February 18, 2014

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Dr. Daniel Penny, chief of Cardiology and section head and professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, will present the 12th Annual William J. Rashkind Memorial Lecture in Pediatric Cardiology at Cardiology 2014, the 17th Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease. The conference, hosted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, will take place in Lake Buena Vista, Florida February 19 through 23.

“I am honored to be delivering the keynote address at this year’s Cardiology conference,” says Penny. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the cutting edge techniques and thought leadership we practice at Texas Children’s Heart Center.”

Cardiology 2014 is a comprehensive post-graduate course for pediatric cardiologists, neonatologists, surgeons, nurses, intensivists, anesthesiologists, sonographers, perfusionists and all those involved in the care of neonates, children and young adults with cardiovascular disease. This year’s theme is “Innovations: What We Know. What We Need to Learn. Where We Need to Be.” Penny’s speech, The Quest for the Ultimate Team, will discuss the importance of assembling a comprehensive team of specialists and experts to deliver the best possible care to pediatric cardiology patients.

In addition to the keynote address, Penny also will serve as a panelist during a discussion about the management of aortic valve disease and represent Team Houston during a quiz bowl which will test his knowledge against experts in the field from around the United States. Other Texas Children’s Heart Center experts who will be giving presentations or attending the conference include:

  • Dr. Carrie Altman, medical director of Pediatric Cardiology at Texas Children’s and associate professor of Pediatrics at Baylor.
  • Dr. Paul Checchia, medical director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Texas Children’s and professor of Critical Care Medicine at Baylor, will present: Maximizing Success in the Coming Age of Values-driven Healthcare: Turning Things Upside Down to Get Them Right Side Up and will also represent Team Houston during the quiz bowl.
  • Dr. Silvana Lawrence, medical director, community and program development at Texas Children’s and associate professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology at Baylor.
  • Dr. Keila Lopez, pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children’s and assistant professor of Pediatrics at Baylor.
  • Dr. Kristen Sexson Tejtel, pediatric cardiologist, Center for Preventive Cardiology at Texas Children’s and assistant professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology at Baylor.

Visit the conference’s website for more information on Cardiology 2014.

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We may not see snow in Houston but that’s not keeping patients on different units around the hospital from becoming winter Olympians. Getting into the spirit of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, the Child Life department is bringing the games to the patients.

For two weeks, many units re acting as different “countries” while participating in 10 patient-friendly events. The patients from non-competing units are able to collaborate as a team on the 16th floor so all patients are able to be a part of the fun. Texas Children’s front line staff are acting as Olympic judges and letting the kids compete for gold, silver or bronze medals.

The medal counts for each floor are posted on the 16th floor and being announced daily on Radio Lollipop.

“The kids really enjoy competing and working as a team,” said Child Life Specialist, Alyssa DeMoss. “The Texas Children’s Hospital Olympics has created many opportunities for patients to meet each other and become friends which is making their time at the hospital more enjoyable.”

DeMoss said patients are constantly asking about the next day’s challenge and are excited to prepare together and compete as a team.

A few weeks ago, the hundreds of Texas Children’s staff and employees streaming into the Hornberger Conference Center felt like guests at a premier gala. The room, filled with lush florals, candles and gorgeous linens welcomed and celebrated them. They were among the 376 employees beautifully honored for their years of service to Texas Children’s at the 26th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration on February 4.

“These 376 recipients represent 7,335 years of service to Texas Children’s Hospital – wow!” said President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, addressing the crowd. “What makes this event so special is that we are all here together. We are fully present – our fondest memories hand in hand with our dreams for the future.”

The audience was filled with long-time employees marking 15, 20, 25, 30, 25, 40 and 45 years of service to the organization. Among those honored was Senior Vice President Linda Aldred who typically leads the event from the podium each year but proudly took her seat as a 25-year honoree.

In addition to long-time honorees, recipients of the Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership, Smiles, and Super Star awards were recognized.

Chief of Radiology Dr. George Bisset also addressed the audience, attributing the organization’s success and advancements to the contributions of each person in the room.

“Without a doubt, all of you have played a role in creating a world-class model for educating tomorrow’s health care leaders, solving some of the greatest medical mysteries that we deal with on a daily basis and delivering preeminent care to children and women,” Bisset said.

After an emotional story about his son – electrocuted as a child and cared for at Texas Children’s – Texas Children’s Board of Trustee member Merrell Athon thanked the employees for his son and the many, many children they’ve helped through the years.

“I’ve been a trustee at Texas Children’s Hospital for 26 years,” Athon said. “And I have never been more enthusiastic about the care we are providing for the children and women in our community and the wonderful teams and the fabulous facilities we have in place to heal sick children for generations to come.”

Congratulations to all of the honorees!

