News coverage of the effects of COVID-19 on low-wage workers has provided examples and stories of the myriad struggles and hardships they have faced. Many of these workers, deemed essential, continued to work despite health risks and challenging environments. Some received “survival” pay, a temporary bump in salary, while many have continued to work for low wages.
A new study by University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work faculty Rafael Engel, Sara Goodkind, and Jeff Shook entitled “Assessing the Effects of COVID-19 on the Economic, Health, Mental Health, Workplace and Family Well-being of Health Care Workers” will look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic, physical and mental health, and well-being of hospital service, clerical, and technical workers and nurses. The research will focus on workers’ current status 9 months after the initial shutdown in Allegheny County.
Several studies have been launched seeking to assess these effects in the general population, but none have focused on essential workers, particularly health care workers. Examining the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers will not only assess the toll it has taken upon them, but can also point toward public and organizational policies that can respond to and lessen the effects it is having.
The study utilizes existing partnerships developed through the Pittsburgh Wage Study. The Pittsburgh Wage Study is a longitudinal study of the effects of wage increases on service, clerical and technical workers in a hospital in Pennsylvania.
The researchers will conduct a survey of more than 3,000 healthcare workers, as well as lead focus groups, with members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Pennsylvania. This is Pennsylvania’s largest union of nurses and health care workers, comprising nearly 45,000 nurses, professional and technical employees, direct care workers, and service employees in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home and community-based services, and state facilities across the Commonwealth.
“Healthcare workers have continually stepped up and put themselves and their families at risk throughout the pandemic,” said Dr. Shook. “We hope to better understand the toll that this has taken on them and what we can do to help improve their well-being.”
This project is funded by The Heinz Endowments. The Heinz Endowments is devoted to the mission of helping our region prosper as a vibrant center of creativity, learning, and social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Core to the foundation’s work is the vision of a just community where all are included and where everyone who calls southwestern Pennsylvania home has a real and meaningful opportunity to thrive.