November 20, 2023
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The nearly 80 members of the Sterile Processing department work seamlessly every day across campuses to do their part in delivering the highest quality and safest care to our patients. This commitment helped them earn the Healthmark Heart of the Hospital Award. Only five Sterile Processing departments across the country earn this recognition every year. They also received a Mayor’s proclamation. This accolade recognizes events and people that positively contribute to the economic, social and/or cultural fabric of the city of Houston.

“I am incredibly proud to work alongside a team that consistently puts patients first and tirelessly dedicates themselves to the well-being of our community and the advancement of the sterile processing industry,” said Amanda Ward, assistant vice president, Perioperative Services. “Witnessing their unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest standards of sterilization and safety for our patients is truly inspiring.”

While their day-to-day commitment and shared vision for excellence helped them achieved this recognition, highlights mentioned in their application include a successful Joint Commission audit, the teams’ resiliency in keeping up with all the changes and updates in the department and success on multiple projects. One of the biggest achievements was reducing their carbon footprint by enhancing their tracking system and going paperless in department reports and documentation.

The team also worked tirelessly with the operating room, clinical areas and external areas of the hospital to mitigate risks in instrument care and handling, as well as ensure the appropriate transport of soiled items for over 115 areas of the hospital.

Ward continued, “This award recognizes the hard work of this team. Their passion for excellence not only reflects our organization’s values but also sets a shining example for the entire healthcare industry.”

Congratulations to the Sterile Processing Department!

May 17, 2021

More than 100 team members in Texas Children’s Department of Pathology were recently awarded the G.J. Buffone Pathology Improvement Award for the way they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year – extending shifts, adjusting schedules and making personal sacrifices to manage significantly increased volumes of testing in the lab.

Since March 2020, Pathology has received and tested more than 183,000 samples for COVID-19 diagnostic testing alone. This includes testing of Texas Children’s patients and team members, as well as patients from other hospitals in the Houston area. It is also in addition to various other tests needed for patient management and treatment of COVID-19, which caused test volumes in some specialties to rise dramatically.

For the diagnostic testing, technicians looked at samples like nasopharyngeal swabs, nasal/nasopharyngeal washes and bronchoalveolar lavages. Labs involved in this work included Specimen Management, which receives all specimens from various collection sites; Medical Microbiology & Virology, which handles rapid COVID-19 testing; and Molecular Microbiology, which handles both routine and rapid COVID-19 testing. Additional testing labs included Chemistry for COVID-19 antibody testing, and the Microbiome Center for COVID-19 sequencing for variant surveillance.
To accommodate the increased laboratory workload, Pathology team members worked tirelessly behind the scenes, stepping up to cover extra weekends and even eschewing family and personal time to remain flexible through inconsistent shifts in schedules. In some services where staffing has had to nearly double to keep up with the pace, leaders have managed their teams while also onboarding new technologists to meet the demand.

With a mission to provide state-of-the-art diagnostic services to Texas Children’s patients and their families, Pathology is committed to providing answers to support accurate diagnoses by obtaining puzzle pieces in the form of patient samples. The team celebrated National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week from April 19-23.

For a look at our Texas Children’s lab technicians – truly among the unsung heroes in health care – at work, check out the video above.

June 22, 2020

Interim Physician-in-Chief Dr. James Versalovic and several other Texas Children’s physicians recently published a paper in the Oxford Academic: The Journal of the Pediatric Diseases Society detailing the clinical course of 57 children with COVID-19 cared for at Texas Children’s at the beginning of the pandemic. Dr. Catherine Foster with Infection Control and Prevention is the lead author of the paper and Dr. Judith Campbell with Infection Control and Prevention is the senior author.

The paper’s overall findings were that most of the children were mildly symptomatic, and only a few patients with underlying medical conditions required hospitalization. System wide, the patient evaluation processes at Texas Children’s allowed for prompt identification and management of patients with COVID-19.

“These outcomes are an affirmation that we were doing what we need to do to provide the best care for patients and their families,” said Campbell, medical director of Infection Control and Prevention. “They tell us that we are identifying patients early and getting them the help they need quickly all while helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Some key findings of the study, which took place during the first five weeks of the outbreak in Houston include:

Identification process

  • Pre-procedural surveillance testing identified three patients who had no respiratory symptoms
  • The majority (71 percent) of cases presented in the ambulatory setting

Patient demographics

  • Fifty-six percent of all 57 patients were male
  • Median age was 10.7 years (range was 0.1 – 20.2 years)
  • Asthma (12 percent) was the most common underlying condition, followed by sickle cell disease (7 percent)
  • More than half of the cases (54 percent) reported a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 household contact
  • International travel was reported in two cases (Mexico and Commonwealth of Dominica) and interstate travel in one case (New Jersey)
  • Most patients (83 percent) presented with either fever or cough, including all of the patients who presented to the Emergency Center
  • Fever was reported in 53 percent of ambulatory patients, 90 percent of EC patients, and 25 percent of hospitalized patients

