New Data Shows How COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Tulsa Area Youth

New data from the Tulsa Area United Way shows how the pandemic impacted our youth in the Tulsa area.

Children were impacted by the pandemic in some major areas including physical health, safety and well-being, mental health, and academics, according to the data Tulsa Area United Way gathered.

In a collaboration with groups like the State Department of Health, Department of Education, and the Department of Human Services, United Way found the pandemic exacerbated issues Oklahoma has already been dealing with.

This includes food insecurity for our children, increased mental health disorders, and learning delays.

While steps are being taken by United Way and its partner nonprofits to address these issues, they said it's going to take time.

"We continue to look at the data. We see how interventions that we are applying are working, and continue forward with solutions based on that and continue to develop potential new potential solutions," said Melanie Poulter, TAUW Research and Data Director.

Poulter said that what we've learned during COVID will hopefully help us be more prepared to deal with community crises in the future.

CLICK HERE for more information on the data collected.