Research from Children’s Hospital Association and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
Mark Wietecha, President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Association
(Washington D.C. Tuesday, October, 17, 2017) – The Children’s Hospital Association and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health have released The New Importance of Children in America, a report that examines how massive demographic changes are creating challenges and elevating the economic role of next generations.
At a time when Congress and the Administration are contemplating cuts to programs that support children and families, this new analysis finds declining birth rates and waves of retiring seniors make the U.S. dependent on an increasingly smaller population of workers to drive the economy and generate tax revenue.
The report documents a significant yet little-noticed challenge for the nation: Most programs that support children are operated on a state basis, and spending on health care and education varies widely by state.
A growing number of children are residing in states with lower investment in children, and these states are producing a disproportionate share of the future workforce. This trend points at the interdependence of states, as 40 percent of U.S.-born adults are joining the workforce in a
About the Children’s Hospital Association: The Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) represents 220 children’s hospitals, and is the voice of children’s hospitals nationally. CHA advances child health through innovation in the quality, cost and delivery of care with its member children’s hospitals.
About the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health: The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health is a public charity, founded in 1997. Its mission is to elevate the priority of children’s health, and to increase the quality and accessibility of children’s health care through leadership and direct investment. The Foundation works in alignment with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the child health programs of Stanford University.