Florida State University proudly announced this week that Simply Healthcare Plans is the first organization to complete FSU’s new “Trauma Aware” organizational certification program. The program is the first of its kind in the US and will build a more resilient and trauma educated workforce.

To earn the certification more than 90 percent of Simply Healthcare’s 1,400 Florida employees completed FSU’s new online training on the impact of trauma and the promise of resilience.

Holly Prince, Medicaid Plan President for Simply Healthcare Plans, is committed to creating a trauma educated organization.

“At Simply, we consistently seek innovative opportunities to help us respond to the health needs of all our members,” Prince said. “For those who have experienced trauma, it is paramount that team members across our entire organization are well-versed in best practices to identify, respond to and treat these members to ensure they get the help and support they need. That’s why Simply has partnered with FSU’s nationally recognized program to train our team members and implement a framework that increases awareness, knowledge and skills in trauma and resiliency.”

“We know that childhood trauma impacts both physical and mental health for a lifetime,” said Mimi Graham, Director of the Center on Prevention and Early Intervention Policy and a lead organizer of the trauma project at FSU.

Karen Oehme, Director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies and co-lead on the project, agreed: “Health care agencies play a pivotal role in recognizing and treating the root problem of trauma. By learning trauma-informed approaches, Simply Healthcare can more effectively treat patients.”

Medical Director for Simply Healthcare and specialist in child abuse, Rebecca Moles, MD, praised the program.

“I’ve seen first-hand the impact of trauma on mental and physical health. This partnership with FSU has strengthened our knowledge and awareness of these issues. These skills will further increase our effectiveness in addressing both physical and mental health issues,” Moles said.

The FSU Organizational Certification is part of the comprehensive Trauma and Resilience Collaborative Program which unifies the university’s diverse efforts on trauma and resilience across the lifespan and in the community. The new designation is another step in FSU’s ongoing work on trauma, wellbeing, and resilience. That effort includes training in the following: early childhood mental health and trauma, professional development, college student resilience, successful longevity programs, disaster preparedness and response, community infrastructure resilience, rural health interventions, coastal community resilience, and resilience for special needs populations, among many others.

FSU Provost Jim Clark said FSU is the first university to offer such an organizational certification.

“We have harnessed our multidisciplinary faculty expertise to strengthen the workforce in Florida and the US with training in resilience skills, and preventing and responding to trauma,” Clark said. “We are proud to partner with Simply Healthcare to advance their trailblazing work to both improve patient outcomes and build a more resilient workforce.”

The FSU team has been pleased with the positive response from Simply’s employees and is eager to get this informative training in the hands of other healthcare organizations. In addition, FSU invites others, including governmental, criminal justice, and social services organizations to participate in the new organizational certification.