The Ryan Foundation committed to a donation of $2,000,000 over a period of five years to the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center Foundation of Omaha, Nebraska in July of 2022.
Children’s Hospital & Medical Center proudly serves patients and families today thanks to Margaret Doorly’s compassion and vision 80 years ago. As she paid her bill at a local hospital in 1942, Mrs. Doorly aided a family in need who did not have the required $10 at the window to admit their sick child. She kindly stepped in to pay the bill, but her impact didn’t stop there. She went home and voiced to her husband, Omaha World-Herald publisher Henry Doorly, the need for Omaha leaders to establish a hospital where no child would be refused care due to inability to pay. That single experience and conversation, along with community support and fundraising, allowed Children’s to open its doors in 1948. Over the past seven decades, Children’s has maintained its strong community focus and commitment to serving all children without regard to family income.
In 2018, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Foundation introduced a nursing sponsorship program to address the nursing shortage and the need for financial assistance for students pursuing nursing degrees. This program, now called the Student-to-Nurse (S2RN) Pediatric Sponsorship Program, has helped nursing students complete their education including Children’s Nurse Residency Program, and continue on as Hospital employees. The $2 million donated by the Ryan Foundation will support the continued growth of this important initiative. The gift will double the enrollment in the program from 10 to 20 students in the 2022-2023 academic year, and allow Children’s to strengthen their local talent pipeline, while combating the nationwide nursing shortage.
To view a press release about the donation by Children’s Hospital, please click here. To learn more about Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, please visit their website.