C E N TE R FOR RURAL HE ALTH
M E N TA L HE A LT H NE E D S OF T HE
HOSPITAL WORKFORCE
A 2021 study looked at the mental health of North Dakota’s hospital workers during the pandemic, and compared the results of rural versus urban environments
There was a time when Dan Kelly was
the impact was going to be in a rural
Peterson, a senior research analyst with
the CEO of McKenzie County Healthcare
community, versus urban.”
CRH, to help round out their research team,
System in Watford City, N.D. He led his organization through the first wave of COVID-19 in his rural community of 6,200, with his staff serving a county of 14,700.
So Kelly reached out to Brad Gibbens, acting director of the Center for Rural
which has direct ties to the North Dakota Healthcare Workforce Group within SMHS.
Health (CRH) at the UND School of
The study
Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS),
The group developed a study geared to
Two years into the pandemic, Kelly retired
asking if Gibbens knew of any such
assess the levels of anxiety, depression,
from his position.
studies from the U.S.
stress, and professional quality of life
“Early in the pandemic,” said Kelly, “there
Gibbens put Kelly in touch with Dr.
were some [mental health] studies coming
Shawnda Schroeder who was then-
out of other countries about workforce,
associate director of research and
but they only looked at physicians and
evaluation at CRH and a trainer with the
nurses, and nothing was coming out of the
Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology
U.S. We wanted to look at all healthcare
Transfer Center (MHTTC), and Kristen
workers within the state of North Dakota
Leighton, a research analyst at CRH.
and we wanted to understand what
The group then sought out Mandi-Leigh 20 North Dakota Medicine | Summer 2022
among all hospital staff in North Dakota during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, healthcare workforce had a history of dealing with depression and anxiety. Kelly was curious to know how the added stress of the public health crisis impacted an already stressed workforce.
