As you know, Ohio has been one of the states hit hardest by the nationwide opioid epidemic and, unfortunately, has consistently been in the top ten states for percentage of fatal overdoses.
For years, the crisis has impacted our clients and communities. LASCO provides needed legal representation in custody cases where the biological parents are deceased, actively in addiction or in recovery trying to re-establish a relationship with their children.
Take for example, Bonnie Clark*. Bonnie called our office because she and her husband, Don, a veteran, wanted help getting custody of two of her grandchildren. The children’s mother could not care for them because of mental health issues and problems with substance use. The children’s father also was using drugs and was unable to raise them. The Clarks were eager to get custody to ensure the children received much needed medical care as they were underweight and not receiving proper dental care. Newark Managing Attorney William Canterberry filed paperwork—which the court approved—for the Clarks to gain emergency custody of the children. This allowed them to take their grandchildren to the doctor and register them for school. He also succeeded in getting them permanent full custody and advocated with the children’s healthcare providers while the case was pending to make sure the children did not miss appointments while the Court was finalizing its decision. A judge awarded the Clarks full custody and ordered the children’s parents to pay child support. In their grandparents’ care, the kids are doing well in school and are receiving necessary medical and dental care.
In 2018, with funding from the Department of Justice Office of Victims of Crime, we worked across 17 Appalachian Ohio counties to conduct a needs assessment of children impacted by the opioid crisis along with a gap analysis of services. We then built a collaborative network to respond to the needs. That work concluded in 2022 after a successful offering of training, clinics and legal services for children, families, and grandparents of opioid-impacted families.
We have continued to build on that project and the expertise gained from casework provided to families like the Clarks. Read on to find out more about this important work, and please consider making a donation to support our efforts to address the legal needs of individuals and families affected by the ongoing opioid epidemic.
*Name changed to protect the client's privacy.
