August 31, 2021

Team members have until 5 p.m., this Wednesday, Sept. 1, to request a medical or religious exemption from Texas Children’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

To submit your request, complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption Request Form and any required documentation by the Sept. 1 deadline. Requests will be subject to verification and approval, with a final determination of your exemption status to be communicated by Sept. 10.

In order to maintain employment, all workforce members without an approved exemption will be required to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 5 p.m. on Sept. 21, and a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine by 5 p.m. on Oct. 19.

“The FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week could not have come at a better time as we are in the midst of our fight against the Delta variant,” wrote President & CEO Mark A. Wallace in a Monday morning message to employees.

“Across the country, we are seeing more hospitalizations than ever before during the pandemic, almost all of which involve unvaccinated individuals. We must remain prepared for anything the future may hold, which is why I will continue to advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine and its ability to help us overcome this deadly virus,” Wallace said.

For questions about the exemption process or Texas Children’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement, please review the comprehensive Workforce Information Guide.

August 26, 2021

The Delta variant, a highly contagious strain of COVID-19, is causing a rate of hospitalizations not seen in months. Texas Children’s is doing its part to stop the spread of the Delta variant by requiring vaccinations for all workforce members, and several of our clinical experts have shared their knowledge and experience of the variant and ongoing pandemic in national news.

Texas Children’s Pathologist-in-Chief and interim Pediatrician-in-Chief Dr. Jim Versalovic has been widely featured in recent interviews with outlets including the New York Times, NBC News and Texas Standard. Versalovic told NBC that household infections are a “major driving force” in infecting children with COVID-19, and reported to the Texas Standard that Texas Children’s has seen more than 15,000 COVID-19 cases among children this year.

He also noted to the New York Times that preliminary research has not yet indicated that the Delta variant is more severe for children – though he has seen severe cases among children throughout the pandemic.

“About 10 percent of those children do end up hospitalized and roughly a third of those hospitalized do end up in critical care. It’s very important that we take this seriously,” Versalovic said in the Texas Standard.

Separately, pediatric hospitalist and Chief Medical Officer for the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) at Texas Children’s Dr. Heather Haq made national news after detailing her experiences with pediatric COVID-19 patients in a viral Twitter thread. Haq expressed concern about the additional cases of respiratory syncytial virus, not typically seen this time of year, among patients. It’s a “surge upon surge” situation, she said.

Haq also authored an editorial in The Washington Post, published Aug. 4, about her feelings as both a doctor and a mother during this challenging time.

“What I do know is that in this moment, as the highly contagious Delta variant becomes the predominant strain circulating and we enter another COVID surge, I am more worried for children than I have ever been,” Haq wrote in the editorial.

Both physicians also expressed support masking among children as a new school year begins for children in Texas and across the country. Versalovic also provided back-to-school guidance and advice for parents on handling the Delta variant in a recent Texas Children’s video.

“I am hopeful that we’re going to be back in the classroom of in-person learning,” Versalovic told Texas Standard. “But I do think that schools need to be mindful about masking, distancing, sanitizing, having sanitizers readily available to children in schools.”

August 25, 2021

Did you know that Women’s Equality Day is observed every August? Learn about the commemoration and the nearly 80 million women in the U.S. workforce.

Texas Children’s is one of the best employers in Texas for 2021, according to a list released by Forbes and compiled from surveys sent to 80,000 Americans around the country.

Texas Children’s is ranked No. 33 on the list of 101 top Texas employers from a variety of industries. The organization is the only children’s hospital in the state to be featured, and one of only two Houston-based health care organizations in the top 35 best Texas employers overall.

“After a challenging 2020, I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work exhibited by our team at Texas Children’s,” said President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “Time and time again, Texas Children’s workforce has shown incredible perseverance and sincere commitment to our values and our mission. The strength of our people is what makes us such a strong organization, and it is an honor to support our teams as they build rewarding and long-lasting careers at Texas Children’s.”

The Best Employers by State rankings were achieved through a collaboration between Forbes and data company Statista. To determine the list, a survey was sent to 80,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 total employees across 25 industries. The surveys were anonymous and asked about working conditions, salary, potential for growth, diversity and more.

Texas Children’s has made Forbes’ best in-state employers list every year since its inception in 2018. In 2020, the organization was ranked No. 53 – one of the highest-ranking employers based in Houston, and among the highest-ranking hospitals in Texas.

