Grant targets child trauma at Akron Children's Hospital

AKRON, Ohio - A $1.6 million grant will allow a northeast Ohio hospital to join a network of centers to provide services and support for children who have experienced psychological trauma, such as the Newtown, Conn., shooting where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults.

The four-year grant will link Akron Children's Hospital with the federally funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

The funding will create the Center for the Treatment and Study of Adverse Childhood Events at the hospital. The goal is to train doctors, mental health care providers and teachers to help children cope with trauma.

Congress established the National Child Traumatic Stress Network in 2000 as part of the Children's Health Act. The network includes more than 150 centers across the country.