Date of Award

Winter 2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)

Department

Public Policy and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Michelle Wade, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Stacie Metz, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kristen Crossney, Ph.D.

Abstract

People worldwide experienced some impacts from the 2019 Coronavirus at various degree. The healthcare industry worldwide was significantly affected by the high volume of patients being infected with the Coronavirus. The COVID-19 virus brought on several challenges for the healthcare industry and the federal government in the United States. Hospitals operated under severe circumstances to treat sick COVID-19 patients and keep their employees safe from contracting the disease. Government mandated social distancing, mask wearing, and cancelation and closing of services to assist with stopping the spread of the virus. This study aimed to identify how the pandemic affected the healthcare system and its policies through a qualitative analysis using a thematic framework. Healthcare professionals were interviewed in the data collection process to analyze the various ways the healthcare industry has been impacted by the pandemic. This study found several ways the healthcare industry had been impacted by the pandemic. Hospital and healthcare facilities were required to change their policies and focus attention saving lives. The abundance of misinformation from federal and local government created healthcare distrust from the community. These challenges that the healthcare industry faced execrated an already exhausted workforce which inedible created employee burnout and increase high turnover, and a cultural transformation in the healthcare industry. Findings from this study should be used to further study the long-term causes of the 2019 pandemic on the healthcare industry.

Keywords: healthcare, hospitals, Covid-19, pandemic, government, federal, state, policies, impact

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