Veracity and Children's Mercy Kansas City Launch Program to Advance Women in Healthcare IT
Veracity, a leading consulting firm, has pledged to support Children’s Mercy in its efforts to advance women in healthcare IT.
The new program, called the Veracity Endowed Scholarship for Women in Healthcare IT, will provide funds to allied health scholarships for women at Children’s Mercy who are pursuing professional and advanced degrees, continuing and higher education, as well as professional development and conferences, in the field of healthcare IT.
“We’re incredibly grateful for Veracity’s support as we jointly launch this innovative program in the Kansas City region,” said Jenea Oliver, Chief Development Officer at Children’s Mercy. “We strive to serve our patients, our employees and the broader community through superior patient care, research, education and advocacy – all for kids! This gift from Veracity will accelerate our ability to do so while also advancing how we leverage and use technology to better meet the needs of our families.”
In addition to awarding one or more annual scholarships to female employees who currently work in IT, HIMSS, HITS or big data at Children’s Mercy, the scholarship will also go toward women who would like to transition their careers into healthcare IT.
“Children’s Mercy is an essential part of Kansas City, yet their reach knows no boundaries. This program will help us continue Children’s Mercy legacy as a premier children’s hospital with unparalleled healthcare providers, researchers and technologists, all united in their mission to provide superior service and patient care,” said Angela Hurt, CEO and founder, Veracity Consulting. “Education is the first step in ensuring all families in our community and beyond continue to have access to the best healthcare, and we’re honored to support Children’s Mercy in their efforts to foster and advance women in healthcare IT.”
Hurt added that this program will provide greater awareness about the gender gap that still exists in technology today. This scholarship is one way to increase the number of women IT professionals and will hopefully inspire more to pursue this field.
“Together with Children’s Mercy, we hope to see more women in healthcare IT. Similar to so many other industries, burnout is real, especially for medical professionals,” said Hurt. “Rather than leave the medical field altogether, we hope women will look to this program as a way to transition their careers, blending their medical knowledge with new skills gained from technology education.”
Applications are now live via Children’s Mercy here, and the deadline to apply is August 15, 2021. The first scholarship will be awarded this fall and recipients will be determined by the Allied Health Scholarship Committee with guidance from the Chief Nursing Officer.