August 16, 2016

81716goforgold640Texas Children’s recently launched Go for the Gold, a well-being challenge that encourages you to be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day for a minimum of 20 days.

So far, more than 1,400 people have signed up for the challenge, which started August 1 and will run through Wednesday, August 31, to parallel the Rio Summer Olympics. Registration is still open. Click here to sign up for the challenge. For challenge details, visit the Wellness site.

To support you along the way, we have group exercise classes happening throughout the month of August. Click here to learn more.

August 9, 2016

81016weightinside250Who doesn’t love indulging on pizza, French fries, buttery popcorn and chocolate cake every once in awhile?

In a world where food – especially the unhealthy and highly processed kind – is so readily available, developing healthy eating habits can be challenging but certainly attainable with positive behavioral and mindset changes.

In her new e-book, Lose it Now: Tips for Permanent Weight Loss, Texas Children’s Dr. Carmen Mikhail shares clinically proven strategies to help families gradually adopt a healthier lifestyle and keep the excess pounds at bay.

“Since everyone’s weight loss journey is different, these tips are presented in an easy-to-follow format enabling individuals to move through each step at their own pace,” said Mikhail, the director of Texas Children’s A Weigh of Life program and associate professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and behavioral science at Baylor College of Medicine.

Based on her extensive clinical experience and research in cognitive-behavioral treatment of obesity in children, Mikhail outlines practical tips for successful weight loss including:

  • Journaling to become more aware of food and beverage intake
  • Listening to your body to determine when you are truly physically hungry
  • Rearranging your surroundings to help you eat less and exercise more
  • Setting and reaching realistic goals and staying on track with your weight loss
  • Surrounding yourself with people who encourage you to get healthy
  • Maintaining a positive mindset

“I’ve seen so many patient successes throughout the years and felt it was time to put together a synopsis of the techniques that worked,” Mikhail said. “I also wanted to share information obtained from weight loss literature in a simple form that non-academicians could understand.”

These weight loss strategies highlighted in Mikhail’s book are also taught to patients and families enrolled in Texas Children’s A Weigh of Life program, a 15-week lifestyle change program covering cognitive and behavioral change, and dietary and exercise intervention. The program targets the entire family since studies have demonstrated more effective results when family members change their habits together with their children.

As a faculty member in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Texas Children’s, Mikhail says maintaining a healthy body weight is an important first step in reducing the risk of medical conditions including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, sleep apnea and orthopedic problems. Being overweight and obese have also been linked to depression and poor self-esteem and body image.

“Early intervention in childhood obesity is extremely important since the risk of adult obesity increases for each additional year a child remains obese,” Mikhail said. “My hope is that this book will help parents attain a healthier lifestyle through healthy eating and exercise that will positively impact their child. When parents encourage these positive behaviors, their children are more likely to make healthier eating choices that become second nature.”

Mikhail’s e-book is available on Amazon. For more information on Texas Children’s A Weigh of Life program, click here.

81016ZikaBaginside640Texas Children’s Hospital recently teamed up with H-E-B and Cutter® Insect Repellents to launch a community-based initiative to help Houstonians prepare for and prevent the spread of the Zika virus.

As part of this collaborative initiative, all three community partners will distribute 50,000 bags with free educational brochures in both English and Spanish, duct tape and insect repellent to those in targeted areas who may be at an increased risk of contracting and spreading the Zika virus.

The free bags will be distributed to patients of Texas Children’s Pediatrics Community Cares practices in Gulfgate, Corinthian Pointe, Cullen, Gulfton, Ripley House and Kingsland. The bags will also be available to Texas Children’s Health Plan patients at the Centers for Children and Women in Greenspoint and Southwest Houston.

Members of the community who are not patients of these locations can also pick up a free bag while supplies last at any of the following HEB locations:

  • H-E-B Gulfgate at 3111 Woodridge
  • H-E-B at 10251 Kempwood
  • H-E-B at 10100 Beechnut

“We are excited to work with H-E-B and Cutter Insect Repellents to help meet a critical need for so many members of our community,” says Dr. Mark W. Kline, physician-in-chief at Texas Children’s and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. “We believe it is only a matter of time before the Zika virus is prevalent in our community. Helping to educate and provide the tools needed to protect those families most at risk of contracting and spreading the disease is something we feel strongly must be done.”

Zika is transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitos. Once infected, a person can spread the virus by being bitten by an Aedes mosquito that then bites another individual or through sexual contact. Pregnant women can transmit Zika to their unborn child as well. In recent months, the virus has raised concern among pregnant women since the virus may increase the risk of microcephaly, a rare neurological birth defect that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.

Although most children and adults infected with Zika will only have mild illness – usually accompanied with symptoms of rash, fever, pink eye and joint pain that typically clear up in less than a week – a small number may suffer complications involving the brain and nervous system such as temporary or permanent paralysis. Deaths from Zika are rare.

