As the opioid epidemic continues to ravage America, extended family members are increasingly stepping up to help raise children whose parents have overdosed, been incarcerated, or are in rehab.
A January 28, 2019 U.S. News & World Report article looked at the challenges such families face, from obtaining power of attorney to managing the requirements of local child services agencies.
The article also noted that the opioid crisis could have long-term implications for the demographics of small communities. “The adult workforce that would-be fathers, parents, taxpayers—the actual backbone of those communities 10 or 20 years from now—a staggering proportion of them are dying,” said Michael Barnett, assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Read the U.S. News and World Report article: Modern Family