Patient care

  • Six patients were cohorted in the Special Isolation Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
  • Half of the hospitalized patients required supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula, and 1 patient was on home bilevel positive airway pressure without supplemental oxygen.
  • No patients required mechanical ventilation
  • The median length of stay was 2 days (range, 1 – 10 days)
  • None of the 57 patients received therapeutic agents to treat COVID-19
  • No patients died

In addition to the data above, the paper evaluated Texas Children’s Hospital’s integrated system approach to the evaluation and management of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic by performing a retrospective assessment of all pediatric patients with COVID-19 cared for through the Texas Children’s system.

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11. As of the beginning of June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 1.8 million COVID-19 cases and 100,000 plus deaths in the United States. Early reports have provided critical insights on the clinical manifestations of the disease in children. Most children appear to have asymptomatic or mild to moderate respiratory illness, whereas adults, especially the elderly, are more likely to suffer severe respiratory illness and a higher case fatality rate. Given the rapidly evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, data on the epidemiology and clinical course of pediatric patients with COVID-19 in the United States are lacking.

“That’s why it’s so important to document what we are seeing and doing and share these findings with the medical community worldwide,” Versalovic said. “Texas Children’s has been doing this since the onset of the pandemic and will continue to be on the leading edge of scholarship and care of pediatric COVID-19 patients.”

Paper authors include:
Dr. Catherine Foster, Infection Control and Prevention
Dr. Elizabeth Moulton, Infection Control and Prevention
Dr. Flor Munoz, Infection Control and Prevention
Dr. Kristina Hulten, Infection Control and Prevention
Dr. James Versalovic, Interim Physician-in-Chief
Dr. James Dunn, Pathology
Dr. Paula Revell, Pathology
Dr. Tjin Koy, Infection Control and Prevention
Dr. Amy Arrington, Special Isolation Unit
Dr. Lucila Marquez, Infection Control and Prevention
Dr. Judith Campbell, Infection Control and Prevention

June 1, 2020

Since the global pandemic began three months ago, our Pathology team and collaborative partners across the Texas Children’s system continue to lead the way in diagnostic testing for COVID-19.

On April 29, Texas Children’s became the first hospital in the Texas Medical Center to launch rapid molecular testing and antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2, which has enabled the organization to provide care to patients who have delayed diagnosis or complications due to COVID-19, and those patients who may have symptoms of the multi-system inflammatory syndrome of children associated with COVID-19.

To date, over 12,000 patients across our campuses and community locations have been tested for COVID-19. Texas Children’s has also provided testing to nearly 1,000 inpatients at Harris Health System as part of our efforts to support our peer institutions in the Texas Medical Center. Today, Texas Children’s has the capacity to perform 800 COVID-19 tests per day and are rapidly approaching 1,000 tests per day.

While these numbers are impressive, Texas Children’s Pathologist-in-Chief Dr. Jim Versalovic says our measurement of progress is not solely about increased volume, but more importantly, how we apply these tests to create the greatest impact for our employees and patients, while keeping everyone safe.

“We now have an expanded menu of COVID-19 tests available,” said Versalovic. “As part of our robust surveillance testing program, we have the ability to rapidly test patients within 2-3 hours who need emergent medical procedures, surgeries and obstetrical emergencies at our three hospital campuses. Additionally, we are taking advantage of our drive-through COVID-19 testing capabilities. All of these efforts combined have made a profound impact on the quality care that we provide to our patients.”

Along with Employee Health and our Infection Control partners, Versalovic says we also have the capacity for more COVID-19 surveillance testing of our employees to ensure their health and safety.

Leveraging new technology

Coupled with the organization’s ability to provide additional COVID-19 testing options, Texas Children’s launched the Hologic Panther Platform on May 13, a new, state-of-the-art technology that has helped the organization expand its testing capacity and capabilities, accelerate turnaround times from specimen collection to results, leading to remarkable improvements in workflow efficiencies in the laboratory.

Prior to using this testing platform, the pathology team conducted 400 COVID-19 tests per day. Once the results came in, the data had to be manually inputted into the patient’s electronic medical record in Epic. Now, as test results flows into the Panther Platform system, they are automatically populated into Epic. Through the use of the Panther Platform, Texas Children’s has close to doubled its testing capacity.

“When combined with other testing options, the Panther Platform puts us well within the range of 800 to 1,000 tests per day,” said Dr. Jim Dunn, director of Medical Microbiology and Virology. “As results come off the Panther Platform machine and are electronically interfaced with Epic, the lab technologists can quickly review each result and then release it to the patient’s chart. This automated testing process has significantly improved our workflow efficiency by reducing turnaround times from 10 hours to six hours.”

