CALM AMID THE CHAOS: Council for a Strong America Launches Campaign to Protect Children from the Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five sectors of American society embarked on a campaign today to protect children from the nation's opioid addiction crisis. Their central solution: Expand the programs that support children's health, brain development and well-being while parents struggle with addiction.

That was the central message at a Capitol Hill briefing moderated by Mary Bono, a former U.S. Representative from California. The briefing spotlighted a new report, Caring for the Youngest Victims of Our Nation's Opioid Crisis. Hosted by Council for a Strong America (CSA), in partnership with the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, the briefing included:

• Ted Smith, Chief of Police, Lincoln, New Hampshire
• Leah Curry, President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia
• Julie Redding, Clinical Director, Community Caring Collaborative, Washington County, Maine
• U.S. Representative Bruce Poliquin (R-ME)

Chief Smith and Leah Curry spoke about the impact of opioid abuse on public safety and the workforce – but took the conversation to a different place by describing the life-threatening damage of the epidemic on children living in homes headed by adults who are abusing opioids.

Julie Redding described her experiences in the Bridging Program, which offers trained Infant and Family Support Specialists as mentors to parents residing in a rural Maine county that has been hit especially hard by the opioid epidemic.

Caring for the Youngest Victims of Our Nation's Opioid Crisis goes beyond spotlighting well-known facts about the epidemic's impact on public safety, focusing instead on parental substance abuse as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) that impedes children's ability to grow up healthy, well-educated and prepared for productive lives.

The report – and the campaign – call on lawmakers to expand early childhood programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, and voluntary home visiting for at-risk parents to protect children's health and safety and lay the groundwork for success in school and life. Many of these programs also guide parents struggling with addiction toward effective treatment.

The campaign will be carried out through CSA's five member organizations comprised of law enforcement leaders, retired admirals and generals, business executives, pastors, and prominent coaches and athletes.

Learn more about the campaign at: https://www.strongnation.org/topics/the-opioid-crisis

SOURCE Council for a Strong America

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