The ultimate goal is to save each individual the cost of shame and suffering, families the cost of continual conflict, and systems millions spent annually on healthcare and crisis management.

To accomplish this goal we will
1) create northern Michigan's first and only sensory-rich, integrated Experiential Therapy Center;
2) assemble a multidisciplinary team of professionals experienced in trauma-informed care;
3) serve traumatized, disadvantaged populations, particularly foster and adopted children, other traumatized children, and veterans, with comprehensive, multidisciplinary trauma assessments and a variety of trauma-informed treatments including Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), occupational therapy, art therapy, music therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), regardless of their ability to pay;
4) develop and facilitate community training on trauma-informed practice for teachers, social workers, law enforcement, probation officers, physicians, foster parents, biological parents, and other child-serving professionals.

The needs of rural northern Michigan that will be addressed by this project are:
Treatment: Research increasingly proves that trauma-informed treatment resolves trauma more quickly and effectively than traditional models. Traumatized children in northern Michigan need treatment to ensure healing and growth.
Access: There is critical lack of reputable trauma treatment options, particularly for children, and, when available, long wait times, high costs, and other barriers make access difficult and inconsistent. Traumatized children need improved access to therapies proven to improve outcomes, reduce stress, facilitate more appropriate kinds and doses of prescription medication, and improve their physical and mental health.
Financing: Funding for trauma services is limited and inconsistent/unsustainable, despite the clinical benefits and savings against other treatments or residential placement.
Training: Rural communities digesting the significance of ACEs need training to implement these best practices. Further, parents, foster and adoptive parents, child-serving professionals, and others must understand the impacts of traumatic experiences on growth, health, and development in order to help children heal.
Target Population 1: Traumatized children, ages 5-18, particularly foster and adoptive children. Others impacted per child are: the child's family, child-serving professionals (educators, doctors, social workers, police, etc.), the child's classroom/peers, and the child's community. We expect hundreds will be impacted annually by trauma-informed assessment and treatment. We will directly serve 60 children with multidisciplinary trauma assessments (20 in year one; 40 in year two); 75 children with an average of eight sessions of EAP (25 in year one; 50 in year two); and 65 with an average of ten sessions with other therapies (15 in year one, 50 in year two).
Target Population 2: Veterans suffering from military-related trauma in collaboration with the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center which currently provides service to more than 34,700 veterans living in the central and northern 35 counties of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Veterans served will be referred through VA Community Based Outreach Centers (CBOCs).

The project's partners are constantly working to provide excellent, affordable services and to diversify funding to ensure sustainability. The new Center has been carefully planned and designed with long term sustainability in mind. Efficiencies realized from integrated service delivery, education, earned income from the project, and ongoing advocacy will ensure services are sustainable. Minimal heating, cooling, and maintenance costs ensure sustainability of the Center's facility.
The trend towards trauma-informed, individualized services positions this project to receive the attention of private and public funders. As more people learn about the benefits and potential savings associated with trauma-informed care, more funders will be ready to support this and similar projects. Although MDHHS contracts and insurance companies currently reimburse at rates that do not reflect the actual cost of services, the project partners will continue advocating for contracts and payments that more closely represent the cost of providing these services.
We understand there will always be uncovered costs related to serving traumatized, vulnerable, and disadvantaged populations. For that reason, a startup client assistance fund will be created to help reduce costs to families and nonprofits. This fund will be replenished with earned income (fee-for-services and training fees, etc.). CFS has a successful development effort that raised over $1.27 million in grants and donations last year. The team will continue seeking grant funding and donations to supplement the costs of providing trauma-informed services to our clients until our public and private partners recognize the savings that can be realized by effectively treating these children now rather than waiting until they are unhealthy adults. We expect this project to be sustainable by year 3.
The costs associated with the startup of an endeavor which is innovative, comprehensive and labor-intensive may seem daunting, but the project partners and the northern Michigan community are confident that this program represents the leading edge in trauma informed care and that it will positively impact the health and well-being of our region and many others.

Phase 1 of the project has been completed and included preliminary meetings and strategic planning between PEACE Ranch, CFS, and project partners (contractors, clinicians, etc.).
Phase 2 of the project is underway. Three local contractors who are supportive of the project and willing to work with in-kind donations are in line to submit bids. Construction is expected to be complete by June 2018, depending on northern Michigan weather. This phase includes securing in-kind support and donated goods and services by leveraging longstanding partnerships with area businesses, groups, and others. Funds from MHEF will not be used for construction.
Phase 3 is underway and will be completed in year one (January-December 2018.) This will include assembling the remaining transdisciplinary team, creating formal processes and procedures related to the Center's operations, and facilitating an outreach and marketing campaign to increase awareness of the Center. We will know we are successful with this step when the team is in place, adequately trained in trauma-informed practice, and ready to provide services. A formal contract will be signed by the project's service providers, ensuring all contracted staff understand the Center's processes, procedures, and expectations.
Phase 4 consists of the actual provision of services in the Center, which are expected to begin in year one, increasing exponentially in year 2 and beyond. Referrals will come from various systems including child welfare, juvenile justice, education/schools, and other child-serving agencies. The length and types of services received will vary based on the client's individual needs. We expect the average length of service for a child to be 3-9 months, except those in foster care who require weekly treatment as determined by State of Michigan requirements. We will know we are successful with this step when referrals begin and services are being provided.
Phase 5 will provide education, outreach, and training to the community at least twice annually with more frequent, smaller, less formal meetings with community partners occurring more frequently. Professional trainings will be piloted and then certified so area professionals can receive continuing education credit for attending. All trainings producing CEUs will be provided for fees ($150) which will sustain the Client Assistance Fund. We will know we are successful with this step when one professional and one community training have been piloted and evaluated and when the professional training can be offered in year 2.
Phase 6 includes continuous quality improvement which analyzes and evaluate the project's successes and makes recommendations to improve. Feedback, data, and recommendations related to the project will be evaluated at least quarterly to ensure the new project is on track and successful. This phase of the project is ongoing.

November 2017 PEACE Ranch in collaboration with Child and Family services received the first IMPACT 100 TC grant $127,500 for a major facility upgrade at the ranch. 1500 sq of heated space for sessions, classes, training plus well and septic. March 2018 This collaboration awarded $100,000 for the project by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund Construction will begin April/2018 and completion projected for by July 2018. The multi disciplinary team is assembling. Programming will begin by September 2018. 2019 The Impact Center for Growth & Healing opened at Peace Ranch. The multidisciplinary team assembled during 2018 began the creation of a new model of integrated experiential therapies with expressive concepts from art therapy, rhythmic concepts from music therapy combined with equine assisted. Healing from the Bottom Up, an experiential training developed at the ranch was piloted and provided for both professionals and the public. 2020 Resilience Services piloted using the new integrated model near the end of 2019 are in full swing to meet the significant rise mental health needs created by the COVID19 crisis.