In addition to leveraging this technology, cross-training technologists from other areas of the laboratory – Molecular Oncology, Cancer Genomics – has allowed Pathology to expand its daily hours of operation, which along with other factors, have helped the organization expand testing capacity and capabilities.

“Our approach to doing as much as possible for our patients, employees and staff regarding SARS-CoV2 testing has really been a collaborative team effort,” Dunn said. “We’ve been able to marshall all possible resources including both new and existing instruments, reagents, other supplies, and personnel.”

COVID-19 testing task force

Texas Children’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force has also played an instrumental role in COVID-19 testing. The task force is comprised of multi-disciplinary team members from Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Infection Control, Infectious Diseases, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Pathology, Nursing and Human Resources.

Over the past two weeks, this group has worked tirelessly to develop a prioritization schema for SARS-CoV2 PCR testing using the best available evidence and incorporating current and projected volumes. The prioritization schema identifies those patient populations – patients scheduled for an appointment or procedure and patients who are presenting for care — for whom testing is prioritized to best meet the overall goals of promoting the health and safety of our patients, their families, employees and staff.

The task force developed a process map outlining patient eligibility criteria to help providers identify patients eligible for testing either in the ambulatory setting or prior to their arrival, at one of our COVID-19 drive-through testing sites at the Medical Center Campus, West Campus and The Woodlands Campus.

“As variables change, including patient volumes and our ever increasing testing capacity, the eligibility criteria for testing will require changes in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Brent Kaziny, medical director of Emergency Management. “While there are many worthy reasons for COVID-19 testing, it is important that we continue to conserve and prioritize this limited resource. We encourage our providers to keep us informed about other populations that should be considered for testing eligibility.”

For more information about COVID-19 testing at Texas Children’s, go to the COVID-19 Communications Page on Connect where you will have access to the electronic Testing Request Form, patient eligibility criteria for COVID-19 testing, Frequently Asked Questions and a list of drive-through testing locations.

May 6, 2019

Texas Children’s celebrated Laboratory Professionals Week April 21-27 with a variety of activities and events. Many were honored for their tenure in the department and others for their dedication to the mission of the profession.

“Laboratory Professionals Week provides the profession with a unique opportunity to increase public understanding of and appreciation for clinical laboratory personnel,” said Texas Children’s Director of Pathology Ann O’Connell. “The clinical laboratorian is a key member of our health care team, playing an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease.”

The Texas Children’s Department of Pathology hosted two lectures and an awards ceremony during Laboratory Professionals Week. The first lecture honored Texas Children’s former Division Chief of Clinical Pathology and current Director of Pathology Informatics Gregory Buffone, Ph.D.

Buffone, who will soon retire after 40 years with Texas Children’s, has served in many roles in the Department of Pathology, always as a passionate advocate for patient safety and quality in laboratory medicine. In addition to a dedicated laboratory professional, Buffone also is an avid photographer. As a tribute to Buffone and his contributions to the Department of Pathology, several of his images are on permanent display in the Pathology Gresik Conference Room in the basement of the West Tower Building.

Pathologist-in-Chief Dr. James Versalovic celebrated his 10th anniversary as head of the Department of Pathology at Texas Children’s. Versalovic has been with Texas Children’s for nearly 18 years and has made significant strides in the Department of Pathology, growing the department’s faculty and clinical staff two fold. He spearheaded the creation of the Genomic Medicine and Transfusion Safety divisions and invested time and effort in growing the Texas Children’s Microbiome Center. Versalovic also led a multitude of critical initiatives across the organization. He was instrumental in the creation of the innovative partnership with Quest Diagnostics and most recently has worked on the adoption and implementation of Epic Beaker.

“Please join me in congratulating Jim on this milestone, and for his superb leadership and the incredible achievements he has accomplished during his tenure,” Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace said. “We look forward to celebrating many more years of success with him!”

The annual Virginia Deeken Memorial Lecture presented by Aaron West Assistant Director also included two types of awards. The GJ Buffone Pathology Improvement Award recipients Dr. James Dunn, Clarah Mutandiro, Amber Ashgar, Marcus Mpwo, Awilda Rivera and Rina Riordan won the award for their Improved Turnaround Time for Urine Culture Reporting initiative. The Individual Excellence Award recipients were Purnima Rania and Renee Webb. The award honors employees who consistently going above and beyond expectations of job performance.

“Thank you for all of your hard work and contributions toward the care and diagnosis of our so many complex patients,” said Executive Vice President Mark Mullarkey. “Your work is endless, 24/7/365 and it directly impacts the care delivered to our patients we serve.”

