August 27, 2018

On August 10, The Woodlands Clinical Nutrition and Milk Bank team partnered with Morrison Catering, Texas Children’s internal food vendor, to host the 2018 Kids Eat Right Month.™

The theme this year was “Back to School,” celebrating the new academic year. A yogurt parfait station was available for staff and patients to build their own nutritious layers of Greek yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit – a quick recipe for busy school mornings. All the ingredients was generously provided by Morrison Catering.

Food themed games were offered to engage participants with each other. The MyPlate bean bag toss was a game where kids had to throw the right food in the correct MyPlate section. This game was designed to demonstrate knowledge of “slow,” “go,” and “whoa” foods. Patients used food-stuffed shopping carts to deliver the foods to the correct “slow,” “go,” or “whoa” basket.

At the end of the event a back-to-school packed lunch box was given away in a raffle.

August 21, 2018

While many students across the Houston area are heading back to school this week, Texas Children’s Trauma and Grief Center (TAG) is helping students at Santa Fe High School emotionally and mentally prepare for the new school year following the tragic events that unfolded on campus three months ago.

Texas Children’s TAG Center has been partnering with other organizations in the Santa Fe community, including the Gulf Coast Center, to support the Santa Fe Strong Resiliency Center. Created in the aftermath of the Santa Fe school shooting, the Resiliency Center provides mental health services to those impacted by this tragedy.

“The impact this tragedy left behind is significant and it will take time for everyone to heal and adjust,” said Dr. Julie Kaplow, director of Texas Children’s TAG Center. “As Santa Fe students return to classes this week, we have TAG Center clinicians on hand at the high school – and across the Santa Fe school district – to provide emotional support to students, teachers and families who need it.”

Last week, Kaplow met with Santa Fe parents at a back-to-school meeting to discuss what to expect as their children return to school, the red flags they need to be aware of, how they can help their children transition back to school following this tragedy, and how to help their kids feel safe and secure.

“It’s been a very busy few weeks for our team,” said Kaplow. “Our TAG Center clinicians are continuing to provide trauma- and grief-informed assessment and intervention, both within the Resiliency Center as well as Santa Fe High School, and we’re providing on-going training and consultation to therapists serving the Santa Fe community.”

While the healing time from a school tragedy like this is different for each person impacted, Kaplow and her team will continue to partner with the Santa Fe community to provide services to these children.

In addition to these collaborative efforts, Kaplow says the Texas Children’s TAG Center plans to conduct a large-scale needs assessment across the Santa Fe school district that will help identify those students who are struggling the most and ensure they have access to the intervention they need close to home.

Click here for more information about Texas Children’s TAG Center.

August 20, 2018

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative at Texas Children’s Hospital (BIPAI) and several global partners recently celebrated the graduation of the first class of the East African Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program at Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

The East Africa Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Training Program is the result of cooperation and commitment between some of the most eminent institutions in Africa and on the world-stage in cancer care, medical education, health policy, and pediatric hematology and oncology. As part of the comprehensive Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence) initiative, which launched in February 2017, the two-year fellowship program is building a critical mass of pediatric hematology-oncology specialists to independently provide effective, evidence-based pediatric cancer and hematology care in the African setting.

In the United States, 80 percent of children with cancer survive. In sub-Saharan Africa, the overwhelming majority of pediatric patients do not. The mortality rate is estimated to be as high as 90 percent, meaning that thousands of children die from cancer across Africa each year, with the most common types of childhood cancers being blood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma.

Most childhood cancers are treatable. However, up until this point, the main reason for the staggering death rate across Africa has been due to an inadequate health care infrastructure and a significant lack of expert physicians and other health care workers trained to treat children with cancer and blood disorders. With the ambitious efforts of Global HOPE to build medical capacity to diagnose and treat pediatric blood disorders and cancer in Africa, the impact is already evident in the higher numbers of children receiving care in Uganda, Botswana and Malawi.

“Traditionally, physicians in Africa have gone abroad to obtain higher specialist clinical training, and often do not return,” said Dr. David Poplack, director of Global HOPE and associate director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. “By training physicians through the fellowship program, we are increasing the number of pediatric hematology-oncology specialists who will be practicing in East Africa. This will improve the overall survival for children with cancer and blood diseases in the region.”

At the graduation ceremony, Poplack was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science from Makerere University for his academic contribution in the field of science. Under his leadership for the last 25 years, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers established itself as an internationally-recognized leader in the treatment and research of pediatric cancer and blood disorders. With a desire to expand care to areas of the world with limited resources, Poplack and his team have worked over the past decade to provide care to children in sub-Saharan Africa. With the inception of Global HOPE, access to care will only continue to increase with this training of pediatric hematology-oncology physicians through the fellowship program.

“This first class of graduates of the fellowship program represents an exponential increase in the number of pediatric oncologists in east Africa – and by extension – a huge increase in the number of children diagnosed with cancer who may now receive high quality treatment and the chance of recovery,” said John Damonti, president of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. “We congratulate the graduating physicians and are proud to support the creation of a sustainable, highly qualified team of oncology and hematology healthcare providers in southern and east Africa, to help change the health outcomes for children.”

