This week the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) launched a new initiative called Trauma Aware. DHS is the first state agency in Oregon to adopt a trauma-informed organizational policy and launch a Department-wide effort to promote healing and resiliency among its workforce and the people it serves. Director Fariborz Pakseresht and Chief Administrative Officer Don Erickson, the sponsor of the initiative, said rolling out the Trauma Aware program now is a way to bring more supports and resources to staff coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss what it means to be a trauma-informed organization and how we will become one. “Regardless of what part of this organization you work with, you see a lot of trauma. We have a responsibility as an organization to help those people with the trauma they experience but as an employee, when you deal with these things, you take some of that on and begin to experience trauma yourself. Our ultimate goal with this effort to be a trauma-informed organization is to create an environment where we can minimize the trauma for staff and deal with it in a way that we can create an environment of wellbeing for anyone who works for DHS or receives services from DHS,” said Director Pakseresht.

Learn more about our Trauma Aware initiative on the OWL.

Find more information for staff about COVID-19 on the OWL.

Find more information for clients and the public about COVID-19 on the DHS website.

Follow DHS on Twitter @OregonDHS.

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