August 6, 2019

This past year, Texas Children’s Motion Analysis and Human Performance Laboratory, located at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, was awarded a prestigious accreditation from the Commission for Motion Laboratory Accreditation (CMLA) – an independent body established to enhance and standardize the clinical care of people with movement disorders.

The lab is now one of only 14 accredited labs in the nation and one of only three in Texas.

“This was an incredible accomplishment for our entire team and a major milestone for the entire Texas Children’s system,” said Dr. Eric Dugan, director of Texas Children’s Motion Analysis and Human Performance program.

Watch a video about the Motion Analysis Lab.

CMLA accreditation is a rigorous, often lengthy process and requires top-to-bottom documentation of everything a motion analysis lab does, how it’s done and the level of quality achieved. This includes evaluation of personnel, administrative structure, clinical and technical data collection methods, quality assurance procedures, and institutional policies. This data is then reviewed by a panel of CMLA experts in orthopedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, biomechanics, and other related disciplines.

“In early discussions with the CMLA, their estimated timetable for us, from the lab going online to accreditation, was about five years,” said Dugan. “We did it in 18 months, and were one of the fastest ever to receive accreditation.”

Every day, Texas Children’s is getting bigger and better. That’s because our leadership and world-class health care experts are always looking for ways to improve processes, to forge new paths in research, and to ensure an unmatched level of quality care for our patients. And it’s evident in our outcomes and in measures like our recent U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The CMLA accreditation was certainly a factor in the Division of Orthopedics rising five spots to become the No. 10 pediatric program in the country.

“There are so many things that go into the U.S. News rankings, but CMLA accreditation had a positive effect on our position because it helps us ensure we’re offering a full capacity of care for patients with movement disorders,” Dugan said.

Helping remove barriers

The Motion Analysis and Human Performance Laboratory provides the platform for an integrated approach to patient care. The foundational service for the lab is for neuromuscular or clinical gait patients with some form of neuromuscular disorder, such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida. However, lab capabilities are already being expanded to include a comprehensive sports medicine component. Two programs in early phases of implementation are running analysis – to determine any deficits in strength and mobility, or to identify mechanical issues that could lead to chronic injuries – and concussion management, which helps children avoid returning to play too early and experiencing another brain injury and also any possible musculoskeletal injuries that could result from concussion-related changes to postural control.

Clinical gait patients come to the lab as part of pre-surgical or pre-treatment planning to help multidisciplinary care teams determine the best path forward. The evaluation process is intensive and begins with a physical exam with a physical therapist (PT). In this approximately one-hour session, the PT assesses muscle tone, strength, range of motion and other functional measures to get a clear picture of the patient’s condition. A series of 2-D videos and photos are then taken to document standing posture and foot alignment. Patients are then “markered up” head to toe with 70 reflective spheres adhered at specific points on the body. This allows the team in the lab – typically a PT, PT tech and a biomechanist (human motion expert) – to capture a full biomechanical picture of the patient. These experts then work with colleagues in surgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation to analyze the data and develop a treatment plan that fits the needs of each individual patient – patients just like Hannah Deverse.

Hannah was born at 32 weeks, so her parents had been told to expect some developmental delays. However, when Hannah turned one, she still couldn’t sit up or crawl. Her body was stiff and she screamed in discomfort. A neurologist diagnosed her with cerebral palsy.

Over the course of her life, Hannah would need surgeries to alleviate tightness, improve flexion and correct structural deformities. But more than a decade ago, awareness and technology weren’t far along and her parents often felt they were flying in the dark.

“When you have to make difficult decisions about treatment without knowledge, you can feel lost,” said Jessica Deverse, Hannah’s mother. “That was how we felt before we experienced Texas Children’s motion lab. We had two surgeries before the lab was available and two after. We were much more confident with data from the lab. We were presented with multiple options and never felt pressured to do any of them. When we did make a decision, the team answered every single question we had, and we had a clear picture of what the process would be, from beginning to end.”

The data gathered in their initial lab session at Texas Children’s helped experts in pain management determine that Hannah would benefit from a special intrathecal pump to alleviate tightness in her body.

“Have you ever tried to stretch and you just couldn’t reach your toes? It was like that but all over my body for my whole life,” Hannah said. “After I got the pump, I felt like I was walking on clouds. I’d never felt that way before. I asked, ‘Is this how it’s supposed to feel?” because my whole life my body had been so tight.”