Earlier this year, Texas Children’s earned distinction from Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers. In 2018, Texas Children’s was named a Best Employer for Women and Best Employer for Diversity.

August 24, 2021

Have you ever tried to incorporate meal planning into your weekly routine? Not only can it be very cost effective, but it can prove timesaving in the long run to have meals already prepared for the week.

Here are some top recommendations from our Texas Children’s Health Coaches on how to incorporate meal planning into your weekly routine:

  • Look at your schedule ahead of time. Find out how many meals your family may need for the week based on your work and personal schedule.
  • Get creative with recipes. Try looking for recipes with overlapping ingredients or meals that you can cook in bulk. Use a Crockpot or pressure cooker to make dishes like chili, meat, soups or stews. You can also make one sheet pan meals that include a protein, carbohydrate and vegetable that can be cooked all at once. If you struggle with incorporating vegetables in your meals, you can bulk up dishes like spaghetti sauce or tacos with vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, squash and zucchini. You can also add vegetables to omelets, casseroles, burgers, soups and stews. Our team likes to roast a tray of vegetables on Sunday night to have vegetables already cooked for the week that we can throw into different meals.

Here is one of our favorite one sheet pan meal recipes – maple-glazed salmon with sweet potatoes.

  • Make a grocery list based on what meals and snacks you plan to make for the week. It will be more cost effective if you have a list and only purchase what you need for the week. Make sure to read nutrition labels and fill your basket with nutrient-dense options.
  • Cook once or a few times throughout the week. You can make a few dishes at once for the week, or you can cook in bulk a few times. Cooking in bulk involves doubling or even tripling the recipe to make multiple servings you can put in the refrigerator or freezer. You can repurpose dishes like shredded chicken in different recipes as well.
  • Make snacks for the week. You can portion out nuts in containers or baggies as a snack option for the week. It is great to have non-perishable snack options in your purse, car or at your desk in case hunger strikes. Another popular idea is portioning out containers of hummus to eat with bags of vegetables like carrots, cucumber, celery and broccoli. It is a very satisfying and filling afternoon snack and an easy way to increase your vegetable intake.

Once you have your meals prepared, you can enjoy your week!

As families of school-aged children and teens prepare to wind down summer and start the school year, we offer 5 steps you can take to center anti-racism in this process.

  1. For the youngest children returning to school, it is important to talk to preschoolers/kindergarteners in a developmentally appropriate way about anti-racism. Sesame Street offers multiple resources, including a Town Hall about race from 2020 (https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/app-news-section/cnn-sesame-street-race-town-hall-app-june-6-2020-app/index.html), an episode about learning to be an “Upstander” (https://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/racial-justice/watch-and-play-together), and additional games and tools for parents to address these issues with their children further (https://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/racial-justice).
  2. Fill your child’s backpack and shelves with books about race for children at different ages and educational levels. Learn about what to look for in children’s books featuring characters of color https://theconversation.com/rooting-out-racism-in-childrens-books-149432, then check out these book lists to help you get started: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/antiracist-books-for-kids-and-teens/, https://www.todaysparent.com/family/books/kids-books-that-talk-about-racism/#gallery/books-that-talk-about-racism/slide-29,
  3. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the return to this school year challenging for all families, and Black youth have been disproportionately impacted. Read this report from the Society of Research in Child Development about the differential impact of the pandemic on children’s school progress and educational gains, and consider how you might advocate for policies to help close this gap: https://www.srcd.org/research/addressing-inequities-education-considerations-black-children-and-youth-era-covid-19
  4. Keep up with current news about how schools teach students about race (https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/09/texas-critical-race-theory-schools-legislation/), learn about critical race theory (https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05), and read about teachers’ perspectives on how this could impact their teaching (https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/03/texas-critical-race-theory-social-studies-teachers/)
  5. With everything students, families, and communities have gone through over the past couple years, mental health concerns are peaking (https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-03-04/childrens-mental-health-crisis-could-be-a-next-wave-in-the-pandemic. Be sure you are aware of how to access mental health support in schools: https://www.texastribune.org/series/texas-schools-mental-health/

Despite the challenges we’ve faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anette Sandoval shares how a simple smile can leave a positive and lasting impression on our young patients. Read more