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Children of drug abusers caught in crossfire

April 19, 2007|GEORGE LEWIS

This is second in a three-part series focusing on the prevention of child abuse.

Of all the consequences caused by drug abuse, perhaps one of the most tragic is the harm done to children.

Studies show that drug use in the home is linked to higher rates of abuse as these children, who are caught in the crossfire, grow up.

A University of Kentucky Center called Kentucky's Drug Endangered Child Training Network is trying to mitigate some of the harm done to children growing up in proximity to drug abuse.

Project Coordinator Holly Hopper said the network hopes to reach out to families in every Kentucky county. The network has trained about 4,000 "first responders" on the dangers children face when drugs are present in the home, she said.

"Eighty-eight percent of children under 4 whose child-abuse cases are substantiated are in homes where drugs are abused," Hopper said. "That's a startling statistic and one that we really need to pay attention to."

Hopper said he's a "strong believer" in drug treatment "so that the family can be restored and we can prevent addiction in these children's lives."

An especially dangerous phenomenon is the use and manufacture of methamphetamine, which requires the "cooking" and mixing of volatile chemicals, Hopper said. Noxious fumes from meth "cooking" can cause permanent damage to children, who are in the vacinity of the activity, Hopper said.

Drug use around children is just one of the issues being addressed in Lincoln County during April, which has been designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

In recognition of this effort, a candlelight ceremony will take place on the steps of the Lincoln County Courthouse on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The tentative schedule includes remarks by Dr. Jay Miller, a Stanford family practitioner; District Judge Janet Booth, and the announcement of the winners of the child-abuse-prevention poster contest that was held at the Lloyd McGuffey 6th Grade Center.

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