Lab analysis also allowed Hannah’s care team to make integral decisions about surgery. Initially it was thought she would need surgery on both knees. But because of the pump helping to control spasticity, the team changed course and decided to operate on only one knee, a surgery performed by Dr. Jeffrey Shilt, chief surgical officer at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands and Texas Children’s chief of Community Surgery, and co-medical director of the Motion Analysis Lab.

“It’s really important that parents know just how much more confident you can feel about making a surgery or treatment decision after seeing and reviewing the data with the team from the motion lab,” Jessica said. “As parents we are often faced with making decisions that will impact the future wellbeing of our children. When you have a child with a disability, the weight of some decisions can be overwhelming because it has drastic lifelong implications. I wish everyone faced with these decisions had this information and this team to work with.”

When Hannah was a baby, her parents were told that she may never walk. Hannah’s proven detractors wrong. Today, she’s 16 years old and has her sights set on getting her driver’s license.

“I’m the only person in my group of friends who doesn’t have a license yet, which is hard on me!” she said. “But I know I’ll get there.”

Shortly after Amber Keckley’s daughter was born, the new mom showed up at Texas Children’s Breastfeeding Friends (BFF) Group to learn more about breastfeeding and to meet other women like herself. For the next several weeks, Keckly learned more than she ever expected about breastfeeding and other issues related to parenting a newborn. She also gained a group of life-long friends.

“After having my first child, I felt very isolated,” Keckly said. “The BFF Group forced me to get dressed, get out of the house and share my feelings with others.”

Keckly liked the group so much, she stayed in touch with some of the moms she met in the group, getting together with them weekly for the first year of her child’s life. She also decided to rejoin the group after her second child was born.

“Mothers can share their experiences openly at the BFF Group, providing them with an additional outlet and a growing, functional compass to help each participant meet their personal goal with breastfeeding,” said Lactation Consultant and BFF Group Leader Brenda Hayden. “Each is invested and confidence just blossoms.”

The BFF Group meets from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Friday in the patient education room on the fourth floor of the Pavilion for Women. Anywhere from 15 to 30 women attend with their newborns. Facilitated by Hayden, a certified lactation consultant, the curriculum consists of an ongoing six-week series of topics:

  • The early weeks of breastfeeding
  • Overcoming breastfeeding challenges
  • Nighttime breastfeeding
  • Nutrition for the breastfeeding mother
  • Breastfeeding away from home
  • Pumping, bottles, and breastfeeding

“Every week the mix of assembled attendees differs, so even if a mother is repeating a weekly topic, she will have exposure to new insights, tips and information,” Hayden said. “From the moment of introduction, to topics, discussion and open forum, it is our goal that each mother feels heard, validated and supported.”

The BFF Group was created in 2015 as a way to provide additional breastfeeding support to new mothers. Since then, more than 750 women from across the globe have attended. Mothers come from areas far and wide and through other neighboring hospital systems, such as Methodist Hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital, HCA Houston Healthcare, the Lactation Foundation and the WIC Nutrition Program.

Participants often are accompanied by their mothers, grandmothers, sisters or girlfriends. These additional visitors may participate in the group as well and bring deep generational and regional perspectives, which provide additional support and resources to both new and experienced mothers.

“This program goes along with our overall philosophy at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, which is to treat women, mothers and babies with a full continuum of high-quality, expert health care and to do so in a family-centered environment,” said Director of Women’s Support Services Nancy Hurst. “Providing additional breastfeeding support was a natural, intuitive step forward in providing the best in ongoing care for families.”

How do moms learn about the BFF Group?

This is where you continue to have a steady impact! In keeping with the BFF Group’s practice of layering supports, mothers are introduced to multiple resources early on in prenatal classes, during her inpatient stay, during her discharge teaching, and throughout the postpartum period by many OB/CNM and pediatric providers. Many referrals come through word of mouth or by previous BFF Group alumni. In addition, moms such as Keckley return to the group with their second children.

“I tell everyone I can about this group,” Keckley said. “It helped me more than I could have imagined.”

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week August 1-7, Texas Children’s Hospital and the BFF Group are hosting its first Latch-On event where breastfeeding and pumping moms can come enjoy breastfeeding advice, pumping tips, refreshments, a photo booth and prize drawing. The event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, August 2 in the patient education room on the fourth floor of the Pavilion for Women. The BFF Group discussion will follow the event. A similar event was held at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands on August 1. Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus will host a breastfeeding awareness event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, August 9.

