Sen. Casey lauds action on heroin, cites new challenges

To the Times: I recently read about the town hall in Springfield to discuss the opioid epidemic. I am encouraged by the work of groups like the Delaware County Drug Task Force and Springfield Cares. We are more likely to be successful and preventing and treating addiction when leaders across government and throughout the community come together. That applies to the federal government, too.

It is for this reason that I supported legislation that directed more than $26 million to Pennsylvania to improve prevention efforts and access to treatment. And, it is why I am fighting to ensure the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress protect Medicaid, the largest payer of mental health and substance use disorder treatment in Pennsylvania.

I am also focused on how the epidemic is impacting families. The Senate Special Committee on Aging, of which I am the ranking member, recently held a hearing to examine the rise of grandfamilies. Experts who testified before the committee said that approximately 2.6 million children are in the care of a grandparent, a number that has grown in recent years due to the epidemic. Grandparents from the Commonwealth and across the country testified that they need our help.

In response to what I heard, I introduced the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, which would create a one-stop-shop for grandparents to seek resources about how navigate the school system, plan for their families’ future, address mental health issues for themselves and their grandchildren and networks.

The opioid crisis is not only straining families, communities, law enforcement and health care systems, but it is also presents new challenges for older Americans. The Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act is another opportunity to help families in Springfield and across the Commonwealth. build social and support