April 18, 2017

Opening day at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands on April 11 was full of excitement and appreciation for Texas Children’s newest full-service community hospital.

The day began at 7 a.m. with the first of more than 20 surgical cases and a succession of ribbon cuttings at the hospital’s main clinical areas. View a photo gallery of the day’s events below.

“This is the second community hospital for Texas Children’s and we are so excited,” said Michelle Riley-Brown, president of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. “This hospital will allow us to expand even more access to high-quality pediatric care in the community.”

Located off of I-45 in The Woodlands near CHI St. Luke’s and Methodist hospitals, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will serve children and families in the Woodlands, Kingwood, Conroe, Spring, Magnolia, Humble, Huntsville and beyond, and will build on a decade’s worth of relationships Texas Children’s has built in the community through our primary and sub-specialty care at Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations and the Texas Children’s Health Center The Woodlands.

The 550,000-square-foot facility offers:

  • services in more than 20 areas of specialty care
  • 32 acute care beds
  • four operating rooms
  • 12 radiology rooms with two MRIs
  • an emergency center with 25 patient rooms
  • a helipad
  • 1,000 free parking spaces
  • 28 critical care rooms (14 NICU and 14 PICU)
  • neurophysiology sleep lab
  • EEG laboratory
  • state-of-the-art infusion center
  • dining area
  • family library
  • chapel
  • playrooms on every floor

“Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands is really a comprehensive, standalone children’s hospital that’s part of a larger system that provides care across the spectrum,” said Dr. Charles Hankins, chief medical officer at the new hospital.

Designed with a “spirit of the woods” theme to incorporate the lush, woodsy landscape that surrounds it, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands offers an open and inviting setting for patients, families and staff alike.

Just inside the main entrance is a grand staircase that simulates a tree house, giving the area a safe, central location for children and families visiting Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. As you travel throughout the campus, there are images of leaves on the ceiling, rivers on the floor and trees and 1,700 pieces of art created by children in The Woodlands community on the walls.

“A lot of planning and thought went into the design of this facility,” said Trent Johnson, director of business operations and support services in The Woodlands. “It’s focused completely on our patients.”

By the end of opening day, staff at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands had treated more than 150 children seeking care at the new facility.

Opening day volume included:

  • 23 surgical cases completed
  • 41 radiology procedures
  • 6 infusion cases
  • 31 pathology lab draws
  • 42 emergency center visits
  • 2 NICU admissions
  • 1 PICU admission
  • 3 acute care admissions

Rebecca Vadala is a resident of The Woodlands and the mother of two twin girls who were transferred on opening day from the NICU at Main Campus to the one in The Woodlands.

“It’s huge for us to be able to be so close to home,” Vadala said. “We’re just tremendously grateful to be the first patients here; it’s really an honor.”

April 11, 2017

The day many have been waiting and preparing for is finally here! Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands opened its doors to the public this morning marking another milestone in Texas Children’s history.

The 550,000-square-foot inpatient facility is the second community hospital in the Texas Children’s system and will serve patients and families in The Woodlands and beyond. The hospital has been in the making for several years and is the product of many long hours of dedicated planning and preparation.

One of the last preparatory acts occurred on April 7 when members of the hospital’s leadership team joined Texas Children’s chaplains and representatives from various congregations throughout The Woodlands community to bless the hospital and its staff.

Texas Children’s Chaplain Pam Krinock began the blessing and prayer walk at the main entrance of the hospital with a few words of thanks and appreciation for the new facility as well as a request of peace for those who enter the building seeking care.

“Doors are a powerful symbol,” Krinock said as water and oil, symbolizing comfort and healing, were sprinkled on the hospital’s two main glass sliding doors. “We pray they will be a sign of welcome and comfort for all who enter here.”

The group proceeded to the Emergency Center, Acute Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Operating Rooms, saying a prayer at each stop and blessing the areas and their staff with water and oil.

