September 15, 2021

When he’s not assisting our young patients at Texas Children’s Immunization Clinic, team member Alex Trevino is busy being the glue that holds his close-knit family together after his mother and grandmother died from COVID-19 nearly a year ago.

It’s a responsibility he never expected but doesn’t take lightly – not after surviving his own hospitalization for COVID and pneumonia, and urging his husband, daughter, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.

“With us, it still hurts. We’re still lost,” said Trevino, a self-described mama’s boy who was the first to step up and receive the vaccine after the deaths. “You might think COVID is a joke, but I experienced it firsthand with my family members and it’s hard to recover from it. You can say you just don’t want the vaccine, but it will save your life.”

The matriarchs of their family, Maria Del Carmen Trevino and Enriqueta Robledo were careful about taking precautions against COVID and never sure how they contracted the virus. Maybe they caught it one day when they traveled to one of their regular doctor appointments, or from a cousin who briefly stopped by their home. But the devastating impacts were swift.

Enriqueta was the first whose symptoms became severe. She never learned her daughter had also been admitted to the hospital, having had just one brief video call with the rest of the family before she took a turn for the worst.

The same day that Enriqueta passed, Maria was placed on a ventilator. This time, there wasn’t a final video chat – only a hastily arranged phone call before her heart gave out and she was gone, just two weeks after the mother she didn’t know she’d lost.

“The whole thing is unreal. You think they’re still here, but they’re not,” Trevino said. “It’s hard for us. It’s like we’re in a bubble. You can’t get a hug from them. I don’t have that person that I used to talk to. Now I’m the one who tries to keep up the family, like my mom did. I’m trying to be the glue that keeps us from losing each other.”

Working in Texas Children’s Immunization Clinic has been a balm for Trevino. He draws strength every day from the memory of his mother and the excitement of seeing children and families so eager to receive the vaccine.

He loves his job and the feeling that he’s making a difference by helping to protect the most vulnerable members of our community as we progress toward the end of the pandemic.

“I want to be able to look beyond this, go back to normal and say that even though we went through it, we came out better,” Trevino said. “We can tell our grandchildren the story of what happened and how the vaccine helped everybody get back to where we used to be.”

All members of Texas Children’s workforce are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must receive at least one vaccine dose by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21. To schedule your vaccine appointment through Texas Children’s, please click here.

Check out the on-site event schedule to receive your flu shot. The Woodlands is now on Friday, September 17. Read more

September 14, 2021

Our national celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for all Americans to recognize the Hispanic community and its rich cultures, traditions and contributions to the country we all call home. The annual observation kicks off September 15 and wraps up October 15, giving us 30 days to host our own celebrations and commemorations – like seeking out new information about Hispanic leaders and achievements through the decades; enjoying the work of Hispanic artists, musicians, writers and creators; volunteering our time to support meaningful causes or organizations working in Hispanic communities; or even trying out a new dish to share with family, friends and colleagues.

How are you recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month this year? Send our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team an email to tell us all about it. We’d love to hear from you! Click on the image for a larger view.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021: 9:13 a.m.

Update on Texas Children’s response as Nicholas downgraded to tropical storm

As Tropical Storm Nicholas moves through southeast Texas, most of the worst winds and threats remain to the northeast and east of Houston. Although we are seeing some significant power outages across the area, daylight is bringing improved conditions, which we expect to continue throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Our eyes are now on east Texas, where we are monitoring conditions for our TCP practices and TCHP membership.

Given these conditions, members of our ride-out team are free to return home as driving conditions improve and it is safe for them to commute. For those who have concerns about traveling, they may stay on-site during their off-shift and will receive Off-Shift Pay. Please also see the following updates.

  • Emergency Pay Practices for Texas Children’s will end at 7 p.m. today.
  • Any team member working remotely today must use the ATK Telecommute Code for accurate remote tracking.
  • Texas Children’s will resume normal operations tomorrow.

Your safety remains our first priority, so all team members are advised to remain cautious when traveling the roadways and plan for additional time to avoid flooded areas, debris and downed power lines. If you were planning to work remotely but are unable to due to power outages or other circumstances, please let your leader know your status when possible.

Thank you to everyone who supported our response to this storm. Your resilience and dedication are extremely appreciated. This will be our last planned global update for this event. Please continue to be safe.

Tabitha Rice
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

Melissa Murrah
VP, Organizational Resilience

 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021: 7:03 a.m.

Update on Hurricane Nicholas response

As Hurricane Nicholas moves through southeast Texas, the forecast is looking increasingly favorable to produce lower rain totals than were previously projected. Although this system is still continuing to move through our area, bringing rain, wind and some power outages across southeast Texas, most of the activity is taking place to the east of our three hospital campuses.

