April 17, 2018

For many patients and their families, trying to find parking in the garages at Texas Children’s Medical Center Campus can be challenging at times. But Texas Children’s employees and staff are finding creative solutions every day to address the concerns and needs of our patients and their families.

Coupled with the hospital’s on-going efforts to provide patients, families and visitors priority access to proximal parking to help get them to their clinical appointments on time, new enhancements to our parking garages are making it easier for patient families to find available spaces quickly while saving time.

To optimize the patient parking experience and meet the current parking demand, construction on the Parking Guidance System (PGS) in Garage 21 (Pavilion for Women/Legacy Tower) is almost complete. This project involved the installation of light sensors over parking spaces to help visitors identify whether a space is occupied (red) or available (green).

“The lights are clearly visible from several hundred feet away and electronic signage helps drivers identify the number of spaces available in various directions,” said Texas Children’s Facilities Project Manager Ted Gillis. “Since its installation, the Parking Guidance System in Garage 21 has improved the flow of traffic, and is making it easier for hospital visitors to find a spot in the garage more quickly.”

The installation of the red and green light sensors is currently in progress in Garage 16 (Wallace Tower). The PGS installation in Garage 12 (West Tower) will begin after the project is completed at Wallace Tower.

Texas Children’s continually receives feedback from patient families – and employees and staff – about impactful changes that can be implemented across the organization to promote a positive patient experience.

“By ensuring patients and families are considered first through both organization practices like the recent parking guidance enhancements and through decisions we each make as individuals, we personalize and improve what might otherwise be a stressful event for a family,” said Katie Kalenda Daggett, director of Patient and Family Services.

Additional enhancements to Garage 21

In preparation for the opening of Legacy Tower on May 22, Garage 21 under the Pavilion for Women and Legacy Tower is undergoing additional enhancements to create garage elevator lobbies for Legacy Tower, improve traffic flow and wayfinding, and increase public parking capacity.

Traffic flows have been re-configured to direct pediatric patients to Legacy Tower and women’s services patients to the Pavilion for Women. Below is a list of the designated parking areas in Garage 21.

  • Level B1 – Executives and Pavilion for Women physician leaders; valet, Wells Fargo Bank reserved spaces
  • Level B2 – Patient and visitor parking; Legacy Tower physician leaders, Wells Fargo Bank reserved spaces
  • Level B3 – Patient and visitor parking
  • Level B4 – Patient and visitor parking overflow, physicians and contract parking

The hospital’s canine crew now has a male pup joining the team. He has officially been added to the roster as a part of Texas Children’s Pawsitive Play Program that uses animal-assisted therapy to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients by reducing their anxiety, perception of pain and fear of hospitalization.

Pinto is a two-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever who was generously funded through a gift from The Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital, a volunteer led organization that has been providing compassion to patients and their families for over 60 years.

He will be working in Acute Care, including units like Inpatient Rehab, the Emergency Center, and others around the hospital.

Like Elsa and Bailey, Pinto will offer distraction and motivation to patients undergoing certain medical procedures, along with his trusted handler. Shelby Bonnet is a Texas Children’s child life specialist who collaborates with medical teams and physical and occupational therapists to visit with five to ten patients each day who are having a particularly difficult time during their hospitalization. She is looking forward to expanding her role, and transitioning into being the newest therapy dog handler.

“I have been able to see the great work that Sarah and Adair (other therapy dog handlers) have done with Bailey and Elsa,” Bonnet said. “I am really excited to incorporate Pinto into helping patients and families around the hospital.”

As a child life specialist, who worked in the Emergency Center, Bonnet is no stranger to creating a comfortable atmosphere for children in a difficult environment, and Pinto is able to connect with patients in ways that no one else can.

Recently, Pinto took a small tour around the hospital to become more acclimated with patients and his co-workers. Just like any other employee, he was greeted by his fellow co-workers with the warmest welcome, encouragement, and motivation to uphold Texas Children’s mission of creating a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community.

“I expect a lot of promoting some normalization in the hospital,” Bonnet said. “I really hope that Pinto is able to help decrease anxiety, and to be an encouragement during procedures.”

Pinto is a bit larger and a shade or two darker than Bailey and Elsa, so it will be easy to spot him around the hospital. He is still adapting to being in this environment, but feel free to greet him and show that he has all of the love and support from his Texas Children’s family.

Shaquille O’Neal made a special visit to Texas Children’s Cancer Center April 9 prior to being honored at the Marriott Marquis Houston for the 13th annual An Evening with a Legend.

During the one-on-one room visits, O’Neal enjoyed shooting hoops, playing games and talking with patients about their cancer journeys. As someone who has had such a unique and successful journey on and off the court, O’Neal offered words of encouragement and let the families know they are not alone.

Later that evening, the 7-foot-1-inch tall NBA legend was honored at the annual An Evening with a Legend event benefiting Texas Children’s Cancer Center.

Nearly 500 guests enjoyed the unforgettable evening kicked off by University of Houston cheerleaders rallied and followed by a beautiful seated dinner, exciting “Slam Dunk” paddle raise and an intimate conversation with O’Neal.