“We pray that comfort is provided to the families here, some of whom will be going through the toughest moments of their lives,” said Texas Children’s Chaplain Johnna Faber while the group was in the NICU. “We also pray for the staff who will hold and care for these children.”

The prayer walk ended in the hospital’s chapel, a serine, tucked away space highlighted by a floor to ceiling stained glass image of a lush forest dotted with deer and birds. Standing in front of the stained glass, four community clergyman representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths blessed the chapel with words of peace, comfort, healing and strength. Later that day, Texas Children’s chaplains blessed the hands of several staff members in the hospital lobby.

“It is very important what happened here today because anything that begins with God’s blessing, goes well,” said Rev. Jayaraj Jones of St. Anthony of Padua in The Woodlands.

Al Caberra, the Texas Children’s chaplain who will be providing spiritual care in The Woodlands, agreed and said he looks forward to working with community clergy to provide spiritual care to patients and their families.

“We consider you part of our community and an extension of our chaplaincy program,” he said. “We want you to always feel welcome here and know we are extremely grateful for the added peace and comfort you will bring.”

Stay tuned for full coverage of the first day at the new Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

On Wednesday, April 19, Texas Children’s Green Team will host our annual Earth Day celebration. But it will be slightly different than last year. We will have four locations for employees to join in on the fun.

  • Texas Children’s Medical Center Campus (The Auxiliary Bridge) – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Texas Children’s West Campus – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Texas Children’s Health Plan (large conference room in basement of Chase building) – 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands – Tree planting event only

Dozens of vendors will be available to provide eco-friendly, cost-saving tips to employees including how to become more energy efficient, tips on eating green, as well as ways to reduce waste and recycle more to promote a cleaner, healthier planet. Earl the Bear will be greeting guests at West Campus and Captain Clean Up will be at the Main Campus event.

The Green Team will be handing out customized Green Team water bottles and seeded confetti packets at the Green Team tables – so be sure to get there early since supplies are limited. Also, there will be a trivia game to test your knowledge on tips to go green for a chance to win prizes and several informational handouts will be distributed to employees.

Safe disposal of expired medications
Pharmacy will be hosting the Medication Disposal and Medication Take Back Program at Main Campus and West Campus only. Please bring expired or unused medications for proper disposal at the event.

Tree planting events
10 a.m. – Vice President Matt Schaefer and other leaders will be present for the tree planting at West Campus.

There will be a tree planting event at The Woodlands. The time and location have yet to be determined.

Stay tuned to Connect for more details about Texas Children’s Earth Day celebrations. Also, if you’d like to reach out to the Green Team with your green ideas, email teamgreen@texaschildrens.org.

April 4, 2017

Hundreds of employees with Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands recently poured into the grand lobby of the new hospital for a day-long employee orientation that covered everything from welcoming remarks by hospital leadership to expectations regarding emergency preparedness, patient experience and quality and safety protocols.

The doors of the new 550,000-square-foot building will open its doors to the public on Tuesday, April 11. The recent orientation sessions mark the near end of a long and thorough preparation process leaders and staff have undergone to ready themselves to serve the patients and families of The Woodlands and surrounding communities north of Houston.

“Opening day is almost here and I feel confident that we have done everything in our power to prepare ourselves and the entire Texas Children’s system for what will be a monumental day in our service to patients and their families,” said Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands President and Texas Children’s Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown. “Our efforts have spanned many topics but have consistently focused on quality, safety and the overall patient experience people will have when they arrive at our doorstep for care.”

During the past year, more than 600 employees and providers who will staff the new hospital have been involved in one or more of the following initiatives to prepare themselves as a team to serve the thousands of patients and families expected to seek high quality care and pediatric services in their community from Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

Connections: The Experience and The Vision: All Woodlands employees, physician partners, and leadership completed two courses focused on hardwiring a culture based on both the patient and the employee experience. The goal of these sessions is to build on the existing Texas Children’s core values of living compassionately, amplifying unity, embracing freedom and leading tirelessly. In addition, the sessions aspire to establish behaviors that unify Woodlands employees as a team and leave patients and families feeling connected to the new hospital and staff as their healthcare provider.

