Addiction to prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone and morphine, has contributed to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths and health care costs. What many don’t realize, it’s also associated with an alarming number of children placed into foster care. In a study published in 2018, researchers analyzed the association between the rate of opioid prescriptions in Florida and the number of children removed from their homes due to parental neglect. They reviewed 2012-2015 data on Florida’s 67 counties submitted to the federal government’s Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. They found that in 2015, roughly two out of every 1000 kids and teens were removed from their homes due to parental neglect, reflecting a staggering 129 percent increase since 2012.