Building EC-TIC Organizations: From Awareness to Systems Change

Heartland Health Conference Session facilitated by Danielle Small and Bryan Davenport

Across the Heartland, organizations are facing unprecedented challenges related to workforce burnout, community trauma, health inequities, staff retention, and declining trust in institutions. While many organizations have embraced trauma-informed approaches, fewer have explored how trauma intersects with equity, systemic barriers, and organizational culture.

This interactive training introduces participants to Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Care (EC-TIC), a recognized framework developed and implemented by the Community Health Commission of Missouri as both the Missouri Model for Trauma-Informed Schools and the Missouri Model for Trauma-Informed Healthcare Systems. EC-TIC expands traditional trauma-informed approaches by examining how historical and structural inequities influence individual, organizational, and community experiences of trauma and resilience.

Participants will explore the science of trauma, recognize the impact of adversity on health and organizational outcomes, and learn practical strategies for creating environments that promote healing, belonging, and resilience. Through reflection activities, case studies, and facilitated discussions, attendees will gain tools they can apply immediately in healthcare settings, public health agencies, schools, community-based organizations, and cross-sector partnerships.

As communities across Region VII work to reimagine resilience, this session provides a roadmap for moving beyond awareness toward meaningful systems transformation.