Breakthrough Communications: Eighty physicians and advanced practice providers completed this Texas Children’s Hospital led physician communication course focusing on enhancing the conversation and dialogue between patients, families and caregivers.

Error Prevention Training: Hundreds of providers and staff working at The Woodlands campus took this three-hour class taught by members of the Texas Children’s Quality and Safety Department and trained Woodlands campus instructors. The course focused on sustaining a culture of safety and strategies for reducing medical errors and serious safety events.

Provider Orientation: The entire medical staff have either attended or is scheduled to attend provider-dedicated sessions focusing on operational details specific to The Woodlands campus. Training includes topics such as emergency response, community outreach, personal safety and security, environmental safety, quality metrics, new equipment training, useful communication tools and resources for providers, and a hospital tour.

Advanced Quality Improvement (AQI) Boot Camp: A group of about 40 leaders and medical providers attended this intense program aimed at improving care delivery and quality of care. The training occurred over three days and was based on a national patient safety training program that has shown significant improvement in patient outcomes.

Simulation Training: The leadership team at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands partnered with the Texas Children’s Hospital Simulation Center to design and facilitate a robust simulation training for the care teams and testing of the hospital environment. Using advanced technology and equipment to create life-like scenarios ranging from routine patient care to emergency code situations, the simulations allowed providers, staff, and even family members to respond as a team and test the hospital’s systems, environmental layout, and processes. The scenarios were recorded on video, allowing hospital leaders to review the training exercises and make any necessary adjustments before opening the hospital.

Emergency Management Drills: Texas Children’s Hospital, in partnership with the Montgomery County Sherriff’s office, University of Texas Police Houston, the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, and Houston Police Department, have conducted two active shooter exercises at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. The purpose of the exercises was to test the emergency notification procedures, train staff to respond to an active shooter, and give our law enforcement partners a chance to practice their tactical response to an active shooter in the new building.

In addition to these formal training programs, leaders, physicians and staff have been meeting weekly to discuss things such as system optimizations, scopes of service, workflows, staff onboarding, teambuilding and more. Everyone involved has been working collaboratively to ensure we transition smoothly into operations on April 11, said Director of Patient Care Services Ketrese White.

“We have a unique opportunity to provide world class dedicated pediatric care to this community and surrounding communities nestled in the North,” White said. “We are excited to see the positive impact we will make in this community.”

Located off of I-45 in The Woodlands, Texas Children’s Hospital the Woodlands will serve children and families in the Woodlands, Kingwood, Conroe, Spring, Magnolia, Humble, Huntsville and beyond. The new hospital will build on a decade’s worth of relationships Texas Children’s has built in the community through our primary and sub-specialty care services offered at Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations and the Texas Children’s Health Center The Woodlands.

The hospital will offer services in more than 20 areas of specialty care at a state of the art facility with 32 acute care beds, four operating rooms, 12 radiology rooms with two MRIs, an emergency center with 25 patient rooms, a sleep center, a helipad, 1,000 free parking spaces and 28 critical care rooms (14 NICU and 14 PICU). Patients will receive expert care from highly skilled clinicians, and may also benefit from support services such as translation services, child life specialists, social work, care management, chaplains, volunteer services, and patient/family advocacy.

Texas Children’s Hospital in partnership with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, University of Texas Police at Houston, Montgomery County Hospital District, Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the Houston Police Department conducted two active shooter exercises on March 3 and then an active shooter exercise followed by a mass casualty exercise on March 10. The exercises were conducted in the Emergency Center, lobby and cafeteria of the hospital, which will open its doors to the public on April 11.

