Thursday, May 2, 2024
5/2/2024
The literature makes clear that poverty and financial hardship and lack of social support are significant risk factors that create a household environment conducive to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The purpose of our project is to reduce ACEs-related risk factors that threaten child wellbeing in the homes of low-income families by maximizing EITC claims among populations of focus in Bernalillo County, NM, and disseminating successful strategies for risk-reduction throughout the state. We will do this by integrating outreach and education regarding ACEs and EITC benefits across our robust community-based initiatives, training programs, networks, and collaborators that work with frontline health care workers. This project will create a cadre of trained frontline health workers and community agencies with the knowledge and capacity to provide EITC outreach, information, screening, and referrals to low-income clients to increase utilization of EITC in NM. The anticipated impact of this effort will be that more New Mexicans will file EITC claims and the funds they receive will help to ameliorate the stress of financial hardship and reduce poverty. Furthermore, the experience of working with a frontline health worker will increase social support. Increased utilization of EITC will reduce negative social determinants of health and risk factors for ACEs and increase preventive factors for ACEs of children who live in some of the most at-risk homes, improving the wellbeing of these children today and creating a foundation for them to have healthier lives as adults. Successful completion of this project will change the way that EITC outreach and education are conducted in New Mexico and will have relevance for informing efforts in other states. Engaging frontline health workers and their organizations in EITC outreach and education is a model that we will disseminate and will have impacts across the country.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
