Medical professionals say drugs don’t just affect the addict, but their family, friends, and even children. 

As the overdose rates increase, so do the number of children affected.

“I think it would be very traumatic for a child to see their parent going through something like that,” Annette Comiskey, the program coordinator with New Visions, says.

Just last week WTAJ reported that a small child witnessed their parent in Johnstown overdosing and thought they were dead.

Monday medical professionals tell us that young children may not completely understand what is happening, but older ones certainly do.

“They probably feel hopeless and helpless at some point,” Comiskey says.

New Visions is a drug and alcohol program at Conemaugh Hospital.  Comiskey says the after-effects of seeing a parent overdose can be confusing.  It also puts the child at a higher risk for addiction.

“There’s the environmental component and that’s what you kind of learn in your home.  There’s also a genetic component.”

Comiskey suggests educating kids that addiction is a disease affecting all of our communities.

The Greater Johnstown School District tells WTAJ in a statement that they have programs at the elementary, middle, and high school designed to help kids of addicts. 

Their biggest obstacle is not knowing which kids are affected.  They want families to utilize their student assistance programs, something Comiskey encourages as she says this type of trauma may not affect kids right away, but it can certainly affect their school and social life.