There's a public health crisis brewing across hospitals in the US, where many sick children are struggling to obtain the basic drugs and nutrients that could save their lives. Alexandra Robbins takes a deeper look at America's drug shortage in a piece for the Washingtonian, supplementing shocking statistics with harrowing portraits of the children most directly affected. As Robbins reports, assigning blame can be difficult — some blame drug manufacturers, others blame the FDA — but the numbers speak for themselves; there are currently 300 drug, nutrient, and trace element shortages across US hospitals, the highest number ever recorded.

"I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career, and I’ve been a pharmacist for 40-some years," Michael Cohen, president of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, told the Washingtonian. "This should never be allowed to happen."