Click here for the Employee Recognition Celebration event program.

In celebration of our 60th birthday, we’re throwing it way back – to the 1950s – on Facebook throughout the month of February. Stop by Texas Children’s Facebook page for a walk down memory lane. And if you or someone you know has photos from the early days, share them with us. Your stories are a part of Texas Children’s fascinating story!

By Emily Klein

We’re getting ready to celebrate Audrey’s 2nd birthday and what a wonderful ride it has been! We’ve gone from a quiet easygoing baby who just wants to be held, to an energetic, curious and thriving two year-old. Her outdoor slide is often moved inside so she can burn some energy if the weather is bad or if it’s nighttime. She loves to read, and it’s usually the same book over and over. Every Saturday after breakfast she goes to the back door because she knows it is activity day and we have something fun in store. The zoo, aquariums, trains, boats, and eating out in restaurants are her favorite things. There really never is a dull moment, and it’s shown us a whole new side of life.

Having a 2 year old is a wildly different experience from the infant stage, but it has all been a great deal of fun. She started her “terrible twos” a few months early, so we’re more than prepared for her actual birthday.

Choosing a pediatrician

We’re very fortunate that she has been happy and healthy throughout. Choosing a pediatrician was a bit scary, but you couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with to seek advice. Through a recommendation of a colleague we chose Texas Children’s Pediatrics Houston Pediatric Associates in Bellaire, and the shared practice of Dr. Schlegel and Dr. Lasics.

The interview

We wanted someone we were comfortable with and who we knew would be there to answer our questions. As a new parent you have and ask lots of questions. We interviewed them to see what our gut reaction was, and they were chosen on the spot.

Location, location, location

The location also mattered since our work and her daycare are around the area. We needed to be able to move quickly in case of an emergency.

The Texas Children’s care

Texas Children’s was always going to be our choice because we know we have the finest physicians offering the best care.

Advice to new parents

My advice would be to gather referrals. Knowing our colleagues have used the same pediatrician throughout their children’s lives made us more comfortable. Always interview the candidates with your child so you can see how you feel about them and how they are with your baby.

The office has always been responsive to phone calls and same day appointments. They’ve always walked us through any concerns day or night and are wonderful with understanding new parent worries and questions. The doctors and staff are very good with her, and have even caught her sitting in “timeout” when they are ready to see her. Like we said, terrible twos started early. We’re grateful for the care and attention she receives, and most of all grateful for a wonderful healthy 2 year old.

Relish every minute with your curiously active 2 year old – even if they do act up from time to time. They really do show you how to be young again!

A new eight-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at West Campus is now open. The unit will allow the hospital to accommodate patients with higher acuity and meet the needs of the community. The PICU will be staffed 24/7 with experience, board-certified critical care physicians, PICU nurses and support staff.

“We want to provide a higher level of care here at West Campus after seeing the needs of the community,” said Shannon McCord, director of West Campus Patient Care Services. “This allows even more patients to receive their care closer to home.”

West Campus is now able to care for patients with conditions including but not limited to:

  • Asthma
  • Diabetes
  • Meningitis
  • Respiratory failure
  • Seizures
  • Shock

And neonates (<30 days) diagnosed with:

  • ALTE
  • Bronchiolitis
  • Hyperbilirubinemia
  • Suspected sepsis

Patients in need of care that is outside of the scope of care for West Campus will still be transported to Main, but this new expansion will impact the ability of the West Campus facility to do more surgical procedures and admit more patients from the Emergency Center who before were triaged to Main Campus.

The results are in! The units below will receive a special prize for having the highest number of surveys completed but it’s not too late to join these teams. The survey deadline has been extended to Friday to make sure everyone has a chance to participate and let us know how we’re doing in patient and family centeredness.

Congrats to these units who had the highest survey participation so far:

Main: Emergency Center and Cancer Center Clinic
West: Emergency Center and PM&R
Pavilion: Outpatient Obstetrics

Patients and families are the lifeblood of our organization. We want to hear your thoughts on how well we provide family centeredness in our patient care areas across the system.

To better understand best practices related to family centered care we have partnered with Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care (IPFCC), an organization dedicated to “advancing the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care in all settings where individuals and families receive health care.”

Below is a survey developed by the IPFCC, designed to help us better understand where we excel and still have growth related to family centered care system-wide. Please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey, providing your personal thoughts about family centered care in your patient care area. Families are an important piece of the nursing strategic plan, and your feedback will help ensure that any improvement effort we commence aligns with our needs.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TRQVJ2L

Our goal is to have EVERYONE and ANYONE that works or provides care on any patient care unit to fill out this survey (inpatient, outpatient, EC, Pediatrics, Health Centers etc.) This is an anonymous survey and is asking for your personal opinion! Please complete by Friday, February 21.