CLEVELAND — Ohio Guidestone is using grant money to change the world.
The two-year, $350 grant will expand work at Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services, NEON.
The group screens children for toxic stress caused by adverse childhood experiences, known as ACES.
"Children witnessing domestic violence, unfortunately seeing parents killed, divorce, drug use," said Community Counseling Specialist, Beth Baron. "Everybody has gifts and talents."
The help Baron’s staff offered was limited to two spots on Cleveland’s East Side at Hough Health Center and the Southeast Health Center.
"The last two years, we did 2,076 screenings of children,” said Baron.
Now, grant money will expand her reach from two locations to five.
"You're a part of impact life for the rest of their life in a positive way,” said Baron.
Baron wants to help kids and their families move beyond their past. Identifying this trauma early is key because it sticks around for a lifetime.
"This stress changes the way a child develops. Their brain develops, their body develops and they develop socially,” said Baron.
Identifying ACES can also reveal the hidden precursors of diseases and disorders.
"The brain and body development alone, that can be passed down up to four generations," said Baron.
Doctor's visits are often when intervention is offered,but at no cost to clients.