“I think these are critical exercises to undertake and am proud to see Texas Children’s Hospital performing these,” said Dr. Jennifer Arnold, medical director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Simulation Center. “The opportunity to identify system flaws before a real life threatening emergency occurs is priceless.”

View photos from the exercises below.

The scenario for one of the exercises was of a disgruntled family member of a deceased patient seeking retribution on the Emergency Center physician. A police officer dressed in normal clothes and carrying a plastic training weapon played the shooter and 25 employees from across the Texas Children’s system played either an employee, patient, or family member.

The purpose of the exercise was to test Texas Children’s emergency notification procedures, staff training for response to an active shooter (Run, Hide, Fight), and to give our law enforcement partners a chance to practice their tactical response to an active shooter in our new building.

“As nurses we enter the profession to provide care to others and in these situations there is a pivotal moment where you must place yourself first to ensure safety,” said Tarra Kerr, director of nursing for Texas Children’s Hospital Emergency Center. “This is hard to do and we must continue these training opportunities to prepare, and more importantly create an avenue to have open dialogue about these prevalent issues.”

The second exercise involved an active shooter exercise in the cafeteria and common areas of the hospital, followed by a mass casualty incident and medical surge exercise in the Emergency Center using 20 young people volunteering to be patients and dressed in Moulage or simulated injuries using special effects makeup.

According to various participants, the exercises were very successful and lessons learned will allow staff to improve Texas Children’s emergency plans for an active shooter event, improve our emergency notification processes, and improve our staff training.

“While I hope to never encounter a scenario such as an active shooter on site, this drill certainly gave me and my colleagues the skills to be prepared for and to survive this terrible and hopefully exceedingly rare event,” said Dr. Joseph Allen, medical director of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands Emergency Center.

March 29, 2017

It’s time to lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement! Texas Children’s and the Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run are hosting the inaugural family fun run event this year in The Woodlands. Registration is open but spots are filling up fast. So, sign up today to guarantee a spot for you and your family.

The Family Fun Run event at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will be on Saturday, April 29. The event will offer a 1-mile course and will be in celebration of the April 11 grand opening of the new hospital. Post-race activities will follow until 11 a.m.

Registration for the The Woodlands Family Fun Run will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 17 or whenever we reach our maximum event capacity of 1,500 runners. Click here to register.

Participants – including those who need walkers and wheelchairs – are welcome. There will not be prizes given to top finishers as all participants will receive an award for taking part in an event designed to educate and encourage Houston-area families to adopt active, healthy lifestyles.

Additional information, including training guides, a video from last year’s event and volunteer opportunities can be found here.

Good luck and happy running!

March 7, 2017

Texas Children’s is committed to the health and well-being of our patients, their families and our employees. This is why all patient care providers and other employees whose duties are listed below are required to have their routine tuberculosis (TB) skin test. Testing will begin Tuesday, March 7 (click on the flier for larger view of all dates, times, and locations).

Employees who are unable to be tested on any of these dates may make appointments by calling Employee Health at ext. 4-2150.

Which Texas Children’s employees are required to receive a TB skin test?

  • Employees who work in a hospital setting
  • Employees who work in a non-hospital setting but have possible patient contact
  • Employees who have face-to-face contact with suspected or confirmed TB patients or have the potential of exposure through shared air space with infectious patients
  • Employees with a negative TB skin test history and have not received a TB skin test in 2017

Employees with a known positive TB skin test will NOT receive a TB skin test. They will receive an email with instructions to complete a questionnaire through the Employee Health & Wellness Portal. Employees located off-site will receive separate instructions from their leader at a later date.

The current risk assessment provided by the Texas Children’s Infection Control Committee states that routine skin testing will occur every two years. For more information, please see sections 8 and 9 of the Tuberculosis Exposure Control Plan Procedure or visit the Employee Health Services page on Connect.

Thank you in advance for your support in helping safeguard the well-being of our patients, their families, and our employees.