August 15, 2017

Dr. Milton Finegold (left), chief emeritus, Department of Texas Children’s Pathology and Mary Jo Andre (far right), chief nursing officer, congratulates Finegold Award recipients Christopher Willoughby, (from left), son of Robbye Willoughby, West Campus Emergency Center; Amelia Boettiger, daughter of Michele Boettiger, patient care manager, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Alexie-Joy De La Cruz, daughter of Arlene De La Cruz, education coordinator, Diagnostic Imaging; and Cayla Morris, daughter of Sondra Morris, assistant clinical director, West Campus.

Finegold established the scholarship in 1980 in memory of his wife, Joan, a nurse, to help the children of Texas Children’s registered nurses fulfill their educational goals. The applicant (registered nurse) must be an employee of Texas Children’s for a minimum of two years on or before May 1 of the year of application. Since the first scholarship was awarded in 1985, more than 90 children have benefited from the Joan M. Finegold Scholarship.

May 4, 2017

With the help of physicians in interventional radiology, anesthesiology and pathology at Texas Children’s Hospital, children in Vietnam suffering from severe and debilitating vascular anomalies are getting the help they desperately need.

At the beginning of the year, a medical team from Texas Children’s traveled to the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to examine and treat patients with vascular anomalies as well as to train medical staff at the University Hospital to perform certain life-altering procedures on their own.

The effort is an extension of the active collaboration between the Vietnam Vascular Anomalies Center (VAC) based in Ho Chi Minh City and the Global Pathology program at Texas Children’s Hospital, launched in 2013 by Dr. Thuy Phung, a pathologist and associate director of Texas Children’s Global Pathology. Global Pathology is based in the Department of Pathology, under the leadership of Texas Children’s Pathologist-in-Chief Dr. James Versalovic.

The Vietnam VAC was established in 2009 by Phung and a team of physicians at Harvard Medical School and Ho Chi Minh City. Its mission is to provide safe and effective humanitarian medical care for underserved Vietnamese children with vascular and pigmented birthmarks, and to promote active collaboration between Vietnamese and U.S. physicians to improve the health of these children.

“We have been thinking about and working on the formation of an interventional radiology team that can work with the Vietnam VAC for some time and feel that our initial efforts have been extremely successful,” Phung said. “The techniques that we are teaching physicians in Vietnam can make a huge difference in the lives of children with vascular anomalies.”

During the team’s week-long visit to Ho Chi Minh City in January, members worked with and trained a local clinical team led by Dr. Tran Quoc Tuan, an interventional neuroradiologist at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital. Together, they evaluated and consulted on 38 adult and pediatric patients, providing recommendations on how to best manage their vascular anomalies. Of those patients, the clinical team selected 13 to treat using techniques such as embolization, which involves the injection of special medications into abnormal blood vessels under ultrasound and X-ray.

These treatments are common across the globe but can only be appropriately performed by highly trained medical professionals and require an experienced support team, such as a pediatric anesthesiologist, interventional radiologist, interventional radiology nurse practitioner and interventional radiology technologist proficient in the procedures. Texas Children’s brought all of the above to the Vietnam VAC, enabling several children, including a young boy whose vascular lesion was impeding his ability to breathe, to get the appropriate treatment and go home with a chance at a drastically improved life.

“This partnership has enabled us to train our clinical colleagues in Ho Chi Minh City to independently handle vascular anomaly patients and act as a referral center for the country,” said Texas Children’s interventional radiologist Dr. Sheena Pimpalwar. “Due to a large population of children in Vietnam who are affected by vascular anomalies and our ability to treat them in a multi-disciplinary fashion, this program has huge potential for growth.”

Texas Children’s pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Helena Karlberg emphasized the importance of having a multi-disciplinary approach available to patients at the Vietnam VAC and described the role of the anesthesiologist as one that includes early planning of airway management in patients undergoing procedures of the head and neck regions, and monitoring for, and treatment of any adverse effects by agents used during vascular anomaly care.

“These rather specialized procedures require a great deal of expertise,” Karlberg said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience assisting and instructing others to develop their own skills in caring for this group of patients.”

To ensure that patients receive the highest quality treatment, the Texas Children’s Hospital medical team plans on traveling to Vietnam each year to treat patients and to continue training the medical staff at the Vietnam VAC. In the meantime, the Texas Children’s team will consult with physicians in Vietnam on patient management via email, telephone and video conference.

Members of the Texas Children’s Hospital medical team that recently traveled to Vietnam include:

  • Dr. Alex Chau, interventional radiologist
  • Heather Cleveland, advanced clinical specialist and interventional radiology technologist
  • Dr. Helena Karlberg, pediatric anesthesiologist
  • Dr. Thuy Phung, associate director of Texas Children’s Global Pathology
  • Dr. Sheena Pimpalwar, interventional radiologist
  • Holly Phan Tran, vascular anomalies nurse practitioner