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United Hospital Fund - The Ripple Effect: The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Families

Opioid addiction is well recognized as a national crisis, but the impact on children and adolescents whose parents or close family members are addicted has received little sustained attention. This far-reaching report by United Hospital Fund is the first comprehensive look at the successive waves of loss and trauma experienced by newborns, young children, adolescents, and their families affected by opioid addiction. It also looks at the needs of kinship caregivers, typically grandparents, who often step in to care for these children.