January 17, 2017

11817CNOR640For the third year in a row, Texas Children’s Hospital has been named CNOR Strong by the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI).

To achieve this recognition, more than 50 percent of a hospital’s operating room (OR) nurses’ must undergo a rigorous process that involves mastering high standards of perioperative practices before nurses can earn their individual CNOR certification.

“Words cannot express how proud I am to be the leader of an OR that is CNOR strong for the third year in a row,” said Amanda Austin, manager of Surgical Services at Texas Children’s. “It has been amazing to watch the dedication and drive grow amongst the OR nurses who worked extremely hard to achieve this milestone. They are showing their passion for what they do.”

While obtaining the CNOR designation is not an easy task and requires lots of study and preparation, this nationally recognized certification exemplifies Texas Children’s commitment to being the best of the best in the delivery of safe patient care.

“It all goes back wholeheartedly to being patient advocates that set the highest bar for the care we provide to our sleeping patients,” said Nakeisha Archer, director of Perioperative Services at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women and president of the Greater Houston Chapter of the Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses. “We are proud of being designated as a whole, and putting the Pavilion for Women on the map as the first women’s hospital to become CNOR strong internationally.”

Research shows that nurses who earn the CNOR credential have greater confidence in their clinical practice. A team of CNOR certified nurses who have mastered the standards of perioperative practice furthers a culture of professionalism and has been correlated to improved outcomes in surgical patients.

In a recent study published in the journal of the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses, hospitals with high rates of specialty nursing certifications saw significant lower rates of central-line associated bloodstream infections among surgery patients. The study also found that a 10 percent increase of CNOR’s and other support certified nurses resulted in an 8 to 16 percent reduction in surgical infections.

“I am honored to be involved with an institution and perioperative departments that have a commitment to excellence,” said Janet Winebar, director of Perioperative Services at West Tower. “I commend the individual OR RNs who have worked so hard to achieve this honor and their leaders for supporting them.”

11817POSNA640The Texas Children’s Hospital Division of Orthopedic Surgery recently hosted the second annual meeting of the Children’s Orthopedics Trauma and Infection Consortium for Evidence Based Study (CORTICES).

Organized by local hosts Dr. Scott Rosenfeld and Dr. Jaclyn Hill, the January 8-9 meeting was attended by about 20 physicians and investigators from peer hospitals across the country. Supported in part by a Texas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Research Grant for the study of regional variations in pediatric musculoskeletal infections, the group met to discuss preliminary data that has been collected from nearly 15,000 pediatric patients around the country. Additionally, the group began plans for future research projects in the field of pediatric musculoskeletal trauma and infection.

The Texas Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Programs focus on the study and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions in order to advance knowledge, prevent disease, improve health and ensure the highest level of individualized care for patients from newborns to young adults. With more than 30 Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeons and Advanced Practice Providers, Texas Children’s Orthopedics is recognized as a leader in research, teaching, and the clinical care of children not only across Houston, Texas but around the world.

January 11, 2017

11117texansspirit640Texas Children’s employees know how to show their team spirit!

Last week, several Houston Texans fans across the Texas Children’s system sported jerseys, shirts or team colors to support our home team, who, for the second year in a row, clenched the AFC South title and are now in the playoffs.

On January 7, in front of a home crowd of 71,790, the Houston Texans defeated the Oakland Raiders 27-14 in the AFC Wild Card game to advance to the next round of the NFL playoffs. The Houston Texans will continue the postseason with a trip to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional round. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, January 13, at Gillette Stadium.

To continue our support of the team, Texas Children’s employee fans are encouraged to wear Texans jerseys, shirts or team colors on Friday, January 13, and Saturday, January 14. Khakis or similar slacks may be worn but no denim jeans, as we wish to present a spirited yet professional appearance to our patients and their families.

The Houston Texans organization has been an incredible partner for Texas Children’s. Together with their enthusiastic players, cheerleaders and TORO, we continue to reach thousands of children in our local communities through fun and educational camps, school programs, special hospital visits and appearances.

As we cheer on the Houston Texans, especially in this Saturday’s game with the New England Patriots, please share with us examples of your team spirit! Send photos of you and your co-workers in your Texans gear to HR Communications at dialogue@texaschildrens.org.

January 10, 2017

Take a look at the continued work that’s being done to finalize our medical complex in The Woodlands.

11117clabsi640Texas Children’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) 2 nursing team has a big reason to celebrate – they reached 365 days and counting with zero central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), which demonstrates the value of team work and our hospital’s commitment to cultivating an environment for safe patient care.

In November 2015, NICU 2 reported three CLABSI infections. Since then, the rate of CLABSI occurrences has dropped to zero.

