Sunshine Health, a Medicaid managed care organization in Florida and wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, has earned the designation of being “Trauma Aware” in partnership with Florida State University’s (FSU) new Organizational Certification in Trauma and Resilience.

The certification requires that more than 90% of Sunshine Health’s employees participated in FSU’s online training developed based on the latest research to guide organizations in obtaining a heightened awareness of the impact of trauma and the ability to promote resilience. The health plan achieved this goal with over 3,400 employees completing the training.

“We know that childhood trauma impacts both physical and mental health for a lifetime,” said Mimi Graham, director of the FSU Center on Prevention and Early Intervention Policy and organizer of the FSU Trauma and Resilience Collaborative program. “By becoming trauma-aware, Sunshine Health has increased its organizational capacity to recognize trauma and to promote resiliency in its patients.”

“We are proud to partner with Sunshine Health to advance efforts to both improve patient outcomes and build a more resilient workforce,” agreed FSU Provost Jim Clark.

Karen Oehme, director of the FSU Institute for Family Violence Studies at the FSU College of Social Work and co-lead of the collaborative added, “One in three people have experienced trauma, which is linked to the top 10 causes of serious health issues, death and disability. By becoming trauma aware, health care organizations can more effectively support members and drive improved health outcomes.”

Vice President of Child Welfare Programs at Sunshine Health, Julie Smythe, spearheaded the organization’s trauma education effort for the health plan.

 “I’ve seen firsthand the impact of trauma on mental and physical health and believe that our partnership with FSU has strengthened our knowledge and awareness of trauma and the tools needed to promote resiliency. This will further increase our effectiveness in addressing both physical and mental health,” Smythe said.

As a result of taking the course, Sunshine Health employees are able to articulate a shared definition of trauma, summarize the prevalence of trauma, and recognize types of trauma (specifically ACES and vicarious trauma) along with their impact. Trauma-aware healthcare acknowledges that every patient might come into a clinical setting with a challenging life experience that will impact the way they interact with the healthcare industry.

“The health and safety of our members, providers and community partners is our top priority at Sunshine Health. We are proud to have partnered with FSU’s nationally recognized program to train our team members and implement a framework that increases awareness and knowledge in trauma and resiliency,” said Sunshine Health President and CEO Nathan Landsbaum.

FSU’s organizational certification is available to education, healthcare, business, governmental, criminal justice and social service organizations. The certification is another step in FSU’s extensive work on trauma, well-being and resilience, which includes training in early childhood mental health and trauma, professional development for child welfare professionals, a college student resiliency project and a professional development portfolio.   

The FSU Trauma and Resilience Collaborative was established in 2022 to identify, harness, and promote the university’s trailblazing multidisciplinary expertise on trauma and resilience. The first initiative was to assist businesses and organizations in obtaining a heightened awareness of the impact of trauma and the hope of resilience through a new certificate program. The two-hour, online, self-paced course is highly interactive and based on the latest research on trauma and resilience. To learn more, visit https://provost.fsu.edu/trc or contact the collaborative’s director, Dr. Angi Yoder Maina at ay23g@fsu.edu.

About Sunshine Health

Headquartered in Broward County and with offices across the state, Sunshine Health is among the largest healthcare plans in Florida. Offering coordinated care and a network of support for our members, Sunshine Health is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. It offers government-sponsored managed care through Medicaid, Long Term Care, the Health Insurance Marketplace (Ambetter), and Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). Its specialty plans include the Child Welfare Specialty Plan, serving children in or adopted from the state's Child Welfare system; the Serious Mental Illness Specialty Plan for people living with serious mental illness; and the Children's Medical Services Health Plan, operated by Sunshine Health on behalf of the Florida Department of Health for children and adolescents with special healthcare needs. Sunshine Health is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation. For more information, visit SunshineHealth.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SunHealthFL.