As of July 2016, no cases of Zika have been transmitted locally by a mosquito bite but the virus has been diagnosed in travelers returning to Texas from other countries. Aedes mosquitoes are common in Texas and across the Gulf Coast, so Zika cases among returning travelers have the potential to result in the local spread of the virus.

To reduce the risk of becoming infected with Zika, there are three simple steps families can take:

  • Repel: Apply a DEET-containing insect repellent when outdoors. DEET is the most effective form of insect repellent and is safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as children older than 2 months of age. Follow instructions on the product and do not apply insect repellent onto a child’s hands, eyes or mouth, or onto a cut or irritated skin. Insect repellent may need to be reapplied. If using sunscreen, apply that first and insect repellent second.
  • Repair: If possible, use air conditioning and close windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out of the home. Repair or replace damaged screens on windows or doors. Inspect screens throughout the house. Simple duct tape can be used to repair any holes in screens.
  • Remove: Inspect the area around the home and eliminate places mosquitoes can use to lay eggs. Mosquitoes need standing water to reproduce, so empty, turn over, cover or throw out anything that can hold standing water, including old tires, buckets, planters, plastic pools, birdbaths, flower pots, trash cans, cups, toys, etc.

Click here to view educational flyer about Zika. For more information on Zika, click here.

Recent articles related to Zika:
New Zika clinic opens at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women
Senator Cornyn visits Texas Children’s to attend roundtable on Zika virus
Zika virus cases surface in Texas, travelers to epidemic regions most at risk

81016ChronicleAdUrology250.pgTexas Children’s is the honored sponsor for every Tuesday’s “Houston Legends” series. We will showcase the legendary care Texas Children’s has provided since 1954, and focus on milestone moments in our unique history. Also, a complementary website offers a more detailed look at our past, our story and our breakthroughs.

On the right is the Texas Children’s ad that is featured in this week’s Chronicle. Click the ad to visit our companion website at texaschildrens.org/legendarycare. The website will change weekly to complement the newspaper ad, which will be published in section A of the Chronicle on Tuesdays for the next several weeks. We also will spotlight this special feature weekly on Connect, so stay tuned to learn and share our rich history.

For most of Kaitlyn Ennis’ 12-year life she has been in physical pain due to pancreatitis, a disease doctors diagnosed her with when she was just 18 months old.

In the beginning the condition and the pain were acute, coming and going in spurts. The past year or so however, Kaitlyn has endured chronic pain on an almost daily basis, causing her to miss school and spend more time than she would have liked in the hospital.

“It makes me irritable,” Kaitlyn said of the pain she feels when her pancreas becomes inflamed. “I just want it to go away.”

In January 2015, Texas Children’s Hospital launched an interdisciplinary pain medicine clinic to treat patients like Kaitlyn, who suffer from chronic pain, a condition that affects 20 percent to 30 percent of children worldwide. The clinic is part of the Pain Medicine Division of the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology and is one of the only clinics of its kind in the Greater Houston area.

“By the time patients arrive to the pain clinic, they often have seen multiple physicians and specialists and are often frustrated with feeling neglected by the health care system or are feeling a sense of diagnostic ambiguity, as there is often not a clear cut anatomical explanation for chronic pain,” said Grace Kao, a pediatric pain psychologist with the pain clinic and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

“Meeting families where they are and offering hope and support comprises a substantial part of our role as a pain clinic team.”

In a patient’s initial intake evaluation, members of the pain clinic team provide a thorough pain history assessment, psychosocial interviews and thorough physical exams by pain physicians and physical therapist. All of this information is used to help develop a comprehensive treatment plan which is shared with the family in a joint feedback session at the end of the appointment.

Knowing pain can affect so many parts of life, the pain clinic team typically provides recommendations in multiple arenas: medication management, medical procedures, lifestyle changes, physical and occupational therapy, school accommodation and pain psychology.

“The interdisciplinary clinic model provides the valuable benefit of combining multiple services within the same appointment and creates the opportunity for clinicians to inform each other’s recommendations on the spot,” Kao said. “Patients often return for follow up with multiple team providers to target different parts of their pain picture.”

When Kaitlyn and her family first came to the pain clinic, they were looking for a way to manage the girl’s chronic pain without admitting her into the hospital.

“We wanted to be able to manage her pain at home,” said Kaitlyn’s mother, Sara Ennis. “Admitting her into the hospital every month or so was not working.”

After examining Kaitlyn, the team at the pain clinic put her on a medication regime and armed her with tools in pain psychology, including guided imagery. Soon thereafter, Kaitlyn and her family were managing her episodes of acute pain in the comfort of their home instead of taking her to the hospital. Kaitlyn’s chronic pain was nearly gone.

“The treatment they provided was life changing,” Sara Ennis said. “I am so impressed with the team; nothing is trivial to them and as a result, they made life easier for a lot of us.”

Dr. Caro Monico, a member of the pain medicine clinic team and an assistant professor of pain management at Baylor College of Medicine, said the foundation of the clinic’s treatment is to reintegrate children into school, physical activity and normal life.