“Last fall, we were concerned about the number of CLABSIs we were having not only in the NICU but across the organization,” said NICU Clinical Nurse Specialist Alex Luton. “Together, with our infection control counterparts in education and vascular access, we implemented a massive educational initiative that trained more than 2,000 nurses across the organization on several key skills in central line care.”

Besides opening dialogue with the bedside nurses and care providers to identify and close any gaps observed around central line care, current hospital policies and practices were reviewed against national standards to identify areas of care that could be standardized to reduce CLABSI occurrences.

“Prior to this initiative, units had their own way of accessing and maintaining the central line,” said NICU Education Coordinator Rachel Leva. “Now, all nurses follow the same standard procedure for central line maintenance across the hospital system which has significantly helped us reduce our CLABSI rates in NICU 2.”

Creating the new role of central line resource nurses (CLRNs) has also provided an added layer of support for CLABSI prevention. To help bedside staff focus on other important patient care responsibilities, the CLRNs round on all patients with central lines during every shift.

“By providing central line care support and education, we’ve been able to address concerns early before they potentially manifest into a bloodstream infection,” said Ivy Lynn Ersan, a CLRN in NICU 2. “For instance, if a patient sweats a lot or has a lot of secretions, we may need to check on the patient more frequently per shift and change the dressing sooner than later to ward off an infection.”

Other strategies implemented in NICU 2 to reduce CLABSI include:

  • Central Line Champions Program – Specially trained to observe and audit central line care practices, these champions serve as coaches to ensure compliance with proven CLABSI prevention strategies. While all NICU staff are trained in CLABSI prevention, central line champions undergo more intensive training and must attend monthly educational sessions.
  • Hand Hygiene – NICU 2 nurses participated in a house-wide hand hygiene competition and posted signs in the unit as a visual cue to keep hand hygiene top of mind. NICU 2 leadership worked closely with Facilities to ensure ample supply of free standing hand sanitizer in the unit.
  • Weekly CLABSI meetings – Meetings are held every Tuesday to review and share information on CLABSI occurrence and identify any gaps in practice that need to be addressed. Attendees at these meetings include members from the vascular access, infection control and CLRN teams. A representative from Facilities also attends to ensure the working environment is conducive to safe patient care.

NICU 2 Assistant Clinical Director Tanya Williams says one important aspect that helped NICU 2 nurses achieve this milestone was their questioning attitude.

“Our nurses are not afraid to ask questions when something doesn’t seem right,” Williams said. “I think fostering this culture of a questioning attitude is how we were able to get this far. I am so incredibly proud of our nurses and our CLABSI partners for helping us achieve this patient safety milestone.”

11117kidstriinside300

The 50 complimentary spots offered below have been filled. If your child would still like to participate, you can register them at the link below for $50 per child.

http://www.houstontexans.com/kids/triathlon/registration.html

 

Want to help build a generation of healthy, active children? Sign them up for the 2017 Houston Texans Kids Triathlon and Texas Children’s Hospital will pay their registration fee.

As the event’s presenting sponsor, the hospital will foot the bill for 50 children of employees to participate in the event slated for May 20 and 21 at NRG Stadium. The complimentary registrations are not retroactive, therefore if you have already signed up for the event, we cannot provide a reimbursement.

Drawing more than 3,000 participants ages 6 to 15, the event is expected to be the largest USATriathlon sanctioned kids triathlon in the world for the fourth consecutive year.

Click here for more information and here to watch a video of last year’s event.

If you are interested in receiving one of the complimentary spots, please fill out this form and submit it to Alexandra Comerota at alexandra.comerota@houstontexans.com. The deadline to use these complimentary registrations is Wednesday, March 1, so don’t delay!

11117discounts640Given the popularity of New Year resolutions about health and well-being, we want to remind you of the well-being discounts available to all Texas Children’s badge holders. Participating vendor partners include:

  • 24 Hour Fitness
  • American College of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
  • Blast Fitness
  • CampGladiator
  • Define body & mind
  • Dynamic Fitness 24/7
  • LA Fitness
  • Lifetime Fitness
  • My Fit Foods
  • Orange Theory Fitness
  • Revolution Studio
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Weight Watchers
  • YMCA
  • Yoga One Studios

For discount details, eligibility, and enrollment click here.

In addition to our well-being discounts, Texas Children’s subsidizes 50 percent of Weight Watchers’ Beyond the Scale, a program with a holistic approach to weight management. To learn more about the program, check out this video.

Another benefit offered at Texas Children’s is access to our well-being programs, available at no cost to Texas Children’s employees:

Did you know?
Texas Children’s also offers counseling, stress management, financial assistance, and grief recovery programs. For more information, please call the Employee Assistance Program at ext. 4-3332.