Dedicated to the health and well-being of Pennsylvania's children |
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2025 PA AAP State Advocacy Day
PA AAP members rallied at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday, June 2, 2025 to advocate for Medicaid and CHIP protections for children in Pennsylvania, as well as discussing concerns regarding expanded scope of practice for CRNPs and the legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana.
PA AAP Vice President, Toni Richards-Rowley, MD, FAAP; Secretary/Treasurer, Gabe Cisneros, MD, FAAP; and members Priscilla Mpasi, MD, FAAP and Leslie Anderson, MD, spoke in our press conference with Representative Kyle Mullins and Representative Bridget Kosierowski. To learn more about our asks and press conference, click here.
PA AAP Vice President, Toni Richards-Rowley, MD, FAAP; Secretary/Treasurer, Gabe Cisneros, MD, FAAP; and members Priscilla Mpasi, MD, FAAP and Leslie Anderson, MD, spoke in our press conference with Representative Kyle Mullins and Representative Bridget Kosierowski. To learn more about our asks and press conference, click here.
President's Message, May 2025
Kate Tigue, MD, FAAP
Colleagues,
As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, we all recognize the essential role pediatricians play in the mental and emotional health of children and adolescents. Serving as the medical home for our patients and families, we are a trusted source of support, education, diagnostic acumen and honesty in these days where families and teens may feel threatened or worried about government interference in the exam room.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen meaningful progress in awareness, diagnosis, and access to mental health services for young people. While mental health concerns remain common—affecting roughly 1 in 5 children annually—signs of improved support are evident:
As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, we all recognize the essential role pediatricians play in the mental and emotional health of children and adolescents. Serving as the medical home for our patients and families, we are a trusted source of support, education, diagnostic acumen and honesty in these days where families and teens may feel threatened or worried about government interference in the exam room.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen meaningful progress in awareness, diagnosis, and access to mental health services for young people. While mental health concerns remain common—affecting roughly 1 in 5 children annually—signs of improved support are evident:
- Diagnoses of anxiety and depression in children aged 6–17 rose by more than 30% from 2009 to 2019, largely due to better recognition and reduced stigma (Ghandour et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2019).
- Telehealth visits for pediatric mental health increased more than 30-fold from 2019 to 2021 (Verma et al., Pediatrics, 2022), improving access for many families.
- As of 2023, over 65% of pediatricians report conducting routine mental health screenings (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023).
- Encouragingly, more than half of parents now feel comfortable discussing mental health with their child’s primary care provider, compared to just 30% a decade ago (Child Mind Institute Annual Report, 2022).