Pediatricians
The South faces a shortage of pediatricians with only 100 per 100,000 children, compared to 111 per 100,000 in the rest of the nation.
General pediatricians per 100,000 children age 0-14, 2021
General pediatricians ever certified, age 70 and under
Source: The American Board of Pediatrics and Census Bureau Vintage 2021 PEP. Notes: Includes all general pediatricians age 70 and younger who have become board certified at some time in their career. Pediatric subspecialists are excluded. For more notes, see the Pediatric Physicians Workforce Data Book at link provided.
The majority of rural counties in the U.S. have no pediatricians at all. 88% of completely rural counties and 43% of mostly rural counties have no general pediatricians, compared to 10% of urban counties and 14% of mostly urban counties. States in the Northeast have the most pediatricians, while states in the West and South have the fewest pediatricians per 100,000 children 0 to 14 years old. In the South, Mississippi has the lowest supply of pediatricians with only 68 pediatricians per 100,000 children and Arkansas has only 80.
Many American youth have experienced severe mental health issues during the pandemic, with one-quarter of all high school age girls and nearly half of all gay, lesbian, or bisexual high schoolers seriously considering suicide (Youth Mental Health, by Sex and Sexual Identity). The lack of pediatricians is concerning because these doctors are an important source of mental health care for children.1 Moreover, pediatricians are parents’ most trusted source of information on the Covid vaccine for children.2 Without pediatricians to provide guidance, many young children may not receive this important protection despite its recent approval for children 6 months to 5 years old.3
“Pediatricians are plentiful, but not in poorer states”. Freed, Nahra, and Wheeler. University of Michigan. July, 2004. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/476758
“KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: Winter 2021 Update On Parents' Views Of Vaccines For Kids”. Hamel, Lopes, Kearney, Stokes, Kirzinger, Sparks, and Brodie. Kaiser Family Foundation. December, 2021. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-winter-2021-update-on-parents-views-of-vaccines/
“CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children”. CDC. June, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0618-children-vaccine.html
