January 26, 2022

The hard-working team at Texas Children’s Adult Congenital Heart Inpatient Unit is celebrating its one-year mark and progress after opening alongside the program’s Outpatient Clinic to care specifically for patients with congenital heart conditions.

The Inpatient Unit team is pleased with their progress, especially during an extra-challenging year thanks to COVID and staffing shortages. In the midst of everything, the unit saw steady growth in inpatient volume, complexity and best of all, maintained excellent outcomes.

“The entire group has been so adaptable and willing to take on challenging cases and to work as a team,” said the unit’s director, Dr. Cameron Dezfulian. “We have pushed the limits in terms of the diagnoses we see, patient mobility and even our own census limits all in order to provide great care and it has gone exceedingly well.”

A few of the milestones the team is celebrating include:

  • Some of the Inpatient Unit’s challenging cases included heart transplants, heart failure with temporary and durable ventricular assist device placements and a number of very complex congenital heart repairs that were among referrals that were turned down at other centers across state lines.
  • The many patients who received care outside of the unit’s scope include two with strokes, one with tamponade, a dozen peri-partum women with COVID and more. One of the most challenging and gratifying cases was caring for an 18-week pregnant mom with COVID. She was supported with VV ECMO for 10 weeks and ultimately delivered a healthy baby at 32 weeks, saving two lives against all odds. Both mom and baby were home for Christmas!
  • All of the unit’s patients treated surgically have bene discharged home to independent living!

Looking ahead, the team plans to bring in patients from across Texas and the U.S. and anticipates reaching 100 percent capacity by the end of 2022, five to six years ahead of projections.

According to Dr. Dezfulian, “Our ICU is a first of its kind, so our success is important beyond the limits of the walls of Texas Children’s. As we gain experience with large volumes and a variety of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) diagnoses, our findings will be of value to the larger ACHD community.”

A unique hospital experience

What sets the Inpatient Unit apart is its capacity to allow family members to stay with loved ones throughout their hospital stay. Patients remain in the same large room through their procedure and rehabilitation process while family members have access to laundry and respite areas (TV, food). The unit’s advanced monitoring platform (sickbay) permits the care team to assess patients remotely without difficulty and immediately respond to any issues.

December 28, 2021

Stacy McMonigle shares her experience at the Nursing Strategic Plan Virtual Retreat. Read More

November 23, 2021

It was a year ago when a lifelong Texas Children’s Hospital cardiology patient stepped off the elevator and saw the Adult Congenital Heart Program sign and was overcome with emotion. While receiving excellent care at Texas Children’s, the pediatric setting wasn’t ideal for her needs. Her worries were over now that there was a facility built with patients like her in mind.

“This is an incredible milestone we’ve reached with our clinic,” said Dr. Peter Ermis, Cardiology at Texas Children’s. “We knew opening during a pandemic was a risk, but this clinic was desperately needed and our hard-working team made it happen for our patients.”

Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Adult Congenital Heart Program outpatient clinic was designed with its patients in mind. While Texas Children’s has the finest Adult Congenital Heart (ACH) cardiology and cardiac surgery experts in the world, the service offering and existing clinic weren’t exactly suited to adult patients. The adult clinic offers comprehensive services, including nutrition, physical therapy, social work, psychology and psychiatry.

“The goal was to provide the right services our patients need and the best care possible,” Ermis continued. “None of this would be possible without the relentless dedication of our team. They have risen to every challenge and their passion for providing the absolute best care for ACH patients has made this a success.”

The team was confident if they built this facility, the patients would come, and they have, from all over the country and the world. They have no plans of stopping now as their sights are set to continue to grow and meet the unique needs of their patients.

Congratulations on this important milestone!

August 12, 2021

Texas Children’s joins other medical entities across the country in recommending both masks and vaccination to protect against COVID-19

Like many hospitals across our region, Texas Children’s continues to experience a surge of COVID-19 cases, combined with a highly unusual summer surge of patients diagnosed with Respiratory syncytial virus.

To protect children and their families as school resumes, and in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Texas Children’s Hospital recommends everyone, regardless of their vaccination status, wear a mask indoors – including at school. We know how important it is developmentally for kids to attend school in-person, but it is of utmost importance that they do so in an environment that is as safe as possible.

As the largest children’s hospital in the nation, we, along with other leaders, are dedicated to doing all we can to protect those who are most vulnerable, including children under 12 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. Now, more than ever, it is important for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and remain vigilant about wearing a mask, washing hands frequently and thoroughly, maintaining social distancing and avoiding large gatherings. It will take all of us working together to get through this pandemic and we must ensure our children are protected in the process.

We also know that many of you are not only health care professionals, but parents as well. This is a challenging time, both personally and professionally, and we want to do all we can to help all children enjoy a safe and successful school year.

You are likely receiving questions from parents, schools and the community. Please click here to view available resources, including blog posts and a video about the Delta variant and how to help children cope with back-to-school anxiety, as well as high-level talking points about Texas Children’s response to this surge.

July 1, 2021

Our Texas Children’s people love their hometown Houston Astros!

To show their appreciation for everything we’ve done over the last year to support our community through the COVID-19 pandemic and for leading the way by choosing to be vaccinated against the virus, the Astros sent 1,000 Texas Children’s employees to watch the game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, June 30.

With the world cautiously beginning to reopen and our lives regaining more normalcy every day, President and CEO Mark A. Wallace encouraged team members to dress up in their best orange and wear their Astros gear on game day – bringing back our tradition of supporting the ‘Stros through their journey to the World Series.

Check out the photos below to see how our team members showed their spirit and support as the Astros fight this year to #TakeItBack #ForTheH!

February 2, 2021

Our Employee Relief Fund remains in place to provide a helping hand to any Texas Children’s employee with proven financial hardship. The application process for the Relief Fund can be completed entirely online. Read more

July 23, 2020

Texas Children’s has transitioned the management of COVID-19 workforce testing to Epic which, through MyChart, allows Texas Children’s employees and Baylor faculty and staff to:

  • Access COVID-19 testing appointments that are scheduled via Employee Health
  • Receive secure and confidential COVID-19 test results
  • Quickly access return-to-work instructions

We encourage you to activate a MyChart account in the event that a COVID-19 test is needed. Follow the instructions below to set up your account. You can also learn more about MyChart here.

I am an employee or Baylor partner based at Texas Children’s How do I create a MyChart account?
Never been a patient at Texas Children’s  (e.g. Pavilion for Women)  

Employee Health will send an activation link to your new MyChart account via email or text at the time of COVID-19 test scheduling.

 
Was previously a patient without a MyChart account Select the “Adult Access” option on the homepage and submit a request. In the “Physician” field, please enter “Employee Health.”
Am a current patient without a MyChart account Select the “Adult Access” option on the homepage and submit a request. In the “Physician” field, please enter “Employee Health.”
Am a current patient with a MyChart account No action required

COVID-19 testing is provided at no cost to our workforce members. If you are currently experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have a known exposure in the community or at work, please contact Employee Health or Medical Staff Services (for Baylor medical staff).