Focused on Career Training in Health IT, HIMSS and BioDistrict New Orleans Collaborate

CHICAGO and NEW ORLEANS (November 14, 2012) – Recognizing the need for career training for available and upcoming health IT jobs in New Orleans, HIMSS and BioDistrict New Orleans have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance workforce health IT initiatives anticipated to grow in the next several years in BioDistrict New Orleans. The agreement focuses on educational, career support and online initiatives before and during the 2013 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, which will be held in New Orleans on March 3-7, 2013.

The synergies between the two organizations focus on career development resources offered by HIMSS, recognizing the ongoing demand for skilled health IT employees in the BioDistrict.  The BioDistrict, Louisiana’s #1 Employment Center, encompasses 1,500 acres spanning the Downtown and Mid-City areas of New Orleans and focuses on the development of the biosciences industry in New Orleans that will provide world-class biosciences research and development; local, regional, and global healthcare delivery; and stable, high-paying jobs for professionals, managers and workers representing a wide range of skills.

“This new collaboration with HIMSS and BioDistrict New Orleans is positive news for our city,” says New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “I am hopeful that this partnership will help to create new economic and workforce development opportunities in the hospitality, health IT and innovation sectors for New Orleanians.”

HIMSS will work with BioDistrict to provide career development resources, through white papers, webinars and other online and career-supporting tools. This information will equip current professionals to learn grow, and advance in their health IT careers. Additional services include HIMSS JobMine® job listings, online mentoring and an emerging professionals community, resources that can be used in the BioDistrict.  Also available will be various HIMSS online tools for current, new and transitioning professionals who are interested in a career in health IT.

“HIMSS recognizes the ongoing need for skilled health IT professionals across the country, and in BioDistrict New Orleans. Our Career Services provides an employment, education and networking center with valuable online resources and tools for current and aspiring healthcare and IT professionals. We look forward to working with BioDistrict New Orleans, before and during our upcoming annual conference in the city,” says Carla M. Smith, MA, CNM, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, HIMSS.

At HIMSS13, BioDistrict will be part of the conference Career Services Institute, a full-day program on Tuesday, March 4, 2013.  The Career Services Institute will feature a nationally recognized career coach and will support networking opportunities for all participants. In addition, the Career Services Center at HIMSS13 provides a centralized location at the conference for recruiters, consultants and others who contribute to the development of the health IT workforce. It will be a gathering point for both job seekers and organizations looking for talent in health IT with a poster and a q/a session, both on Tuesday, March 4, 2013.

“This partnership with HIMSS will serve as an example of how BioDistrict New Orleans is creating opportunities for workforce development and training to build a successful biosciences industry in New Orleans,” said James P. McNamara, President & CEO of BioDistrict New Orleans. “Through our work with HIMSS, new companies will be recruited, creating more high paying jobs in the bioscience and healthcare IT industry and providing the foundation for viable careers for the people of New Orleans.”

“The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce is happy to facilitate a relationship of this magnitude to benefit the residents of our city, state and region. Anytime there is a chance for economic development and job creation, especially in the growing healthcare IT industry, its considered a win for the future of New Orleans,” said Ben Johnson, President & CEO, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on the HIMSS Career Services Center, contact Helen Figge, PharmD, MBA, CPHIMS, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Senior Director, Professional Development, Career Services, at hfigge@himss.org or at 312-915-9548.

For more information on BioDistrict New Orleans, visit www.biodistrictneworleans.org.

About BioDistrict New Orleans

The BioDistrict is focused on the development of a biosciences industry in New Orleans that will provide world-class biosciences research and development; local, regional, and global healthcare delivery; and stable, high-paying jobs for professionals, managers and workers representing a wide range of skills. Through partnerships among major educational and research institutions, private companies, government agencies, and independent foundations, BioDistrict New Orleans will create opportunities for workforce training and research needed to build a successful biosciences industry. More information can be found at www.biodistrictneworleans.org or by emailing jamesp@biodistrictneworleans.org.

About HIMSS

HIMSS  is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 52 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents nearly 50,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 570 corporate membersand more than 225 not-for-profit partner organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at www.himss.org.

   

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