# COVID-19 Exposure, Response, Physical and Mental Health Sequelae among Nurses in New York State

> **NIH ALLCDC R03** · SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $80,646

## Abstract

Title: COVID-19 Exposure, Response, Physical and Mental Health Sequalae among Nurses in
New York State
Project Summary
Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been over 7.6 million COVID-19
cases and over 214,000 deaths in the United States (US). Simultaneously, the physical and
mental health impacts of health care workers managing the COVID-19 pandemic (frontline
workers) has been increasingly documented, and include increased rates of depression, anxiety,
post-traumatic stress disorder, and COVID-19 infection. Associations between individual-level
and organizational-level characteristics on risk of COVID-19 infection and mental health
outcomes, however, are under explored among frontline nurses. To address these gaps, this
project will 1) evaluate the associations between COVID-19 related burnout, coping strategies,
on mental health symptoms 2) examine the impact of organizational-level factors on report of
COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis and 3) identify how individual and organizational-level
protective factors may buffer adverse mental health outcomes.
To accomplish these aims, we will leverage our significant expertise in COVID-19 and occupation
health disease disparities research, community-engaged and mixed-method approaches, and our
partnership with the PEF Union at the University Hospital of Brooklyn, to recruit 2,000 frontline
nurses in New York State to complete a cross-sectional online survey, as well as in-depth
qualitative interviews in a subset (N=100) to provide a mixed method dataset of COVID-19
exposures and impacts among a COVID-19 vulnerable occupational group.
In this proposed project, we seek to address several key needs as identified by nurses through
our union partnerships, including nurse-specific data on inadequate access and training on PPE
use, mental health impacts (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder), quantitative and
qualitative data on how nurses are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Through our
study, we will address the NORA “Healthcare and Social Assistance” sector (62) and the “Healthy
Work Design and Well-Being Program” cross-sector. Further, these research questions will be
examined within the context of the New York State nursing workforce, which was the early
epicenter of the US COVID-19 pandemic and currently has the 4th highest number of COVID-19
cases and the highest number of COVID-19 deaths.
Findings from this study will contribute to the development of multilevel organizational strategies
to support frontline workers by elucidating factors associated with COVID-19 stress and physical
and mental health and identifying modifiable factors to improve well-being among vulnerable
occupational groups.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10472392
- **Project number:** 5R03OH012215-02
- **Recipient organization:** SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Marlene Camacho
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $80,646
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10472392

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10472392, COVID-19 Exposure, Response, Physical and Mental Health Sequelae among Nurses in New York State (5R03OH012215-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10472392. Licensed CC0.

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