At this time, officials are asking individuals to stay off the roads due to debris and downed power lines, and we are encouraging our team members to stay put until it is safe to travel. As the roads are assessed and cleared, we expect driving conditions to improve this morning.

Texas Children’s leadership is also monitoring conditions in far east Texas (Baytown and Beaumont) and potential impacts to our TCP practices and TCHP membership.

Later this morning, we will provide an update to inform on the status of our emergency response. Please stay tuned for this additional update and thank you for your efforts.

Tabitha Rice
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

Melissa Murrah
VP, Organizational Resilience

 

Monday, September 13, 2021: 4:40 p.m.

Ride-Out Information for Tropical Storm Nicholas

Texas Children’s is activating Ride-Out and Emergency Pay Practices effective from 7 p.m. today through 7 p.m. tomorrow, though this may be extended depending on the impacts of Tropical Storm Nicholas. If you will be serving on ride-out, please take a moment to review the following information.

Additionally, for this event we will be managing our check in process at the Medical Center through a new app to more efficiently arrange sleeping and shower accommodations. Please click here to check in. For information on other locations, and other details, please see below.

Parking

  • Shuttle buses will continue to run their regular routes until further notice.
  • Beginning at 5 p.m., Garages 12, 16, and 21 will be opened for all staff and visitors at no charge.
  • Those on ride-out at The Woodlands and West Campus should park as they would during a regular shift.

Employee Screening

  • All team members reporting for ride-out should complete employee screening upon arrival. You will then be required to complete screening again each day you are on campus.

Check-In

  • Main Campus. Please click here to check in.
  • West Campus. Please proceed to the 1st floor conference center to check-in and receive your sleeping assignment.
  • Woodlands Campus. Please connect with your leader to receive your sleeping assignment.

Food Options

  • The Fresh Bistro at the Pavilion for Women will remain open tonight through 10 p.m., and be open Tuesday from 6 – 10 a.m., 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. The Coffee Corner at the Pavilion will maintain regular hours of operation Monday and Wednesday, and be closed on Tuesday.
  • The Food Court at Mark Wallace Tower will be closed Tuesday and will reopen for regular hours on Wednesday.
  • The Treehouse Café at The Woodlands campus will operate under normal hours of operations, from 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Coffee Shop will be open from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Dot’s Kitchen at West Campus will remain open under normal hours of operations, from 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Coffee Shop will be open from 7 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Gift Shop Hours

Monday, September 13, 2021

  • West Tower: 7 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
  • All others closed at 4 p.m.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

  • Abercrombie, Mark Wallace Tower, Pavilion: Closed
  • West Tower: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • West Campus: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Woodlands: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For any other questions or assistance with ride-out, please consult your leader. To sign up for emergency text alerts, follow these instructions.

We thank our ride-out team members for stepping up to play such an important role in ensuring Texas Children’s can deliver exceptional care to our patients and their families throughout Tropical Storm Nicholas. Your commitment and contributions are appreciated.

Tabitha Rice
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

Melissa Murrah
VP, Organizational Resilience

 

Monday, September 13, 2021: 12:24 p.m.

Ride-Out beginning at 7 p.m. in response to Tropical Storm Nicholas

The National Weather Service is now reporting that Tropical Storm Nicholas will likely make landfall along the Texas coast this evening, then move slowly northeast into Southeast Texas. The Houston area could begin to see showers today, with the heaviest rainfall expected between a 36-hour period from tonight into Wednesday morning. As much as 10-20 inches of rain are expected to fall in some locations over the next few days, with 4-8 inches predicted for Harris County.

In response to this storm, Texas Children’s will be activating Ride-Out and Emergency Pay Practices effective at 7 p.m. today through 7 p.m. tomorrow, though this may be extended. Additionally, we will be making sleep arrangements for employees at our three main campuses, with cots available this afternoon.

Although we are initiating ride-out, we would like to restrict the number of persons sleeping on-site during this event to only those who are absolutely required. Guidance will be provided to leaders to communicate to our employees. In general, if you are able to work remotely, please plan to do so on Tuesday. Additionally, we anticipate that the majority of our outpatient appointments will move to virtual on Tuesday. Guidance for your location will be provided by your leader.

Staff who are not able to work remotely and are not required to be on site to support operations will not be required to take PTO on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. They will be paid for the hours that they were scheduled for that day. Please see additional details related to our response.

On-site Team Members

  • If you are working tonight, please use caution when navigating roadways and plan for additional travel time to make detours or adjust your route if necessary.
  • Emergency Pay will be in effect beginning at 7 p.m. today to provide extra compensation for Texas Children’s employees working on site. For more information on Emergency Pay, click here.
  • Employees on-site are required to complete screening every 24 hours.

