Opinion: Youngest patients still bearing a heavy burden as pandemic wanes

Pediatric hospital leaders are now confronting unprecedented challenges that have emerged in the aftermath of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them are a youth mental health crisis and large-scale staffing shortages leaving hospitals depleted of their most vital resource.

The pandemic may not have been the genesis for these issues, but its shock waves exacerbated many of them to a state of urgency. Our actions, both today and in…