Opioid Epidemic Continues to Ravage the Midwest

Despite action by Congress to address the opioid addiction epidemic, hard-hit areas of the country like this one in the Midwest are finding it difficult to keep up with the fallout from the unfolding situation.In July, here in Wisconsin’s Jackson County, for instance, 34 children who were taken out of their homes, many a result of a parent’s opioid addiction, remained in foster care. Those placements resulted in a $35,000 cost for the county that month.While down from a year high of 40 in January, the epidemic has presented serious cost concerns for the local health department. The county spent over $1 million in 2015 on child welfare placements, a staggering amount for a health department with a roughly $9 million annual budget.For the growing number of teenagers entering out of home care, the cost is even higher — up to $70,000 a month to cover seven young adults.