Remote Workers

  • All exempt and non-exempt employees working remotely must use the ATK Telecommute Code for accurate remote tracking.
  • Stay in communication with your leader about your status.
  • To sign up for emergency text alerts, follow these instructions.

We will continue to meet throughout the day and for the duration of Tropical Storm Nicholas and communicate updates to you as information becomes available.

Thank you for your attention and commitment to always operating safely.

Tabitha Rice
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

Melissa Murrah
VP, Organizational Resilience

 

Sunday, September 12, 2021: 12:31 p.m.

Tropical Storm Nicholas expected to impact southeast Texas through Wednesday

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service is predicting Tropical Storm Nicholas to continue forming in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 24-36 hours before making landfall along the south Texas coastline Monday evening. From there, the system is expected to move northward and into the Houston area beginning Monday night and into Tuesday.

Although there is variability in the current forecast, rainfall totals are expected to be about 4-8 inches throughout Harris County beginning Monday and lasting through Wednesday with coastal areas expected to see higher rainfall totals. During this event, we are anticipating a heightened risk of flash flooding, although serious flooding is not currently expected (though subject to change). No impacts are currently expected for Austin, and we are continuing to engage with leaders in McAllen, Tyler and Beaumont to assess potential impacts to these areas.

As of right now, Texas Children’s is maintaining normal operations. However, we advise all team members and medical staff to be alert for impacts beginning tomorrow evening, and to be ready in the event we are required to follow emergency procedures. Please review the following:

  • If you are scheduled to work at any time on Monday, please come to work with a disaster bag ready should the forecast worsen over the course of day and into Tuesday.
  • If you are scheduled to work Monday evening, please monitor local weather and street conditions, and prepare for a longer commute. Although we do not currently anticipate significant flooding, there is a possibility of heavy rains, which may impact traffic.
  • No matter the case, always use caution when navigating the roadways. Remember: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.
  • To sign up for emergency text alerts, follow these instructions.

Texas Children’s leadership and Department of Organizational Resilience will continue to closely monitor this storm (with meetings scheduled for later this afternoon and tomorrow morning) and communicate updates as information becomes available. Thank you for your attention and always operating safely.

Jill Pearsall
Administrator on Call

Michelle Riley-Brown
EVP on Call

Melissa Murrah
VP, Organizational Resilience

 

Friday, September 10, 2021: 2:45 p.m.

Potential heavy rainfall event forecasted for late Sunday into midweek

Texas Children’s leadership and the Organizational Resilience team are closely monitoring a potential heavy rainfall event that could impact Southeast Texas late Sunday and continue into midweek. The National Weather Service Houston/Galveston is currently forecasting early Monday through Tuesday as the time period for the heaviest rain.

Though Houston, Austin and surrounding areas are in the precipitation forecast, the area south of the Columbus-Livingston line and locations closer to the coast are projected to be at highest risk for the most significant rain accumulations. Flash flooding, some river flooding and heavy downpours in very short time periods are among the possible threats.

As your safety is our first priority and this heavy rain could arrive over the weekend, we advise our team members and medical staff to prepare now for inclement weather.

  • Gather all necessary equipment and resources should you be required to work remotely.
  • If you are on a ride-out team or presenting for duty as part of our medical staff, please be ready for rapid activation in the event we must stand up emergency practices. Have your disaster bag ready.
  • To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Additional emergency weather updates will be communicated as needed, including any information for those on a ride-out team or presenting for duty.

Thank you for your attention and always operating safely.

Jill Pearsall
Administrator on Call

Michelle Riley-Brown
EVP on Call

Melissa Murrah
VP, Organizational Resilience

September 9, 2021

There’s no doubt that Texas Children’s team members on the frontlines of the pandemic have worked tirelessly to deliver and support quality care. Now, our very own health care heroes have the chance to be featured in a new Texas Medical Center (TMC) social media campaign.

The TMC Heroes campaign launched this week to celebrate and thank all the health care heroes who have helped our community during COVID-19.

Every day, different frontline workers will be spotlighted on TMC social media accounts. Anyone who works with Medical Center hospitals is eligible, including nurses, environmental services team members, doctors, technicians and food service team members.

To submit your story or nominate a colleague:

Click here to access the TMC Heroes submission form.

Follow the instructions and send your completed form to TMC via email to Heroes@tmc.edu.

Remember that all submissions must include one photo or one video that can be shared to social media.

Follow the #TMCHeroes hashtag on Instagram and LinkedIn and check out this website to see everyone highlighted by TMC. You’ll also want to keep an eye on our Texas Children’s People social media accounts – we’ll also share our spotlighted team members there!

