With the coronavirus pandemic reaching its one-year anniversary, the impact on the mental health of many Americans has been monumental. People are losing their loved ones, their jobs, their businesses, their educational opportunities, their social contacts, and more.

A coalition of groups, which has an ally in Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, says that children’s mental health services has not received sufficient funding, especially in light of the various traumas young people have experienced during the pandemic.

“The pandemic has a ripple effect on almost every layer of society,” said Dr. Aaron Pinkhasov, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Hospital — Long Island, which has seen a dramatic increase in the demand for mental health services. “No age group has been spared. The lack of social contact has been especially difficult for young children, given the lack of consistent in-person schooling for many.”