_._..--._ UnWERSIW D ARDEN L3VA-IL-o457 ~ RGINIA . _ . Revlon. 3ft,2[|3| Busmcss Publishing The Impact of COVID on the Mental Health of Health lCare Providers Introduction Isabelle Davis sat at her desk injune of 2020 and reflected on a critical issue: the mental health and well being of the clinical workforce at Mountain View University (MUD) llealth. Since becoming the dean of the School of Nursing at MVU Health in the fall of 2UP), she had been trying to get her arms around efforts to support clinician wellbeing at MVU. Davis had spent the last three years working on a focus group at the National Academy of Medicine on clinician wellbeing and burnout, and she was a member of its task force dedicated to this issue. The (I)VIDl') pandemic added a new stressor to the lives of clinicians, including doctors and nurses, so Davis had been charged by MVU llealth leadership to develop a plan for the health system. Background The (ZOVID pandemic exposed the urgency in addressing clinician wellbeing in the United States and around the world, as health care team members suffered the impact of an unrelenting surge of deaths and oppressive working conditions. Not only were clinicians working extraordinarily long hours, weighed down by uncomfortable protective equipment, but they were also burdened by feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness as they risked their own lives and the lives of their families to stem the effects of the (IOVIDIO virus. 'l'heir stress was unabated, and many experienced despair and desperation. Even worse, many felt unable to ask for help to alleviate their suffering, seeing it as a sign of weakness. The ongoing moral injury and emotional stress were destructive and led some to leave their professions or even take their own lives. Prevention of these devastating effects was crucial, so that not one more life or career would be lost to the emotional and mental health pandemic that was descending on clinicians. 'l by Various Il'slnlclors From 19192023 lo :1.-'3|3I.-'2D23 .r."_" :E we :33