(Washington, D.C., Wednesday, June 16, 2021) – Fifty children’s hospitals’ patients are participating in the 2021 Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Week. Having a child, teen or young adult with significant health challenges is made worse when there are barriers to receiving care they need to survive and thrive.

This year will have a special focus on pediatric mental health, a crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Children’s hospitals’ patients with mental health conditions will share their personal health care journeys with their lawmakers in order to persuade Congress to advance more impactful policies such as those in the legislative proposal “Strengthening Kids’ Mental Health Now.”

From April to October 2020, hospitals nationally saw a 24% increase in the proportion of mental health emergency department visits for kids ages five to 11, and a 31% increase in the 12- to 17-year-old age group, compared to 2019 according to the CDC. In the last half of 2020, children’s hospitals saw a 17% increase in suicide and self-injury cases (inpatient and emergency) compared to the year before.

The Children’s Hospital Association is the national voice of more than 220 children’s hospitals, advancing child health through innovation in the quality, cost and delivery of care. Learn more about the patient advocates participating in the 2021 Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Week.