Moderated by NBC’s American Ninja Warrior host Matt Iseman, guests were given an inside look at how O’Neal achieved incredible basketball accolades, as well as his success and unique journey off the court. His larger-than-life personality and powerful athleticism have made him a household name and legend in both sports and entertainment. His individual accomplishments include seven MVP awards, two scoring titles, 15 All-Star game selections and much more. O’Neal is one of only three players in history to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP in the same year. He led his teams to four NBA Finals championships during his career and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Co-chaired by Julie Bergen and Kathy Zay, the event raised more than $700,000 for Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Monica and Kevin King and Stephanie and Brad Tucker served as honorary chairs for the event.

Are you ready to take on the Compassion Challenge? To celebrate Patient Experience Week beginning on Monday, April 23, Texas Children’s will launch the Compassion Challenge to engage staff around the hospital’s core values.

Each day during Patient Experience Week, employees and staff across the organization will complete a challenge that focuses on the concepts of compassion, communication and connectedness. Whether it’s greeting 10 people within the first two hours of your shift or helping patients and visitors navigate their way through our hospital campuses and facilities, these simple acts of compassion go a long way to show just how much you care.

“We are focusing our patient experience efforts around these behavioral philosophies to exemplify the core of Texas Children’s culture,” said Texas Children’s Director of Patient and Family Services, Katie Kalenda Daggett. “Hardwiring these principles into actions throughout the organization will demonstrate to our patients and their families that we put them first, all while working to create a healthier future for children and women.”

Employees and staff who complete each challenge during Patient Experience Week will be entered into a contest for a chance to win two tickets to an upcoming Houston Dynamos game. Click here to view the details of each challenge and for more information on how to participate in the Compassion Challenge.

The theme for Patient Experience Week is “A Magical Experience,” which is fitting following last month’s exciting announcement of Texas Children’s partnership with the Walt Disney Company on patient experience initiatives. This year’s theme describes what a patient’s stay should feel like at Texas Children’s. Every day our employees and staff work together to ensure our patients and families have the best experience possible every time they see us.

From April 23 to April 27, the Patient Experience team will kick off an exciting week filled with magic-themed activities, interactive events and educational opportunities at Texas Children’s Hospital Medical Center Campus, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital Woodlands Campus.

Several events planned include Caught You Caring Awards ceremonies at all three campuses to recognize our 2018 recipients who have gone above and beyond to show compassion to our patients, families and co-workers.

In addition, you don’t want to miss these two inspiring speaker series talks:

  • Local business owner and community leader Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, will speak about the importance of serving others and how he builds his business on these core values.
  • Walt Disney once said “You can dream, create, design the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” Kelly Fuhlman from the Disney Institute shares the magic behind the customer experience created at Disney parks and resort locations throughout the world.

If you can’t attend the speaker series at the Medical Center Campus, video streaming will be available to other locations. Come out and celebrate the hard work that each of us does every day to make the patient experience an exceptional one at Texas Children’s.

There will be fun activities for patients and families as well including music, a photo booth, a magician, Disney characters, games and activities.

Click here to view the speaker series flyer.

PATIENT EXPERIENCE WEEK 2018 – A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE

Monday, April 23

Speaker Series: The Magic of Serving Others
Join us during Patient Experience Week as we learn about the importance of serving others from community leader and supporter Mattress Mack.

Where: Texas Children’s auditorium (Abercrombie Building – Medical Center Campus)
When: noon to 1 p.m.

Caught you Caring Awards Reception
Join us during Patient Experience Week as we celebrate employees and staff who have gone above and beyond to provide compassion to our patients, families and co-workers.

Where: Pavilion for Women Conference Rooms B and C (fourth floor)
When: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday, April 24

Caught you Caring Awards Reception
Join us during Patient Experience Week as we celebrate employees and staff who have gone above and beyond to provide compassion to our patients, families and co-workers.

Where: West Campus Conference Room (WH-01A)
When: 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Patient and Family Celebration
Patients and families are invited to join us for “A Magical Experience” at one of our patient and family celebrations during Patient Experience Week. There will be music, a photo booth, Disney characters, games and activities.

Where: West Campus (first-floor lobby)
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wednesday, April 25

Speaker Series: The Magic behind the Customer Experience
Walt Disney once said, “You can dream, create, design the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” Kelly Fuhlman from the Disney Institute shares the business behind the magic created at Disney parks and resort locations throughout the world.

Where: Texas Children’s auditorium (Abercrombie Building, Medical Center Campus)
When: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Thursday, April 26

Patient and Family Celebration
Patients and families are invited to join us for “A Magical Experience” at one of our patient and family celebrations during Patient Experience Week. There will be music, a photo booth, magician, Disney characters, games and activities.

Where: The Auxiliary Bridge (Medical Center Campus)
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friday, April 27

Caught you Caring Awards Reception
Join us during Patient Experience Week as we celebrate employees and staff who have gone above and beyond to provide compassion to our patients, families and co-workers.

Where: The Woodlands Conference Center (WL.0280.02)
When: 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Patient and Family Celebration
Patients and families are invited to join us for “A Magical Experience” at one of our patient and family celebrations during Patient Experience Week. There will be music, magician, Disney characters, games and activities.

