Title
Authorizing the Special Committee on Kensington to hold a hearing to examine how chronic trauma from exposure to the opioid crisis impacts children's emotional, mental, and behavioral health in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, and to explore tools, services, and programs to support these youth.
Body
WHEREAS, The opioid epidemic has had a devastating and deeply entrenched impact on the City of Philadelphia, with the Kensington neighborhood serving as its epicenter; and
WHEREAS, According to Drexel University's Urban Health Collaborative, 32.4% of Kensington's approximately 26,484 residents are 18 years old or younger; and
WHEREAS, For children and youth, whose brains are in a critical stage of development, frequent exposure to highly stressful experiences can result in long-lasting negative effects on their emotional, mental, and behavioral health. These experiences are commonly referred to in both medical and academic fields as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); and
WHEREAS, The CDC-Kaiser ACE Study found that long-term impacts of ACEs included increased future health risks, such as addiction, higher risks of depression, attempted suicide, and mental health disorders; and
WHEREAS, Additionally, their research concluded that children who experience four or more ACEs are 7.4 times as likely to suffer from alcoholism and 12.2 times as likely to attempt suicide. Additionally, children who experience two or more ACEs are nearly 3 times more likely to repeat a grade; and
WHEREAS, Research and data from governmental and nongovernmental sources indicate that K-12 schools are increasingly facing the emotional, mental, and behavioral health effects of the opioid crisis on students, including developmental delays, speech and language difficulties, adjustment problems, behavioral issues, high rates of inattention and hyperactivity, learning disabilities, emotional challenges, and other general health problems; and
WHEREAS, Children and youth liv...
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