(Pottawattamie Co.) The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday signed a proclamation designating today (April 22) as Drug Endangered Children Awareness Day.
The proclamation states that drug-endangered children are at risk of abuse and neglect due to their parents’ or caregivers’ illegal drug use, possession, manufacturing, cultivation, or distribution. Substance misuse interferes with the ability to parent and provide a safe, nurturing environment.
Abigail Osterhaus, Prevention Specialist with Heartland Family Services, provided statistics to the Supervisors.
With intervention, drug-endangered children can move from risk to resiliency. Resiliency can break generational cycles of drug and child abuse and change the trajectory of a child’s life. Iowans can play a role in reducing risk and building resiliency, ensuring all children grow and develop safely in a drug-free environment.
