The healthcare industry has been dominated by women for years, with around 80% of healthcare workers in the United States being female. Dr. Natanya Wachtel, the host of the “Insights Out“ podcast, recently interviewed Kat McDavitt, Chief Strategy Officer and Founder of the leading Insenna Communications, a go-to-market consultancy for organizations operating in the healthcare technology sector, as well as CEO of the Zorya Foundation, a non-profit creating and supporting opportunities for women in the healthcare industry.
Dr. Natanya and Kat McDavitt talked about how difficult it is for women in the healthcare industry to balance their work and family life due to a lack of support. Many women have to take care of their children and also work full-time, which can be very hard.
Some women are forced to quit their jobs or postpone their careers due to a lack of support for childcare and other family obligations. In order to help women overcome these challenges and succeed in their careers, it’s crucial to have support programs like grants for childcare.
Dr. Natanya and Kat also brought up the gender pay gap as another difficulty that women in the health industry encounter. Despite women making up the majority of healthcare employees, men often earn more in the field. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, women in the health and care sector are paid an average of 24% less than men, which creates a significant barrier to career advancement and equal opportunities for leadership positions.
To address this issue of the pay gap, the Zorya Foundation, led by Kat, offers cash grants to women, helping to narrow the gender pay gap and empowering women to advance in their careers and achieve their professional goals.
Kat also highlights the issue of inadequate postpartum care. She says that this issue is particularly severe in North Omaha, Nebraska, where studies have shown that black moms experience poor postpartum outcomes. She said, “In Omaha, you can run into care deserts. It’s really difficult to coordinate and reach a lot of these patients. And oftentimes, there’s medical mistrust.” Dr. Wachtel further added that “There are trade-offs when there’s care disparity, wealth disparity, racial tension or divide, between the needs of the newborn and the needs of feeding yourself and paying your electric bill.”
Dr. Natanya stressed that healthcare providers need to focus on these communities to address this disparity and ensure that everyone has access to quality healthcare. Kat also emphasized the use of technology to look at the data and send alerts around to all clinicians to let them know when a mother has recently delivered and needs postpartum care.
However, she believes that this is not enough. Healthcare utilities that are in close connection with these communities should work together with non-profit organizations in these areas and develop a system to deal with this issue.
They concluded that difficulties faced by women in the health and wellness sector cannot be disregarded because it is a vital component of the economy. We must work together to create a space for women in the health sector and ensure that everyone has access to the care they need to maintain their health and well-being.
As Dr. Natanya says, “You don’t have to be part of the problem, but you can always be part of the solution no matter who you are. It can be on a small scale or a large scale … look around in the universe and see maybe there’s something that they can do.” To learn more about Dr. Natanya and her projects, visit her personal website and company website. You can also follow her on LinkedIn to keep up with her latest projects.
