VALDOSTA — The state Division of Family and Children Services interim director said opioids pose the greatest substance-abuse threat since crack cocaine.

“This is the greatest substance-abuse epidemic since crack cocaine,” said Virginia “Ginger” Pryor, interim division director of DFCS. “Our number of children entering the system has increased exponentially, and it’s not just in Georgia. We’ve seen a wave hit across the country.”

Pryor was part of a town hall meeting this week in Valdosta to examine substance abuse and its effects on children and families. She was one of three panelists to answer questions from the public as a part of its reform effort across the state. Pryor said the town hall is a part of building relationships throughout the state. 

“It’s an opportunity to talk about our reform efforts and hear from the community about issues regarding child welfare and how we can continue to improve our work,” Pryor said. 

With the focus on substance abuse, she said it has been a great concern for the child-welfare system since the start of the opioid epidemic. 

Opioid abuse has caused a large increase of children to enter the child-care system.

The number one cause for children entering the system, she said, is parental neglect. The second largest cause is substance abuse, and opioid abuse directly causes negligence by the parent.

Pryor was on the panel with Danielle Deloach, child and adolescent clinic manager for behavioral health services of South Georgia, and Capt. Stryde Jones with Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.

For more information on DFCS, go to dfcs.georgia.gov.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256