Children are not okay. According to a CDC analysis released earlier this year, in his second year of the pandemic, more than 37% of his high school students will report experiencing mental health problems in 2021, and 44 10% reported feeling persistent sadness or hopelessness throughout his year.

Mental health was already deteriorating before the pandemic, according to previous CDC research.

Bonnie Petrie guest hosted TPR’s The Source to talk with experts about this issue and Texas’ telemedicine program that hopes will help solve the mental health crisis.

• Dr. Laurel Williams, DO, Professor of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Medical Director of Centralized Operations Support Hub supporting the Texas Children’s Mental Health Care Consortium
• Reena Padiwala, PA-C, Clinical Director of Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine at UT Health San Antonio
• Josette Saxton Director of Mental Health Policy at Texans Care for Children

Texas Public Radio is part of the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, a newsroom group that addresses the challenges and solutions of accessing mental health care in the United States. Partners in this project include The Carter Center, The Center for Public Integrity, and the Arizona Newsroom. , California, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas.