What can we learn from the effect of the pandemic on children’s health?
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What impact has the pandemic had on children's health?
Thank you.
I'm Megan Greenfield and I'm a partner in McKinsey's Boston office. Excited to be joined today by Dr. Kevin Churchwell, President and CEO of Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Churchwell has had an illustrious career. Born in Tennessee, he's a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt Medical School. Dr. Churchwell completed his pediatric residency and a clinical fellowship in pediatric critical care at Boston Children's Hospital. Prior to joining Boston Children's as chief operating officer in 2013, he served as a CEO of two other children's hospitals. He is also an associate professor of pediatric anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. Welcome, Dr. Churchwell. To kick it off, for those of us in a global audience who are not as familiar with Boston Children's Hospital, tell us a little about it and what drew you there in 2013.
How did Boston Children's Hospital adapt during the early days of COVID-19?
Well, it's a pleasure to be here, and thank you for the opportunity, Megan. A little bit about Boston Children's Hospital. We just finished celebrating last year our 150th anniversary. And so we're not the oldest children's hospital in the nation, but we're close to it. And we have had a incredible journey in terms of our care for children. Boston Children's Hospital, by one measure, is looked at as one of the leading children's hospitals in the world. U.S. News and World Report does a piece of ranking every year. And for at least the past 10 years or so, we've been ranked number one. Now, I say that only just to give folks a view of what we try to do at Boston Children's. And that number one ranking, although it's nice to have, I think just describes in some respects the depth of what we try to do at Boston Children's in terms of what we provide.
We work to be the leader in pediatrics, in pediatric research, pediatric clinical care, pediatric education, and our work in the community. And over the 150 years, we have been intentional around what we have tried to recruit to and wanted to develop from that standpoint. That's our mission here, and that's what we continue to work toward. My relationship to Boston Children's, to be honest with you, Megan, is not an eight-year journey, but more like 30 years.
What mental health issues are children facing due to the pandemic?
I first arrived at Boston Children's to do my internship and residency back in the 80s. and spent over eight years here in my training. I did when I practiced pediatric critical care and spent two years on staff before I left and returned about eight years ago with the opportunity of being the EVP of Health Affairs and Chief Operating Officer.
Thank you for sharing. When you were named CEO back in March, one of your board members told the Boston Globe that you were level-headed and unflappable, which is incredibly impressive as the pandemic offered a leadership test like no other. Describe for us what it was like at Boston Children's back in those early days of the pandemic. How has the clinical response to the health crisis evolved from then to today?
That's a great question. The early days of the pandemic were days that were a bit confusing, but we worked to provide clarity, especially early on. Right. So as the nation was confronting the COVID crisis, the pandemic, we saw what was happening in New York. We saw what had happened in Italy. The state of Massachusetts began to really develop a plan of action to counter what was occurring elsewhere. At Boston Children's, I remember vividly St. Patrick's Day weekend.
How can families support children's mental health during challenging times?
That was in March of 2020. where during that weekend, there were significant crowds outside, parades, individuals having a great time. And as I was sitting at my desk, I realized we were going to head to significant problems if we did do something drastically. All the other hospitals also realized it at the same time, that we had to change our practice. So during those days, I actually called all of our leadership, both physician, nursing, administrative leadership, and let them know that we were going to have to change our practice dramatically, meaning that we were all going to have to go remotely.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What impact has the pandemic had on children's health?
0:01–1:03
2
How did Boston Children's Hospital adapt during the early days of COVID-19?
1:03–2:38
3
What mental health issues are children facing due to the pandemic?
2:38–4:06
4
How can families support children's mental health during challenging times?
4:06–5:54
5
What role does community play in addressing children's health needs?
5:54–7:37
6
How can healthcare institutions improve racial equity?
7:37–9:02
7
What innovations in healthcare have emerged from the pandemic?
9:02–10:50
8
How can leaders maintain a positive outlook during crises?
10:50–26:11
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