of Center for Youth Wellness

how you can help