Where: The Woodlands Hospital (first-floor lobby)
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Other activities throughout the week at the Pavilion for Women include:

Chair massages will be available for patients at the Pavilion for Women clinics. The massage therapist will rotate through the clinics throughout the week. Tea cart will also provide tea, cookies and a succulent to inpatients at Pavilion for Women.

Texas Children’s Chief of Service in Developmental Pediatrics, Dr. Robert Voigt, collaborated with fellow Baylor College of Medicine professor, Dr. Carl Tapia, to release the second edition of their textbook entitled Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced the availability of the new textbook that focuses on caring for children with developmental and behavioral issues starting with medical evaluation and care initiation to the transition to adulthood.

April 10, 2018

Texas Children’s employees and Houston-area residents came out in full force to participate in the sixth annual Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

On April 7, more than thousands of people of all abilities participated in the non-competitive 1K and 3K courses. Following the race, participants enjoyed the H-E-B sponsored Family Fun Zone, which was packed with snacks, entertainment and 40-plus attractions.

Houston Marathon Announcer Mark Purnell kept everyone energized in his role as master of ceremonies cheering on the crowd and announcing any and all special guests, including Dr. Daren Molina with Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus Sports Medicine and members of the Texas Children’s Ukulele Choir. Prior to the race, Molina led runners and walkers in some warm-up stretches and exercises and members of the Ukulele Choir sang the National Anthem.

“Everyone had a great time at West Campus’ sixth annual Family Fun Run,” said Matt Timmons, director of business operations and support services at West Campus. “All morning, families had fun with each other and got some exercise.”

Sara Montenegro, assistant vice president at West Campus, said participants also learned about and connected with local vendors and resources.

“We really see this Family Fun Run as a way to bring our community together,” Montenegro said. “We want to be a valued partner and resource for this community and our annual Family Fun Run is just a fun way to bring our community together and highlight the importance of adopting active, healthy lifestyles.”

Get a first-hand look at the fun by:
Viewing a photo gallery of the event below.
Taking a look at our Facebook photo album from Saturday.
Don’t forget about the second annual Family Fun Run event at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. It will be on Saturday, May 5 and will offer a 1-mile course. Post-race activities will follow. Click here to register and learn more about the upcoming event.

After two independent studies were published two years ago suggesting that the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Texas had doubled within the past decade, an updated report released today in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that the MMR in Texas was significantly lower in 2012 than previously reported due to data collection error. The identification of this error illustrates an important role of the maternal mortality review process – ensuring accurate data on which to base interventions.

Comprised of 15 Texas-based multidisciplinary experts and chaired by Dr. Lisa Hollier, chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Health Plan and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Task Force used an enhanced methodology that combined data matching and records review for identifying maternal deaths. After meticulously reviewing 2012 data, investigators determined that the MMR in Texas was 14 to 18 deaths per 100,000 versus the 37 deaths per 100,000 previously reported.

“Our analysis found there were data quality issues,” said Hollier, who also is president-elect of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “When we examined the data, it showed that some deaths were mistakenly coded as “dying while pregnant,” when there was never a pregnancy. Beginning in 2010, Texas transitioned from paper to electronic death certificates, so unintentional user error in reporting pregnancy status may be responsible for the inaccurate data.”

Texas’ current electronic death registration system displays pregnancy status options as a dropdown list. The “pregnant at time of death” option is directly below the “not pregnant within past year” option. The investigators concluded that this could have led to erroneous selection, and could explain why pregnancy at time of death was reported for nearly 76 percent of the 74 obstetric-coded deaths with no evidence of pregnancy upon review.

The task force determined that a total of 56 Texas resident maternal deaths occurred during pregnancy or within 42 days postpartum in 2012. The most common causes for these deaths were drug overdose and cardiac events.

While the MMR is lower than initially reported, the updated report confirms a vast disparity still exists – black women had a higher MMR (27.8 per 100,000 live births) than did women of other racial and ethnic groups. Black women in Texas have more than double the risk of dying during pregnancy or within 42 days postpartum.

As one of the nation’s premier facilities for women’s, fetal and newborn health, Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women remains actively involved in grassroots advocacy at state and national levels with the goal of improving health outcomes, quality of care and patient safety for women and newborns across Texas and the nation.

Through the efforts of the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Task Force, Texas Children’s maternal-fetal medicine physician leadership is helping to review cases and study trends in maternal deaths so that we can better understand the problem and make recommendations to help reduce the MMR across Texas.

While these results published in the new report likely have national implications – since miscoding of obstetric deaths may occur in other states and affect the accuracy of their MMRs – the updated data demonstrates that Texas is more in the middle of the pack when it comes to MMRs across the nation.

“We believe future efforts should focus on improving the quality of death certificate data, especially pregnancy status,” Hollier said. “It is also critically important we don’t lose the unfortunate truth that even this updated data demonstrates a huge disparity between the MMRs faced by black women compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups. We need to continue work to identify why this disparity exists and create strategies to remedy it.”

Click here to read the report in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.