Director of Iowa ACEs 360 and HealthConnect Fellow
(October 2019-June 2021)
Preventing childhood trauma and breaking intergenerational cycles of trauma by creating a continuum of supportive children’s services
Lisa Cushatt began her HealthConnect Fellowship in 2017 with a focus on addressing maternal stress to improve health outcomes for babies. She helped pilot EveryStep’s Nine2Thrive program to connect pregnant moms with signs of stress to community services, and she advocated with state leaders for policies that support maternal health. During this phase of the fellowship, her focus expanded to early childhood and education systems, with the goal of building trauma-informed systems that support Iowa’s children. She researched best practices for K-12 trauma-informed schools and advocated against state policy proposals that would disrupt supportive, trauma-informed learning environments.
Challenges connecting virtually with elected officials during the 2021 legislative session led Cushatt to prioritize building relationships with state leaders within the Iowa Department of Human Services and Iowa Department of Public Health. She also hosted listening events throughout the state to understand families’ needs and then elevated those needs in the Iowa ACEs Policy Coalition’s legislative agenda and in meetings with elected officials.
Cushatt is now working to secure federal resources that could support a continuum of trauma-informed, supportive services for children. Her organization continues to lead training and assist government and nonprofit agencies in efforts to prevent and mitigate childhood trauma in a way that addresses racism and inequality in systems.
Cushatt has become someone whom state leaders look to as a resource and collaborator in identifying strategies to support families, improve birth outcomes, and reduce trauma. Most recently, the Iowa Department of Education sought Cushatt’s feedback on writing rules for key legislation that would impact supportive learning environments for kids.
“While this may seem small,” Cushatt said, “this is an incredible opportunity to shape implementation of policy, including policy we had some concerns about at the legislative level.”
Cushatt has also found success intertwining her efforts with other fellows’ work. She supported Olivia Samples’ Celebration of Black Kin conference, partnered with Chaney Yeast and Mary Nelle Trefz to elevate strategies to improve maternal health and children’s mental health, and is working with Andrea Dencklau to promote an equitable child welfare system. Cushatt has facilitated efforts to infuse healing-centered policies and practices within several systems and has elevated the importance of support for professionals working with families who’ve experienced trauma.
