February 4, 2014

“For this hospital shall live and abide within the resolution that any child in the State of Texas in need of medical care and attention – regardless of race, color, creed, or capacity to pay – shall find in Texas Children’s Hospital a refuge from the ravages of disease and illness and the hope for health and happiness.”

Leopold L. Meyer, Founder
Texas Children’s Hospital groundbreaking ceremony
May 23, 1951

Many things have changed at Texas Children’s since the unveiling of the hospital’s cornerstone, but these words still capture the essence of our vision. That vision has guided Texas Children’s through 60 amazing years and hundreds of breakthrough discoveries in pediatric medicine.

“At 60, we’re the youngest of the nation’s top 10 children’s hospitals, yet we are leading advancements in medicine for children and women all over the world,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “Our expertise is respected and renowned, and the care we provide is unparalleled. We’ve done more in 60 years than most can imagine in twice the time.”

This is an exciting time at Texas Children’s Hospital as we celebrate several major milestones in our history. Last week, we introduced a brand new mission statement that defines who we are and what we want to achieve. Today, we are breaking ground on our newest community hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, which helps us fulfill our promise to deliver the right care at the right time in the right place. And tomorrow, Texas Children’s Hospital will celebrate its 60th birthday.

Click here for a video about Texas Children’s first 60 years.

On February 1, 1954, Texas Children’s opened with one building and 106 beds. We treated 4,558 patients that first year. Today, with 592 beds and nearly 6 million square feet of space, we see about 8,500 patients per day and have more than 3 million patient encounters per year.

Today, Texas Children’s Hospital is known in Houston, across the nation and around the world. Families know they can rely on us for pioneering discoveries in childhood diseases. They know our staff and employees are some of the best in the world.

“We are intensely devoted to providing the best possible care, and still we strive to be more, give more and do more for our patients,” Wallace said. “It’s that unrelenting passion that’s driven us to dream and innovate and achieve seemingly impossible things. What we have done together has changed lives, inspired hope and made birthdays happier for families all over the world.”

Celebrate with us on Facebook!

During the entire month of February, we will be celebrating our 60th birthday on Facebook. Every week, we will feature a new #TBT (Throwback Thursday) photograph from Texas Children’s archives, and we will ask our thousands of supporters, employees and past/present patients and families to share their memories and favorite things about the hospital.

Check back on Tuesday for a Connect feature story with all the highlights from today’s groundbreaking of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

LATCH vs. seatbelt, which one is safer?

 This is probably the most common question that my fellow Child Passenger Safety Technicians and I get. The answer is they are equally safe, but the installation method that gives your child the best protection should be used.

The caveat to this answer, however, is that the Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) system does have a weight limit and seatbelt does not. As many parents who have struggled with car seat and car manuals have discovered, the weight limit max for the LATCH system can sometimes be ambiguous.

Since the early 2000s, all cars produced for sale in the United States are required to have the LATCH system. The purpose of the LATCH system was to create a uniform system to install car seats and reduce installation misuse. Based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, about 4 in 5 of car seats are still used incorrectly, and the LATCH system can sometimes be a source of confusion.

Beginning this month, NHTSA is proposing new LATCH regulations to reduce the ambiguity between what car manufacturers and car seat manufacturers say are the LATCH limits. Towards the end of the month, lower anchor limits in cars will be a uniform combined weight limit (car seat + child) of 65 lbs. What this means is, if you have a car seat that weighs 20lbs, you can use the car’s LATCH system until the child weighs 45lbs (20lb car seat + 45 lbs child = 65lbs).

As of now this change is a proposal and not guaranteed. However, as of now, 25 car manufacturers already utilize these guidelines and more may begin to adopt it.

If you have any questions about the proposed changes to LATCH or wish to have your car seat inspected by a certified technician, please call Texas ChildrenÕs Center for Childhood InjuryÕs Car Seat Line 832-822-2277.

This blog post was contributed by Center for Childhood Injury Prevention Health Educator John Ansiaux for Bump Watch – the blog that follows the journeys of Texas Children’s families from pregnancy through baby’s first year.

January 31, 2014

Amid all the theories of what makes a successful leader, one thing I’ve learned over the course of my career is that leadership always influences and determines outcomes – not some of the time, but all of the time.

This is one of the lessons I’ve devised to help grow myself as a leader and develop future leaders as well. I began exploring the idea in earnest in my mid-20s when a colleague asked what I believed defined a great leader. I drew a blank.

That moment compelled me to develop a formal definition of leadership for myself. It took more than a year of reading, writing and contemplation before I crafted a satisfactory definition.

Leadership, to me, is Vision + Structure + People.

Vision

First, a successful leader must be a true innovator. Having vision and being motivated by an instinctual drive is not a learned skill but is honed over time.

Structure

The second component – structure – keeps a leader grounded while also providing the space and time needed to remain a creative visionary.

People

Last, people are unequivocally the most important ingredient in the definition of a successful leader. The team you’ve built to achieve your common vision will define your tenure as a leader. The colleagues you have committed to leading will ultimately be the most important factor in the entire equation.

While these three components have laid the foundation for my work at Texas Children’s Hospital, there is not a universal definition of leadership. In fact, to become successful, you must create your own definition based on who you aspire to be, how you want to lead, your personality and your core values.

At Texas Children’s, I ask every leader, from managers to executives, to submit their own definition of leadership, and we keep these on file. This helps new leaders hone in on what is important by providing a guide that ensures everything they do comes back to that definition. What’s more, in a large organization like Texas Children’s, it also helps me and my executive team learn more about each leader on our team.

Ultimately, harnessing your own definition of what makes a leader is the way to become a great leader yourself. When I meet someone who aspires to be a great leader, my first question to them is, “What is your definition of leadership?” It is a question I encourage everyone to thoughtfully consider.

Create your own definition, then start living it.

This editorial was authored by Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace and was originally published in the Houston Business Journal on January 17, 2014.

January 15, 2014

Today, Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace announced a new organization-wide mission statement. The new mission statement was approved by Texas Children’s Board of Trustees just before the holidays.

The mission statement: Texas Children’s mission is to create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research.

“This organization-wide statement gives all Texas Children’s entities a single focus: we are one Texas Children’s with one mission,” Wallace said. “Our mission statement is important. It tells the world who we are. It guides our growth and clarifies our vision. Since 1954, the core of our mission has not changed – to provide the best possible care. What has evolved is the way we do that.”

There has been a lot of change in the last several decades. Over the last 60 years, Texas Children’s has built recognized Centers of Excellence in pediatric subspecialties; created the nation’s first HMO for children; formed the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; and developed a global health program that’s channeling care to children and women all over the world. Our physical footprint includes three hospitals, three research facilities, more than 50 local primary care and subspecialty care practices, and we’re still growing.

“Today, Texas Children’s is a diverse and comprehensive global organization, intensely focused on a single mission that’s full of endless possibility,” Wallace said. “There’s still much to be done, but we already have so much to celebrate.”