We are deeply disturbed by daily news of gun violence, hunger, sexual abuse, racial injustice, suicide and other social ills—as we should be. Social anguish overwhelms our infrastructure, even when we marshal our best minds and deepest compassion and spend billions to help. Simply spending more is not the answer. We’ve made progress, but it is not enough. When we look past the headlines and listen to the stories of people who are suffering, despair still prevails. I have come to the conclusion that the main cause is trauma.

This trauma occurs repeatedly and cumulatively, over long periods of time, and within very specific relationships and contexts. For many, especially in populations where we see the greatest evidence of health inequities, trauma starts at developmentally vulnerable times, especially in early childhood or adolescence. Trauma can also occur later in life or alongside disability, disempowerment, dependency or another infirmity.

Over my 40 years in the nonprofit world—leading an organization that builds collaborative strategies to help improve health outcomes, support resilient communities to thrive and create inclusive opportunities—I’ve stood at the crossroads of philanthropy, business and government, watching catalytic breakthroughs that have helped move the most important social and political drivers of health. While I’m proud of this work, as I step down and hand the reins to my successor, I realize that it has not been enough. Now is not the time to stop. We need to redouble our efforts, increase investments and challenge others to join us. And we need to incorporate trauma treatment.

Imagine 10 years from now if we rallied our collective social program efforts around the foundational issue of trauma at the core of poverty, abuse, addiction and racism.

Now is the time, and the need has never been more acute. Due to breakthrough research in recent years, we’ve learned about the ravages of psychological trauma through brain science and human psychology. We now know that trauma affects physiology as well as mental health. Trauma transcends generations. Researchers have confirmed that trauma mars the genetic code, with its effects passing from one generation to the next. It’s time to translate these learnings from academic papers to tangible initiatives to help our people and our communities.

Addressing trauma as a precursor to social ills will not only save lives and reduce pain—it will also save money. Early intervention with a referral to trauma healing support will be far less costly than responding to a major tragedy later.

Am I overstating the strategic impact of trauma intervention? If anything, I am understating it. It’s time for leaders in business, government, academia and philanthropy to build and test models incorporating trauma to influence social program design.

Read the full article about trauma healing by Thomas Bognanno at Forbes.