COVID Collaborative & Partners Lead Effort to Support COVID-Bereaved Children

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the COVID Collaborative launched the Hidden Pain National Online Clearinghouse to help the more than 200,000 children who have lost a parent or other in-home caregiver to COVID-19, based on data as of late February 2022. This is 1 in every 360 children in the country. The Hidden Pain National Clearinghouse is a unique resource designed to support COVID-Bereaved Children and their remaining caregivers, and includes resources about grief services and support groups, information on organizations that provide support and guidance and links for applicable state and federal financial assistance programs.

The White House unveiled a plan last Wednesday to move America to a "new normal" that includes provisions to continue to support and develop efforts for bereavement. As the country heals and recovers, this new clearinghouse and President Biden's actions will help America heal from the last two years of the pandemic. This is the next step from the COVID Collaborative's report released in December 2021, Hidden Pain: Children Who Lost a Parent or Caregiver to COVID-19 and What the Nation Can Do to Help Them, with the NAACP, UnidosUS, National Congress of American Indians and Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. These and other institutions sent a letter to the President in January 2022 urging him to take action. Congress is engaging as well. 

"Among the nearly 1 million deaths from COVID-19 are the parents and caregivers of more than 200,000 children," said Senator Mark Warner. "This devastating loss has affected communities in every state in the country and merits a 'whole-country' response to ensure we support the needs of children and families every step of the way. I'm pleased to see the President is stepping forward to shape a coordinated response, and Congress must do its part. I am working in Congress to support the mental health needs of our nation's children, including COVID-Bereaved Children, and I look forward to teaming up with the COVID Collaborative in this public-private effort."

The latest data show that parental and caregiver loss due to COVID-19 is found in every state in the nation and that communities of color – American Indian and Alaskan Native, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic – continue to suffer parental and caregiver loss at rates that exceed their white peers. Without support, these children risk higher levels of anxiety, depression, suicide, poor educational outcomes and unemployment. While this loss is felt by the entire country, half of the total loss is concentrated in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas.

"We all have a part to play, both the public and private sectors, to ensure these children are not left behind to suffer, grieve and survive without support," said John Bridgeland, Co-Founder and CEO of COVID Collaborative and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush. "The Hidden Pain National Clearinghouse is a hub for a growing coalition of agencies, organizations and businesses to help these kids thrive into the future." 

On January 26, 2022, the COVID Collaborative and its many partners sent a Letter to the President urging him to support COVID-Bereaved Children. The letter from nearly 100 leaders across the grief and bereavement, mentoring, funeral, health, education, business, military and faith communities stated, "We recommend that you issue an Executive Order charging your departments and agencies to shape a comprehensive response to support these children and families nationally, through states, tribal governments and localities, drawing on or expanding existing programs and COVID relief funds while respecting tribal sovereignty." 

Children who have lost a parent or caregiver are highly vulnerable, with 70% being 13 years old and younger and now lacking critical financial, emotional and developmental support. The Hidden Pain National Clearinghouse provides information on already funded financial assistance programs that many of these children could access, including Emergency Rental Assistance, FEMA Funeral Reimbursements, Help Paying for Broadband Internet Bills, Student Loan Forbearance, Food Stamps and Meal plans, Advance Child Tax Credit, SSI Death Benefits and more. The clearinghouse will also feature the stories of children and families who have experienced this loss, regularly updated data on this growing generation of bereaved children and information on how people can meaningfully volunteer or donate.

The Hidden Pain National Clearinghouse was made possible with the generous support from the New York Life Foundation, the Allstate Foundation and the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

COVID Collaborative is a national assembly of experts, leaders and institutions in health, education and the economy and associations representing the diversity of the country to turn the tide on the pandemic by supporting federal, state and local COVID-19 response efforts. COVID Collaborative co-authored the Hidden Pain report with its research partner, Social Policy Analytics.

SOURCE COVID Collaborative