2018 Awareness Day Final Report AD2018_FinalReport_FINAL | Page 2

AWARENESS DAY 2018:
Transforming Trauma-Informed Care
46%
According to data from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), 46 percent
of the nation’s youth age 17 and underreport experiencing at least one traumatic event.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created National Children’s
Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) more than a decade ago to shine a national spotlight on
the importance of “Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health.”
The purpose of Awareness Day is to increase public awareness about the needs of children with serious
emotional disturbance (SED) and their families, provide information on evidence-based practices, and
encourage those who need help to seek treatment. The national theme for Awareness Day 2018 was
“Partnering for Health and Hope Following Trauma.”
SAMHSA hosted its Awareness Day 2018 national event on May 10 at The George Washington
University’s Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre in Washington, DC. The event featured an interactive
discussion moderated by Aaron Gilchrist of NBC4 Washington and provided an opportunity for health
and behavioral health professionals; child-serving professionals; and families, youth, and young adults
across the country to pose questions to speakers on stage through email and social media.
TEXAS STATEWIDE: Children enjoy Awareness Day activities.
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Senior federal officials and experts in the fields of mental health, child welfare, military health, and
primary care, along with family and youth leaders, answered questions from both the live and virtual
audiences. The speakers shared evidence-based practices that are effective in making child-serving
systems more trauma-informed.