Children’s hospitals beg for “immediate help” from Biden

The CEO of the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) pleaded on Thursday for President Biden to support pediatric hospitals across the country as they approach capacity and confront staff shortages during the pandemic.

Child patients have flooded pediatric hospitals in recent weeks with COVID-19 cases as well as a respiratory illness called RSV, pushing several of these hospitals to their breaking point.

Mark Wietecha, the CEO of the association that represents the U.S.’s more than 220 children’s hospitals, called the culmination of challenges the “perfect storm” in a letter sent to the president.

“With pediatric volumes at or near capacity and the upcoming school season expected to increase demand, there may not be sufficient bed capacity or expert staff to care for children and families in need,” he said.

“We ask for immediate support for pandemic-driven staffing cost increases through federal pediatric emergency assistance, specifically the release of provider relief funding and any other federal workforce support that can be quickly distributed and targeted to pediatric crisis response,” he wrote.

By the numbers: Across the country, more than 1,400 children are hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. More than 350 children were hospitalized with the virus Wednesday.