Stephanie Hulsey shares the instrumental work our Clinical Research Center team is doing during the COVID-19 vaccine trials. Their hope is to make history, one vaccine at a time. Read more

With limited global health opportunities available in Houston, Texas Children’s Global Health and the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) offer graduate-level students a unique opportunity to gain exposure and begin building a career as global health professionals.

Supported by Chevron, the Global Health Internship Program is an extension of Texas Children’s and Baylor’s teaching missions that opens the door for underrepresented students who not have had previous experience in global health. To ensure more inclusivity and promote candidates who are women and people of color, the recruitment and application processes have been intentionally refined to reach a wider candidate pool that includes students across a variety of academic disciplines.

Interns are paid for their service and work day-to-day on global program management, operations and implementation – along with primary projects in marketing and communications or education and training.

“We started this program to address not only the lack of global health graduate internship opportunities in the Houston area, but also to enable students of all academic disciplines and socioeconomic backgrounds access to the field of global health,” said Taylor Napier-Earle, manager, Global Health.

Napier-Earle manages and precepts the internship program with Global Health colleagues Catriona Gates, senior coordinator, marketing and communications; Adam Gibson, manager, Global Health; and Dr. Diane Nguyen, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Education, Innovation, and Technology.

“Often times, students with means to travel internationally are those who access global health. We want to reframe this narrative and promote a broader and more sustainable understanding of global health. Global health work can be done from one’s home country, often in one’s own backyard,” Nguyen said.

Support from Chevron provides interns a paid career and educational experience that has, in turn, increased the diversity within the applicant and intern pool.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts communities around the globe, we are reminded each day of how crucial health care professionals are to society,” said Mamadou Beye, General Manager Corporate Affairs, Chevron Middle East, Africa, South America Exploration and Production Company. “Chevron is proud of its more than a decade-long partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine to help prepare students be the best in their fields and strengthen the health sector around the world.”

Focused on education and opportunity

More than 140 applicants – the most competitive pool in the internship’s 6-year history – sought the 2021 Global Health internship.

Though only two finalists were ultimately selected, the team piloted a coaching process to support all interested candidates and give them a professional development experience. As part of this effort, 25 applicants opted in to receive support from a pool of coaches that included faculty from Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions.

“Students have variable access to professional development through their universities or personal networks. By providing the opportunity for candidates to pair up with a faculty member who coaches them one-one-one on how to effectively write a cover letter, resume and prepare for an interview, we aim to reach those who may not have this support,” Nguyen said. “We want to offer all the candidates who apply a learning experience to hone practical, real-life skills, regardless of selection.”

As a former Global Health intern now working as part of the team full time, Gates can draw a straight line from her internship experience to her current role in supporting and helping to shape the program for future students.

“The exposure to global health programming, philanthropy, and partnerships and the skills I developed around collaboration, communication, and project management have been invaluable to my global health career,” she said.

Meet the 2021 Global Health interns!

Cam Huynh
McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center
Video

With her sights set on a career in medicine that focuses on global and education, Cam Huynh found the Global Health internship to be an ideal opportunity to complement her Master of Public Health degree curriculum. The experience solidified her decision to pursue this career path – and taught her that self-reflection is an important skill to master as a life-long learner.

What prompted you to apply for and accept this internship with Global Health? “I wanted to gain experience in application of public health skills. Global health/international medicine has always been an interest of mine, so I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to work with Texas Children’s Global Health.”

What would you tell other graduate students about interning at Texas Children’s? “The internship is well structured with a learner-centered approach. The opportunity allows for self-directed experience and expression of creativity. Team members and preceptors are knowledgeable, welcoming and dedicated.”

Kai Lockhart
LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas
Video

After spending the first year of her master’s program working on a research project focused on intercultural health care and maternal health in Latin America, Kai Lockhart knew she wanted to learn more. Stepping outside her comfort zone and immediate area of expertise, she took a chance and applied to join the Global Health program.

What is one thing about your future career path or this health care focus that you learned from your internship experience? “I learned how to turn the skills and experiences I have into applicable skills for a global health focus. I was very nervous to apply to this internship because unlike many other applicants I was not pursuing an MPH and I did not have other health care experiences. However, I have now learned that my skills and background are still useful and applicable in this work.”

What is one thing you learned about yourself this summer thanks to your internship experience? “I learned that I am capable of much more than I give myself credit for. I think for a lot of students and professionals, specifically women of color, we tend to be hard on ourselves and face a lot of imposter syndrome. With the support and encouragement of the preceptors, I learned to not only be confident in my work but also give myself grace.”