The BFF Group and other breastfeeding services offered to patients, also are offered to lactating employees. Click here for a comprehensive list of available services.

August 5, 2019

Texas Children’s Health & Well-Being team has partnered with colleagues from Environmental Health & Safety, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Occupational & Physical Therapy to launch a new video series aimed at preventing an all-too-common occurrence among our employees: the twinges and aches of lower back pain.

The latest offering in our ongoing effort to introduce programs and resources that help keep our workforce healthy and strong, the “We’ve Got Your Back” video series provides expert insight and information to empower you to take care of your back while on the job – no matter your work location, shift or role. Each video in the four-part series features quick, practical tips and advice for avoiding back pain by:

  • Using ergonomics to set up your desk and arrange your work area for optimal comfort and safety.
  • Adopting the proper body mechanics and techniques to lift and carry objects without strain or injury.
  • Completing stretching and strengthening exercises to help maintain flexibility and build up your core.
  • Loosening and relieving tension in your spine with simple and effective stretches you can do right at your desk.

“We know that Texas Children’s has grown exponentially in the last few years and we want to make sure that we provide all of our employees with robust resources to improve their health and well-being,” said Health Coach Jackie Pacheco, who is also a certified personal trainer, ergonomics and safety specialist and athletic trainer.

We’ve Got Your Back Episode 1: Ergonomics

Ready to start learning how to put back pain on the backburner? Click here to watch Episode 1: Ergonomics with Industrial Hygienist Gary Chang, who shows you how making small changes to your work environment – like adjusting the height of your chair or placing your phone closer within your reach – can make a big impact.

“The goal of the Environmental Health & Safety Department is to identify and correct existing ergonomic injury risks and to proactively identify those jobs that could put employees at risk of a musculoskeletal injury,” Chang said, noting that taking preventative steps can also help reduce the high cost of work-related injuries and mitigate the resulting impacts on our colleagues, our patients and their families.

“Ergonomics interventions allow employees to work safely and reduce the risks of musculoskeletal disorders.”

August 2, 2019

Anette Sandoval shares a memorable moment she had with her patient who taught her that despite the daily challenges in life, beautiful things often follow life’s toughest storms. Read more

July 31, 2019

 

On July 26, employees at Texas Children’s medical center campus received a masterclass on cultivating a life full of love and compassion from an expert on the subject – His Eminence the 7th Ling Rinpoche, an esteemed teacher of dharma (basic principles of existence) in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Click here to listen to the talk given by His Eminence the 7th Ling Rinpoche.

It was an event years in the making. In 2017, Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline invited His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to speak at Texas Children’s as part of an upcoming United States tour that would include engagements in Houston. However, due to illness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was unable to travel. Instead, he asked His Eminence to tour on his behalf – including a specially requested stop at Texas Children’s.

“Texas Children’s Hospital practices compassion thousands of times each and every day,” said President and CEO Mark Wallace in his welcoming remarks. “We are deeply honored that His Eminence requested to include Texas Children’s in his plans for his first visit to Houston, and we are fortunate to hear his inspirational words on compassion.”

The visit to Texas Children’s was part of a full schedule of private lectures and public talks for audiences at the Houston Police Department, NASA Johnson Space Center, VIET TV, Unity of Houston and other locations, and was coordinated by Texas Children’s Patient and Family Services in collaboration with the Drepung Loseling Institute of Texas, a center dedicated to the study and preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of wisdom and compassion.

“Healing is not just about physical medicine; it also includes a spiritual component,” said Director of Clinical Support Services Michelle Lawson. “Many families find comfort and healing on a spiritual level and lean on their faith traditions. At Texas Children’s, we value the diversity found in all cultures and religions. His Eminence’s presence provides an opportunity for our employees, patients and families to broaden their perspectives regarding healing practices and beliefs.”

Through an interpreter, His Eminence spoke to an audience of executive and clinical leadership, staff, and employees about cultivating love and compassion in daily life. He explained that by working in a profession where the goal was to help others health care workers were already engaged in meaningful living. However, he cautioned that many of the challenges health care employees face – such as physical, mental and emotional exhaustion – can cause them to lose hope when trying to develop an attitude of love and compassion. To meet those kinds of challenges, His Eminence told the audience that people must actively build a sense of connection to every person with whom they come into contact, so that everyone becomes equal to oneself. By doing so, a person becomes more invested in others, and it becomes a moral imperative, even an obligation, to accept responsibility for their happiness and wellbeing. Helping others, he concluded, was the purpose of a meaningful life.

