Health

The THRIVE team supports United Way of Southwest Virginia’s cradle-to-career approach.

United Way innovates for positive, lasting social change by creating sustainable solutions to address the challenges facing tomorrow’s workforce and through collaboration with government, business, nonprofit and individuals.

Empowering Our Community to THRIVE

It takes a community, working together, to change a community.

Traumatic experiences leave a legacy of reminders that may persist for years. These experiences can set in motion a cascade of effects that can lead to long term health problems. Trauma and loss reminders can reverberate within families, among friends, in schools, at the workplace, and across communities in ways that can powerfully influence the ability of children, families, and communities to recover. Addressing trauma and loss reminders is critical to a fully thriving community.

The THRIVE team works to mitigate the impact of trauma in our communities by creating a more trauma-informed culture through collaboration and support.

What is Trauma Informed Care?

Trauma Informed Care is simply the practice of recognizing that the experience of trauma is a prevalent issue facing our community, and has long-term effects on functioning and well-being of an individual. In response, United Way of SWVA’s THRIVE initiative aims to educate stakeholders of the effects of trauma on individuals and our communities, while providing resources to support all people with achieving their fullest potential. Trauma Informed Care goes beyond surviving. We want all members of our community to THRIVE.

Trauma is more than a buzzword.

Imagine a child is behaving aggressively towards another child in school. What you may not know is that the child’s behavior mirrors their caregiver’s abusive or mentally unstable behavior. Even seemingly minor incidents can have adverse effects in establishing fulfilling relationships and maintaining employment. The future success of Southwest Virginia is directly tied to recognizing and addressing the effects of trauma in our community.

United We Achieve This By:

First performing a self-assessment in evaluation of our practices and programs and integrating trauma informed care throughout our organization
Integrating community-wide knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices
Incorporating trauma-informed care into child- and youth-serving networks
Supporting children so they are physically, socially, and emotionally healthy and prepared for Kindergarten
Developing strategic work plans with community stakeholders to build a continuum of developmental and behavioral care for children and youth

The THRIVE team at United Way of Southwest Virginia is the SWVA hub that strengthens the network of providers working together to improve families’ Access to Health. The core services offered by the THRIVE team members include: