The pandemic has put a unique strain on everyone's mental health, especially young people. Lockdowns, remote school, distanced relationships, grief—all have brought about increased anxiety and depression in children. The Centers for Disease Control estimated that before the pandemic one out of every five children were living with a mental health disorder, and that just a fraction of them them were receiving care from a specialized provider.
The CDC estimates that
80% of children and adolescents
living with a mental health disorder
like anxiety or depression
never recieve treatment.
The CDC estimates that
80% of children and adolescents
living with a mental health disorder
like anxiety or depression
never recieve treatment.
Clinical psychologists are one of a few important specialized providers who can diagnose and treat mental health issues. How accessible are these providers to the nearly 1.3 million children who rely on Medicaid in New York City?
1 psychologist
Source: health.data.ny.gov “Medicaid Enrolled Provider Listing” as of March 2022
While New York City has the highest concentration of child psychologists in the state, it is also home to half of all children on New York Medicaid.
If you were to divide those 47 psychologists among the almost 1.3 million children and teenagers on Medicaid in the city, it would look something like this.