Hi John,
Last week, my Republican colleague from western PA and I worked together to introduce the Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act.
This is a bipartisan bill that will provide stronger support for family members who have stepped up to be the primary caregivers for children who have faced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
We know that children who have been exposed to substance abuse and trauma at a young age need extra care in their lives -- and oftentimes their grandparents and aunts and uncles step up as their new support system.
I've heard from grandparents about the ways that the opioid epidemic has left their grandchildren without stability and how they've been left to pick up the pieces as best they can.
That's why I am proud to work to combat this health crisis, knowing that the full impact of this public health crisis reaches much further than just the person suffering from substance use disorder.
The opioid epidemic has uprooted and changed the lives of nearly 100,000 children in Pennsylvania alone -- and it's up to us to ensure these children, and their caregivers, have the resources and support they need to live healthy and productive lives.
Over the coming weeks, I will work to pass this bill in the House so we can better support our kinship caregivers.
Thank you so much for trusting in me to do this work for our state and country.
I wouldn't be here without you.
Best,
Mary Gay
