PITTSBURGH — We've watched the opioid crisis affect families across western Pennsylvania in so many different ways. The loss of a loved one is starting to put grandparents back into the role of parents. Channel 11 has an exclusive look at how a local organization is helping children and their grandparents face this new reality.
The Highmark Caring Place has a mission to give children and teens a place to express their grief and find comfort in their peers.
Experts say more than 80-thousand grandparents in Pennsylvania are now raising their grandchildren. Many of those caregivers are doing so because of the opioid crisis. These children need a lot of support.
As the impact from the opioid epidemic continues to be felt, Channel 11 will be learning about the ways local groups are helping out. Download the WPXI News App for more.
"They've seen some very difficult things," said Teresa Vorcheck, director of the Highmark Caring Place. "They've lived a difficult life up until that point."
It's not just the children who struggle. Channel 11 Morning News Anchor Katherine Amenta sat down with Judy Massart, who is raising her nine year old grandson Antonio after his mother overdosed two years ago.
"You have to put your life on hold," Massart said. "I couldn't see him going through the system."
Some children in the program still have one parent with them, like six year old Felix. He comes with his mom to talk about liosing his dad to an overdose two years ago. Felix's mother told Channel 11 it can be difficult to explain what took his father away, and why someone would take medicine that hurt them.
The workers at the Caring Place tell us seeing the smiles on the faces of these children, makes the work worth it. To find out more about what the center offers for children and teens, you can click on this link: https://www.highmarkcaringplace.com/cp2/index.shtml
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
