Making employee health a priority with Dr. Burdine
Texas Children’s dedication to providing a work environment prioritizing employee health and wellness has led to the expansion of our Employee Medical Clinic. In addition to the locations in the Medical Center and West Campus, this summer, full-service primary care will also be available to employees at The Woodlands! With a wide range of acute care services, chronic condition management and preventive care, the EMC is a great benefit available to all Texas Children’s employees.
What brought you to Texas Children’s, Dr. Burdine?
I am excited for this opportunity to work at TCH for several reasons! I have family who work at TCH and for the past 11 years, I have heard them praise the culture here. The Employee Medical Clinic is a unique opportunity to provide convenient access to primary and urgent care visits to TCH employees. Plus, being part of the Workforce Well-Being team allows me to engage more fully in preventive health care such as social and lifestyle factors that impact health.
Are there any services provided at the EMC you want employees to know more about?
We provide many services such as annual wellness exams, well woman exams and urgent care for common conditions like urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, and common musculoskeletal conditions. We also manage chronic medical conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes type 2, hypothyroidism and asthma/allergies. Employees often don’t know the full scope of well-being benefits TCH provides, and we can help connect them to these programs. A great example is physical therapy, which we offer onsite at the EMC!
How can employees schedule an appointment at the EMC?
Appointments can be made by calling the clinic phone number at 832-824-2424 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 6:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday 6:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. or emailing empmedicalclinic@texaschildrens.org. Online direct scheduling and MyChart will be available soon.
As you know, February is Heart Month. What are some things TCH employees can do to promote heart health and what sort of cardiac services can employees receive at the EMC?
In addition to providing routine care like annual wellness checks, offered at the EMC, your primary care provider (PCP) works with you to prevent serious illnesses like heart disease. Heart health is directly impacted by chronic conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, prediabetes/diabetes and obesity.
High blood pressure or high cholesterol can be asymptomatic. Lifestyle habits, like reducing sodium intake and saturated fats, increasing physical activity and monitoring home blood pressures are tools everyone can work on to naturally lower blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity. The simplest way to increase your physical activity is to start walking. It’s free, easy and can be done just about anywhere!
We provide education regarding diet and therapeutic lifestyle goals to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. The EMC works with our free TCH Health Coaches to perform a thorough assessment of current nutrition, behavioral habits, exercise habits and ideal weight loss goals to develop an individualized plan for each patient. There are ongoing coaching sessions to help you stay on the path to success.
To make an appointment, email empmedicalclinic@texaschildrens.org.