Prevention: The missing link in our efforts to support families impacted by the opioid epidemic

The United States has an opioid epidemic of historic proportions that impacts individuals, families, children, and communities and has the potential to extend to future generations. An estimated 6.7 to 7.6 million US adults meet diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorder (OUD), including approximately 623,000 parents living with children. An estimated 2.2 million children are impacted by OUD: 1.45 million live with a parent with OUD; 240,000 have lost a parent to opioid overdose; 325,000 were removed from their home due to OUD; 10,000 have a parent incarcerated due to opioids; and, 170,000 have OUD or have accidentally ingested opioids. Without policies and interventions that support effective prevention, treatment, and recovery, by 2030, 4.3 million children will be affected by opioid use in the US.