The Pennsylvania House of Representatives seen in session in June 2023 at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. (AP)
Story by DEB ERDLEY
Dec. 17, 2023
When Jim Greenwood was a Bucks County child welfare caseworker, he was haunted by the images of babies born addicted to drugs.
• Experts tell firsthand stories of children harmed by addicted parents
• As substance abuse rises, need for additional programs comes into focus, experts say
When he became U.S. Rep. Jim Greenwood, he did something about it.
As a six-term Republican congressman from eastern Pennsylvania, the now-retired Greenwood penned a federal law requiring hospitals to work with social service agencies to create a safe-care plan for the first year of life for infants born with symptoms of prenatal drug addiction.
Two decades later, he says not enough has been done to protect a new generation of children facing death or life-altering injuries at the hands of drug-dependent parents.
“Do I think things can be done? Absolutely,” Greenwood said.
He has an extensive list of ideas for today’s lawmakers to address the issue.
Greenwood, who spent a decade in the state General Assembly prior to being elected to Congress, said a prime opportunity exists with the creation in 2022 of the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust. It’s a fund fed by opioid settlements entered into by the state Attorney General’s Office against drug companies, distributors and pharmacy chains.
Just one of that group of settlements is expected to yield more than $1 billion during the next 18 years, according to the fund’s website.
The money, overseen by a trust board, is distributed to the state, counties and other groups exclusively for the purpose of battling the opioid addiction crisis.
Part of that fund should be directed to support programs aimed at helping parents battle addictions while ensuring their children are protected, Greenwood said.
Most of the money — about 70% — is distributed to counties to allocate to local agencies and municipalities for drug treatment/prevention services. But it is mandated that 15% — or about $10 million to date — be funneled into an account overseen by the governor and Legislature.
Earlier this year, Greenwood issued a call to action to Gov. Josh Shapiro and members of the General Assembly to create an Opioid Child Impact Commission and an Opioid Child Impact Fund to “safeguard children while recognizing addiction as a chronic, relapsing condition impacting the whole family.”
It is crucial to keep families together as parents battle addiction, he said.
One longstanding issue that must be addressed is increasing staff assigned to handle reports of child abuse or neglect, he said.
“The agencies way back when complained, “We don’t have the resources,” and my answer 40 years ago was and is now, ‘Pay me now or pay me later. You’re going to get these kids one way or the other,’” he said.
“You can get these kids help now. How expensive is that? You can do your best to avoid the suffering of the child, the suffering of the mother and the suffering of the family by getting in early and intensely applying resources, or you can let things fall between the cracks, and you end up with a dead baby, a remorseful mother, children in foster care and the cost of imprisonment.”
State Rep. Clint Owlett, a Republican from Wellsboro in rural Tioga County, was among the earliest advocates to sound an alarm about children being harmed by their addicted parents.
He sponsored a bill that created the Opioid Abuse Child Impact Task Force in 2022. Although the panel has held hearings, there appears to be a lack of urgency about addressing the issue, Owlett said.
In the final days of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, the task force issued a 110-page report pointing to many of the same issues that TribLive’s research uncovered. Echoing Greenwood’s concerns, it found the fear of losing a child can cause parents to avoid seeking help with their addiction.
A year later, officials from the state Department of Human Services still are reviewing the report, spokesman Brandon Cwalina said.
“Any information on changes made because of the task force will be available at a later date,” Cwalina said.
TribLive’s reporting on the subject reflects a tragic epidemic that has impacted every community in the state, Owlett said.
“It should shock everyone, and it should surprise everyone,” he said. “I want people to talk about it and to think about how they can engage. This has to come from the grassroots.”
State Sen. James Brewster, who has lobbied for enhancements to drug treatment and stricter sentences for those who sell fentanyl-laced drugs, said helping the growing number of children impacted by drugs should be a priority.
In regard to the TribLive’s findings, Brewster said, “this is simply more evidence that we are not doing enough for those in addiction and to deal with the people who sell this poison.”
“You have to take a hard stand with the people who sell (drugs) and do something for those who have fallen under addiction if we want to end this,” said Brewster, a Democrat from McKeesport.
Intensive, long-term addiction treatment could alleviate some of the danger families with young children face, he said.
“There is no question that we are not on top of this thing. It’s trying to find the resources to match the plan,” Brewster said.
A spokeswoman for state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Republican from Hempfield, echoed those concerns.
“The social side effects of drug addiction can have a devastating impact on families, especially children,” said Ward spokeswoman Erica Clayton Wright. “It is important that we review and consider this data so we can identify ways to protect innocent children sooner.”
The Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust was established in 2022 to handle funds from settlements entered into by the state Attorney General’s Office and opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains. The trust distributes those funds to the state, counties and other entities to abate the opioid crisis.
Several experts and lawmakers have suggested allocating money from this fund to support programs aimed at protecting children of parents with substance abuse problems.
Here is a summary of that fund, its origin and its income sources:
• In 2021, nationwide settlements were reached against McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen (“Distributors”) and against manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and parent company Johnson & Johnson. These settlements have been finalized, and payments have begun. In all, distributors will pay up to $21 billion over 18 years, and J&J will pay up to $5 billion over no more than nine years. Pennsylvania expects to receive up to $1.07 billion over up to 18 years from these settlements.
• In 2022, nationwide agreements were announced between pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, and manufacturers Allergan and Teva. These settlements are pending. Pennsylvania expects to receive payments for up to 15 years.
• Mallinckrodt: In 2022, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals emerged from bankruptcy protection and agreed to a $1.7 billion national settlement. In early 2023, Pennsylvania received an initial payment of $7 million.
More details about the trust can be found online at paopioidtrust.org.
Source: The Pennsylvania Opioid Trust
Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at derdley@triblive.com or via Twitter @deberdley_trib.