Trauma Conference To Shine Light On Rural Support Resources

WAITE PARK (WJON News) -- A conference focused on helping people who experienced severe trauma will be held in Waite Park later this month.

The Greater Minnesota Trauma Conference is August 21st and 22nd at the Park Event Center.

The Greater Minnesota Trauma Center is based in St. Peter.

Owner and Clinical Director Justin Coates says they are holding the conference in central Minnesota to reach more professionals serving rural communities.

We have a special place in our hearts for rural Minnesota, because in rural Minnesota, as you probably know, it's difficult to access a lot of services.  A lot of it is outsourced to the metro or even out of state.

Coates says they focus on people who are dealing with complex trauma.

A childhood history of abuse and neglect, or even multiple traumatic instances as an adult.

He says it could also be a single traumatic episode, like a car crash.

Coates says they'll have a number of keynote speakers and workshops, including a presentation by St. Cloud Police Sergeant Tad Hoeschen.

He's going to be talking about what they do over there in St. Cloud in terms of crisis response.  Bringing in a police officer, a paramedic, and a community social worker to some of their mental health 911 calls.

They serve residents in 17 Minnesota counties, and their range continues to grow.

They have over 150 people signed up for the Trauma Conference so far. The registration deadline is this Wednesday.