Crow Wing County has partnered with Bridges of Hope in an effort to create what they call a “Self-Healing Community.”

The Self-Healing Communities project was started earlier this year and has the goal of bridging the gaps and connecting people to resources to improve health and social outcomes. Their aim is to reduce and ultimately prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs) and work towards safer, healthier communities.

“What they found is if we do this on a community-wide level, ACEs tend to drop simultaneously. Too often we just go after one slice of the pie, ‘let’s go after child abuse or parental addiction,’ but if we work as a community together, all that tends to drop simultaneously,” said Tom Gonzalez, Self-Healing Communities Project Coordinator. “So we’re going after it all.”

The project is starting by focusing on the areas surrounding Garfield and Lowell Elementary Schools in Brainerd. Bridges of Hope held a “community conversation” this evening at Lowell Elementary to gain insight from the public about what they think are the most important issues to focus on.

“Working together, everyone’s voice matters, and that’s what we’re here to start tonight is the community conversation to hear from people living in our Lowell and Garfield neighborhoods to talk about what’s going on and to build solutions together,” explained Self-Healing Communities Project Coordinator Amy Wyant.

Bridges of Hope plans to hold future community conversations and events to continue gaining insight on the Self-Healing Communities project from the public.

By — Rachel Johnson

Lakeland News Lead Reporter