United Way provides childhood awareness grant

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Many of us realize adverse experiences in early childhood may lead to a self-destructive individual. A grant through United Way is bringing awareness and tools needed to deal those situations.

Pat Levitt PHD, Simms/Mann Chair in Developmental Neurogenetics said “Early adverse events, what we call ACEs, Adverse Childhood events can impact both mental health, brain development and physical health because the brain and the body are connected to each other.”

Levitt is in the Chattanooga area because he wants to talk about how we can stay on the right track to sustaining healthy communities.

“If they were going to pick one area to focus on in terms of their efforts that this would be the area to build capacity for parents and the community; to foster healthy brain and child development.”

Joseph Degaetano was appointed by the Hamilton County Commission as a board member on the Regional Health Council board. He attended this meeting to support the cause.

“One thing that I believe would be a good idea is if we incorporate this type of information in high school health curriculum. I think it’d be very useful for people who someday are going to become parents to realize how important it is just to talk and interact with their young child; rather than just putting a child in front of the screen. ” said Joseph Degaetano, Degaetano Law Firm Attorney.

Levitt says Chattanooga could use some improvement.

“In terms of a number of things, rates of obesity, high school graduation rates which should be higher. Use of drugs and other substances of abuse; all of those numbers are not good.” He says instead of working in individual groups, our community can do better. “My recommendation was work together. Working together; all these groups together would be enormously powerful.”

A study by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth show for every $1 spent on early development programs, there is a $7 return on investment.