Dr. Irwin Redlener is a pediatrician. He’s also a co-founder of an organization called the Children’s Health Fund that helps underserved kids access health care and he’s the founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute of Columbia University.
Dr. Redlener is an expert in children's health and disasters, and he thinks the pandemic could definitely be categorized as a disaster.
"This is a really serious disaster," Redlener said.
During any disaster, children experience trauma. Redlener thinks that's certainly true now, and in this episode of Petrie Dish, he explores how we can help them recover from it. He also explained his belief that children need to return to in-person learning as soon as possible.
"This interruption in their education is absolutely devastating," Redlener said.
"Kids who were struggling before the pandemic — struggling in school — are now having a huge additional educational trauma and disruption of their education."
How do schools reopen to in-person learning safely? Redlener shared his thoughts on that as well.
TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.
