Breaking Through Trauma in Southeast Missouri

Heal Bootheel

Equity-Centered, Trauma-Informed Care

The Community Health Commission of Missouri (CHCM), formerly Alive & Well Communities, leads equity-centered, trauma-informed care efforts across the Southeast Missouri (Bootheel) region in Dunklin, Scott, Stoddard, New Madrid, Cape Girardeau, Pemiscot, and Mississippi counties.

Our goal is to educate communities about trauma, shift culture toward healing and resilience, and create long-term pathways to recovery and well-being. 

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is a lasting emotional response to a deeply distressing experience. It can impact a person’s sense of safety, emotional regulation, and relationships, often affecting health and wellness over the long term. 

Communities in Southeast Missouri face many sources of trauma, including racial inequality, gun violence, poverty, health disparities, and substance use. Our local team understands that healing requires collective action, culturally responsive tools, and community-led solutions. 

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Programs

We partner with school districts, health systems, and community organizations to address the impact of trauma and toxic stress at every level. Our Community Empowerment Workshops, Healing Circles, and professional development for service providers offer spaces for learning, reflection, and healing. 

Community Empowerment Workshops

Community Empowerment Workshops help individuals and organizations understand how trauma impacts communities. Participants gain tools to care for their own well-being and create positive, trauma-informed change.

Healing Circles

Healing Circles offer safe, supportive spaces to process personal and collective trauma. Through group dialogue and activities, participants learn resilience-building strategies and support one another on the path to healing.

Professional Development and Leadership Coaching

We provide trauma-informed education for Southeast Missouri’s service providers. This series focuses on: 

  • Cross-sector collaboration 
  • Racial equity and community trauma
  • Long-term integration of trauma-informed practices 
  • Coaching for sustainable leadership and team wellness 

Take the Next Step

No matter where you are on the journey to addressing trauma and toxic stress, we are here to create pathways to healing. As a community, we can build a common understanding of the effects of trauma and work together to create a better community. Take the next step to disrupt persistent racial and communal disparities and cycles of trauma.

Complete this short form, and a training coordinator will contact you.

Meet the Southeast Missouri Team:

The Southeast Missouri team is committed to providing solutions for healing all types of trauma, excelling at:

  • Creating a shared understanding of the impact of trauma
  • Identifying and addressing barriers to employee wellness
  • Building trauma-informed organizational cultures
  • Equipping leaders with skills to supervise and manage thriving, well-being-focused teams
Sean Ivory, Director of Implementation in Southeast MissouriLester Gillespie, Trauma Awareness Consultant

Take the next step

Heal Bootheel

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