Children First Canada and its partners - including The Sandbox Project and the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health - are uniting to raise the alarm about the current crisis facing children and youth across the country. COVID-19 school closures, the lack of access to sports and recreational programs, and social isolation have led to devasting effects on the health and well-being of kids.
The numbers are staggering:
Child suicide attempt admissions have doubled during the pandemic. (Children’s Healthcare Canada)
70% of kids report that the pandemic has harmed their mental health. (Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations)
Child abuse rates have risen sharply, with a doubling of cases of infants presenting with fractures and head trauma. (CHEO)
The kids are not alright. They deserve better.
Together with many partners, Children First Canada is declaring a #codePINK – a term used for pediatric emergencies. We’re calling for an urgent meeting of Canada’s First Ministers to coordinate an emergency response to support all 8 million children in Canada. This includes safely reopening schools, camps, parks and other recreational facilities as quickly as possible, scaling up virtual care programs, reducing backlogs for surgeries and rehabilitation, investing in new models of mental health programs to meet the urgent and rising demands, and planning now for a safe return to school in the fall.
Will you join us?
The #CodePINK campaign is organized by Children First Canada, a national charitable organization that serves as a strong, effective and independent voice for all 8 million children in Canada. Children’s health organizations from across the country have joined this effort, including Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations, CHEO, Children’s Healthcare Canada, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, McMaster Children’s Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health.
Learn more by visiting childrenfirstcanada.org/codepink.