Partners involved in the Global HOPE initiative include: The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uganda, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, East African Community, Uganda Cancer Institute, Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation- Uganda, Mulago National Referral Hospital and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.

A record-breaking 6,100 Texas Children’s employees and Baylor staff, volunteers and interns recently accepted the 21-Day H2O Challenge from the Employee Health & Well-Being team this year, committing themselves to drink at least 64 ounces of water every day from July 10-31 and discovering the powerful benefits of staying hydrated along the way.

Nearly 90 percent of participants said they increased their water intake because of the challenge, which set the goal of eight cups per day to follow the amount recommended for adults by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition to sleeping for longer lengths of time and seeing reduced levels of stress, employees reported in a post-challenge survey that they experienced a wide range of positive effects:

  • 46 percent saw improved digestion
  • 43 percent saw improved energy levels
  • 32 percent improved their overall eating habits
  • 31 percent increased their physical activity

Personal stories of Water Challenge success could be found across the organization, from unexpected weight loss to significantly clearer skin, feeling more awake and refreshed, and adopting healthier habits overall. A bride-to-be struggling to lose weight before her wedding dropped a few pounds in just her first week of participating. A parent inspired their 8-year-old son to join the challenge and shoot for drinking 24 ounces of water per day, and was reminded how important it is for adults to model good health and wellness choices for children who are watching and learning.

“It was inspiring to see the enthusiasm in our employees who participated in the 21-day H2O Challenge,” said health coach Jackie Pacheco, who coordinated the challenge – including distribution of thousands of water bottles to employees at every Texas Children’s location, and an interactive water party on The Auxiliary Bridge in the challenge’s final days with infused waters to sample and free water giveaways courtesy of a pallet donated by Emergency Services.

“We had so many amazing results from employees who decided to make one simple change, increasing their daily water intake to improve their health,” Pacheco said. “The success stories from the challenge proved that incorporating small, yet significant, healthy habits into your daily routine will have tremendous results.”

Employees also appreciated the opportunity to amplify unity by joining the challenge together as teams, departments and units. One participant said their teammates became accountability partners, reminding each other to drink up and getting water for each other at the start and midpoint of every workday. Courtney Woods, a staff nurse in the in-patient emergency room who stopped by the water party, said she felt more motivated to tackle the challenge because her co-workers were there to encourage each other and check up on each other’s progress.

“This challenge is a fantastic example of how our employees can rally around a common well-being goal and motivate one another throughout the journey,” said Employee Health and Well-Being Assistant Director Julie Griffith. “We are proud of all of the participants that took the challenge!”

“We are also grateful to our Wellness Ambassadors for helping us amplify unity across the organization and achieve the largest well-being challenge participation in our history,” Griffith said. “We believe that supporting Texas Children’s mission of leading in patient care, education, and research begins with maximizing the health and well-being of our workforce. We are committed to providing more programs that empower and inspire our employees to achieve simple goals in order for them to thrive in all areas of their lives.”

August 13, 2018

Creating viable, long-term health care solutions for children and mothers worldwide has always been a part of Texas Children’s mission. To further that charge, a new division has been created within the Department of Surgery – the Division of Global Surgery. The division will be led by Dr. Jed Nuchtern, who has been Texas Children’s chief of Pediatric Surgery since 2012.

“This is a wonderful new opportunity for Texas Children’s Hospital, the Department of Surgery and Dr. Nuchtern, said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier. “Providing surgical expertise in underserved areas has been a great passion for Dr. Nuchtern, and he has traveled extensively bringing surgical care to children around the world. I would like to thank him for his continued commitment to patient care and surgical excellence.”

Through Global Health programs, Texas Children’s collaborates with international governments and health organizations to share its expertise and best practices, with a strong focus on sustainability. This collaboration includes providing surgical training and direct care and treatment in many underserved nations, such as Argentina, Haiti, Malawi, Mexico, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda. Due to lack of resources, facilities, education and support, surgical interventions thought of as routine here in the United States, such as repairing a broken bone or simply suturing a wound, are difficult to perform and thus much less common in these countries. A more complicated procedure like a C-section becomes altogether life-threatening.

The creation of the new Division of Global Surgery will help Texas Children’s forge new partnerships, offer providers opportunities for exposure, and facilitate care and capacity building to improve the lives of children and women across the globe, beginning in sub-Saharan Africa.

Leveraging resources, infrastructure and successful global medical programs already in place in the region – including Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) Network, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers’ Global HOPE (Hematology Oncology Pediatric Excellence), and existing efforts by the Department of OB/GYN – Nuchtern and his team will first focus on surgical care for pediatric cancer patients, 50 percent of which require some form of surgical intervention, to increase surgical capacity. Ultimately, the approach will have the combined effect of improving care of children with cancer as well as those suffering from other pediatric surgical diseases.

“While the initial focus is on cancer surgery, our approach is to help build capacity in children’s surgery overall,” Nuchtern said. “Our goal is to marshal all of the talent and energy of Texas Children’s department of surgery toward the goal of serving children throughout the world.”