During a short question-and-answer session, His Eminence fielded questions about Buddhism, meditation and dharmic teachings from audience members, including Kline, who asked what people could to do achieve personal peace.

The answer: To reduce a selfish attitude and not focus on obtaining selfish desires, the pursuit of which can lead to anxiety, anger and even poor health. Peace, His Eminence said, was obtained by cultivating an attitude to help others.

Following the Q&A, His Eminence led the audience through a guided meditation, after which Texas Children’s patient Leyna Le presented him with two copies of “The Art of Texas Children’s” – one for himself and one for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The book showcases original artwork created by Texas Children’s patients over the years. His Eminence then toured parts of Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower and blessed patients and their families in the intensive care unit. To conclude the visit, a small service of prayer and blessing was held in the Children’s Chapel.

“Texas Children’s has become the great organization it is because family-centered care is at the core of our values,” said Tom Sharon, assistant director of Spiritual Care. “But today we’ve been reminded just how important it is to strive to meet our patients’ and families’ emotional and spiritual needs with the same commitment to excellence our experts do for their physical wellbeing.”

Learn more about the resources and programs available at Texas Children’s through Patient and Family Services.

About His Eminence the 7th Ling Rinpoche and the Drepung Loseling Institute of Texas

Born in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, on November 18, 1985, His Eminence the 7th Ling Rinpoche was recognized in 1987 by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 6th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche (1903–1983), His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s most Senior Tutor.

His Eminence joined Drepung Monastic University in southern India in 1990, where his enrollment was celebrated with large religious ceremonies. He began his monastic studies at Drepung at the age of 10 and engaged in rigorous religious study and spiritual training under the special care and guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Eminence completed all five Geshe Studies subjects (Logic, Perfection of Wisdom, Middle Way, Higher Knowledge and Monastic Discipline) and received his Geshe degree in November 2016. He then enrolled at Gyuto Tantric College in Dharamsala, India in April 2017 for a year of tantric studies that traditionally follows the completion of a Geshe degree.

His Eminence organized His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s historic Eighteen Jangchup Lamrim Commentaries, teachings on the classic Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. They were held at Sera, Drepung, Ganden and Tashi Lhunpo monasteries between 2012 and 2015 and attended each year by approximately 40,000 people from nearly 70 countries.

Since 2004, His Eminence has also participated in the Mind and Life Institute conferences held in India between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and scientists on a variety of topics, such as physics, neuroplasticity and destructive emotions.

The Drepung Loseling Institute of Texas was established in 2015 as one of the North American Seats of the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India and founded by His Eminence Gala Tulku Rinpoche with advice and blessing from His Holiness the 103rd Gaden Tripa Choeje Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche and the generous support of Vietnamese devotees.

The primary goal of the Institute is to carry on the legacy of the Drepung Loseling Monastery. With the patronage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Institute is dedicated to the study and preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of wisdom and compassion. It is a center for the cultivation of both heart and intellect and provides a sanctuary for the nurture of inner peace and kindness, community understanding, and global healing.

July 29, 2019

It’s time to tell Houston why Texas Children’s is one of the city’s Best Places to Work! Take the survey today.

Just when you thought life couldn’t get any better, The Center for Children and Women is on Instagram.

Log on and double tap if this made your day – https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforcw/.

“We are always looking for new ways to engage our members on social media and what better way than Instagram?,” said Rosa Pruneda, social media specialist for Texas Children’s Health Plan. “Everyone is on Instagram and we’re so excited to bring information to where members are.”

Pruneda, who will be managing the site by posting photos and information, will also answer member questions in English and Spanish. “The page won’t just be informational, it will also be interactive,” Pruneda said.

The Center for Children and Women is owned by Texas Children’s Health Plan. The two Center locations are full-service clinics for Health Plan members only, with a few exceptions for members of other government-sponsored programs.

All employees are encouraged to follow the new page at https://www.instagram.com/thecenterforcw/. Double tap, tag and tell everyone you know.

Want more information about The Centers? Visit https://www.jointhecenter.org/