“Simply put,” she said, “we want our patients to feel normal and for many we can accomplish that goal.”

Since opening, the pain clinic has seen thousands of patients from around the United States. A director will be coming on board in September and the staff has grown to nine inpatient pain medicine physicians, four chronic pain physicians, two nurse practitioners, two physical therapists, one pain psychologist and one pain registered nurse.

For more information about the clinic, click here.

81016JuliaTenHoeve175Julia TenHoeve of Development is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star employee. “A super star lives the core values of Texas Children’s to provide the best health care to children from our community and around the world and creates an environment that inspires others,” TenHoeve said. Read more of her interview below and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Julia N. TenHoeve; Senior Associate Director – Special Events, Office of Development. I have been at Texas Children’s Hospital for three years and have enjoyed every minute of it!

What month are you Super Star for?
August 2016

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
Wow, what a surprise! I was in a meeting with my entire team to review survey results and one of my team members, Claire, had to step out for a moment. She came back a few minutes later and said, “Hey, everyone you have to come into the hall to see this!” We walked out and there, waving Super Star wands, was the entire Office of Development, John Nickens, and my husband, Oliver! Everyone was wearing hot pink stickers adorned with my monogram and the words “Super Star!” They all had glasses of diet coke (my favorite drink) and sparkling cider to *toast* me on the Super Star award. I was totally surprised. It was such a fun afternoon…and boy do they know me well – monograms, diet cokes and my wonderful team!

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do?
Working at this outstanding organization is already reward enough. Receiving recognition from my team and the organization is just icing on the cake!

How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
In many, many ways, Texas Children’s has helped me achieve both my personal and professional goals. The support system at Texas Children’s Hospital for personal and professional development is phenomenal. I am consistently afforded the freedom to be creative and innovative in my space. Knowing that I have the full support of our organization to push the boundaries of development is what makes Texas Children’s Hospital such a wonderful place for me to work.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
Living the core values of Texas Children’s to provide the best health care to children from our community and around the world and creating an environment that inspires others.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
Simply put, I love what I do! I work with some of the most talented and creative people developing and hosting memorable events to build friends and benefactors for Texas Children’s Hospital. I love that my work directly and indirectly supports our mission of creating a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research. I am so proud to be a member of a winning team that is consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
The passion our employees, volunteers and contributors have for our hospital’s mission.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader?
It is so empowering that every Texas Children’s employee, regardless of title, has the opportunity to be a leader through their actions and influence. Every employee is expected to act as a leader which results in an environment and culture of infinite passion.

At Texas Children’s Hospital our leaders are both good and tough. Good to each other and tough on the work. Good means respect, collaboration, passion, inspiration. Tough means pushing, stretching and never settling.

What is your leadership definition?
Leadership is the ability to inspire reliability, creativity, unending self-improvement and genuine joy.

A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.
John Maxwell

Anything else you want to share?
I’d like to thank those who nominated and selected me for this award. It is such an honor to be recognized at such an amazing organization. I would also like to thank all of the mentors I have here at Texas Children’s Hospital – your influence goes far beyond the work day and I am so thankful for your guidance and support.

72716SusanKirk175Susan Kirk, a physician assistant at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, was recently honored with the Dr. Marilyn Hockenberry Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice, Education and Research.

Established in 2012, this internal award recognizes an advanced practice nurse (APN) and/or physician assistant (PA) who has made exemplary contributions to the education of clinical fellows, nurse practitioners, PAs or nurses, or has completed a clinical practice improvement project that has significantly impacted patient care in Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Hematology Service.

The hematology faculty at Texas Children’s nominated Kirk for her many contributions, particularly in the areas of hematology education and research.

While Kirk has taken the lead on the development and revision of Clinical Practice Guidelines for several areas in Immune Hematology, she is heavily involved in teaching. She is frequently requested to have trainees shadow her and is passionate about teaching both disease specific and operational aspects of daily practice. Kirk also teaches multiple courses in Immune Hematology to nursing staff and lectures PA students on hematology topics. This year, she has volunteered to precept a Baylor College of Medicine PA student.

In addition to clinical education, Kirk ensures staff in the hematology clinic are up to speed on the latest technology. She teaches her colleagues how to perform tasks in Epic on a daily basis and is an active member of the Beacon Committee for the development of an online chemotherapy ordering program.

Kirk has also made remarkable accomplishments in pediatric hematology research. She is part of the backbone of the immune hematology research program and is involved in the development and operation of multiple research studies, some of which have been published in Thrombosis Research. Kirk has also written abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the International Society for Thrombosis and Hemostasis annual meeting. She recently presented an educational session on sickle cell disease at Texas Children’s 2016 APP Conference.

Kirk is a member of several professional organizations including the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants, a content expert for the National Commission on Certification for Physician Assistants and an abstract review committee member for the American Academy of Physician Assistants Annual Meeting.