Preliminary objectives include identifying individuals interested in participating, working with partners to develop the infrastructure necessary to provide quality care, and organizing a special group tasked with developing training opportunities, a central focus of this initiative. Building on successes and lessons learned, and through continued collaboration with Global HOPE, the long-term vision includes a surgical facility for women and children in Lilongwe, Malawi, expansion of care capacity in Central America, and, ultimately, recognition for Texas Children’s as a leader in global surgical outreach.

“We’re one family, and this is a team effort that requires substantial perioperative support from nursing, anesthesia, pediatrics, radiology and pathology,” Hollier said. “Dr. Nuchtern and the new Division of Global Surgery will coordinate with all hospital services to ensure that Texas Children’s is well-represented when going abroad and that these children and women receive the best possible care.”

Nuchtern will retain his duties as chief of Pediatric Surgery until a successor is found. A national search is currently underway. Pediatric Surgery at Texas Children’s has grown to include outstanding programs in surgical oncology, surgical critical care, colorectal and pelvic health, and basic science research. The GI Surgery program has consistently been recognized as one of the top five children’s hospital programs for GI & GI Surgery in U.S. News & World Report. Under Nuchtern’s leadership, the division also has received national and international acclaim for the separation of conjoined twins’ cases and many cutting-edge fetal surgeries. Additionally, the Trauma program was re-designated as a Level I trauma center and has expanded educational offerings to the state and region.

We just learned that employees’ children are not eligible to participate in the PLAY 60 Kid of the Month. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans are two teams with one goal – keeping kids healthy!

PLAY 60 is the National Football League’s campaign to encourage kids to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. We want YOU to join the movement by signing up your child to be a PLAY 60 Kid of the Month.

Those who enter are eligible to win a Texans VIP experience including a special behind the scenes visit to NRG Stadium and other exciting giveaways.

Kids ages 6-12 can participate. All they have to do is fill out the online survey showing us how they PLAY 60.

Learn more here.

Thanks to the more than 10 years of dedication and hard work of neonatologists and neonatal nutrition experts at Texas Children’s, Boston Children’s and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) hospitals, premature babies with liver disease now have better access to a potentially lifesaving drug.

On July 27, the FDA approved Omegaven®, an omega-3 fatty-acid-rich lipid solution made from fish oil for use in babies suffering from Parenteral Nutrition Associated Cholestasis (PNAC). For over a decade, Texas Children’s and Boston Children’s have been giving Omegaven® to NICU babies with this disease under compassionate use protocols.

Nearly 20 percent of babies in the NICU develop intestinal failure and are dependent on artificial nutrition (total parenteral nutrition or TPN). Of these infants 25 percent to 50 percent of them develop PNAC, a dreaded complication resulting in long term damage to the liver. Prior to the use of Omegaven®, nearly 50 percent of these babies with PNAC developed liver failure and died, or needed a liver transplant. However, since the use of Omegaven®, 85 percent of infants with PNAC have survived long term, rarely needing a liver transplant.

Being first-hand witnesses to this remarkably improved outcome, neonatologists at Texas Children’s long advocated for the approval of Omegaven. Extensive patient data demonstrating the beneficial effects of Omegaven® on the babies with PNAC from Texas Children’s, Boston Children’s and UCLA formed a crucial part of the new drug approval application submitted to the FDA. Now that Omegaven® is approved by the FDA for use in babies with PNAC, hospitals across the country will have access to it, saving many lives.

“This is a game changer,” said neonatologist Dr. Muralidhar Premkumar. “I am very confident that Omegaven’s approval by the FDA will tremendously improve the outcomes of infants with intestinal failure.”

Program Director of Neonatal Nutrition Dr. Amy Hair agreed and said the approval is “huge, and will most definitely save babies’ lives.”

Over the past decade, liver transplants have decreased nearly 25 percent nationwide in babies with PNAC, mainly as a result of improved multi-disciplinary care of infants with intestinal failure and the use of safer lipid solutions such as Omegaven®. Texas Children’s Newborn Center sees about 25 to 30 babies with the PNAC a year. None of these babies in the past five years have needed a liver transplant.

Charlie and Henry Fitzpatrick were two of those babies. The now 4-year-old twin boys were born prematurely at Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women and spent six months in the NICU. During their stay, both infants suffered from PNAC and were treated with Omegaven®. Since then, both their liver disease and intestinal failure have resolved. Charlie and Henry are now happy healthy preschoolers.

The twins’ mother, Aly Fitzpatrick, said Omegaven® played a big part in saving her children’s lives and that she is pleased to hear that the FDA approved the drug for use in babies like hers.

“The approval opens up a world of possibilities for these babies,” she said. “Now, more hospitals can embrace this without having to join a research study.”

Because of their experience with the drug, Texas Children’s is uniquely positioned to educate staff at other hospitals about the benefits of Omegaven® and train them on how to use it.

“It gives me great pride and satisfaction that we were part of this successful effort,” Premkumar said. “I would like to thank our dieticians, physicians, NNPs, pharmacists, nurses and of course, the babies and their families who supported us in this endeavor.”

Premkumar added that none of this would have happened if Dr. Steven Abrams and Keli Hawthorne, both former Texas Children’s staff, had not brought this project to the hospital.