October 29, 2021

In honor of her dedicated service to Texas Children’s Pediatrics (TCP) and long-held commitment to foster access to quality care and education, Texas Children’s is renaming the Community Care Center at Corinthian Pointe for retired physician Dr. Cheryl Hardin.

President and CEO Mark A. Wallace unveiled the new Dr. Cheryl L. Hardin Community Care Center at TCP Corinthian Pointe in a surprise announcement at Hardin’s retirement celebration, where he also presented her with a commemorative plaque.

“Dr. Hardin left a remarkable impression on her many patients around the Houston community. Because of her dedication, her legacy will certainly live on through the lives she touched during her time at Texas Children’s,” Mr. Wallace said. “While Dr. Hardin will be tremendously missed, we are all excited to see her enter this new season of life, and remain grateful for the impact she made throughout the organization.”

Hardin initially joined TCP through her residency with Baylor College of Medicine in 1990, ultimately serving in various roles across a 16-year career. Most recently, she was a pediatrician at the Corinthian Pointe community care clinic, where she had a special affinity for specialty care areas that included allergies, breastfeeding, safety and health and wellness. Corinthian Pointe is a community-based collaborative health and wellness center that provides an accessible medical home to children and families.

Hardin has seen more than 47,000 patients since April 2008, and has also served on the TCP/Texas Children’s Urgent Care Board of Directors for seven years. She received a resolution of gratitude for excellent service on the board.

“Dr. Hardin has been a devoted advocate for the needs of our patients and the community, and her selfless spirit will be truly missed,” said Daniel Gollins, President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care. “The entire Texas Children’s Pediatrics family is inspired by Dr. Hardin’s legacy and grateful for her contributions to improving access to quality health care for all.”

As the medical director of Reach Out and Read Texas and contributor to numerous organizations, Hardin is deeply involved in furthering the advancement of health care access to medically underserved populations.

Her memberships include the National Association of Clinicians for the Underserved and the Neighborhood Centers Head Start Health Advisory. She is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mary Susan Moore Medical Society, Texas Pediatric Society and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved.

In November 2009, Hardin became the third recipient from Texas Children’s of the KHOU-TV/Cadillac Texas Spirit Award for her outstanding patient care and service at TCP Corinthian Pointe – an honor she shares with Mr. Wallace.

Hardin earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine and holds an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her residency at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine.

The revamped and redesigned 2021 Annual Required Training (ART) is available in HealthStream through Sunday, October 31, giving Texas Children’s entire workforce an opportunity to stay up-to-date on the essential patient safety and quality of care information at the heart of our mission.

Have you done your part to help Texas Children’s reach the goal of 100 percent completion across the organization? Check out how your campus location/entity is progressing below and encourage your fellow team members to get going with ART today.

By the Numbers: ART completion rates across the organization

As of October 26:

Texas Children’s Hospital
Assigned: 10,934
Completed: 9,320
Not Completed: 1,614
Percent Complete: 85 percent

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
Assigned: 1,310
Completed: 1,112
Not Completed: 198
Percent Complete: 85 percent

Texas Children’s Health Plan
Assigned: 840
Completed: 749
Not Completed: 91
Percent Complete: 89 percent

Helpful reminders for ART 2021
  • All members of Texas Children’s workforce are required to complete the training, which consists of four modules with a fresh new look and relevant content for 2021. If you were hired after January 1, 2021 you are exempt from completing the course.
  • For credit, you must review all the slides and pass the test at the end of each module.
  • Employees who are on leave of absence must complete ART within 30 days of their return to work.
  • Contractors and volunteers will complete the alternate ART course, which will be administered by their leader instead of through HealthStream.
  • Contact your leader for instructions.
  • Leaders can receive their HealthStream dashboard to track completion results for the team members in their cost center(s).
How to access ART in three easy steps
  1. Click on the “ART/Learning Academy/HealthStream” link on the Connect homepage under the “Quick Links” heading.
  2. Log into HealthStream using your Texas Children’s e-mail and password.
  3. On the “To Do” tab in HealthStream, click on the “Start” link next to the course labeled, “2021 Texas Children’s Annual Required Training.”
Need assistance?
  • For problems accessing HealthStream, contact the IS Service Desk at 832-824-3512, Option 2.
  • For questions about the ART course, send an e-mail to healthstream@texaschildrens.org
  • If the course is not giving you the correct completion status or allowing you to advance through the modules, you may need to clear your browsing history. Follow these instructions.

See what your IS department has been up to this last year in this special thank you tribute video celebrating National Health IT Week. Health IT Week focuses on the progress we’ve made in fulfilling the promise of health care technology in creating a positive impact on health care at Texas Children’s. Drop a thank you in the comments.

For this week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we feature upcoming speakers and annual training. Read more

As part of Texas Children’s commitment to supporting our team members in being Healthy + Strong, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Well-Being are ramping up the focus on mindfulness this month and providing new resources to help you manage stress and anxiety.

Get your self-care badge card

The EAP and Well-Being teams greeted employees arriving to work with new self-care badge cards on October 12. The cards feature, a self-care exercise and encouraging words on one side, and a listing of Texas Children’s Mental Health resources on the other.

Missed the distribution day? You can still get your self-care badge card! Contact the well-being team at wellbeing@texaschildrens.org for assistance. Click here to download the self-care practice cards and other mindfulness resources.

Take a seat in an on-site massage chair

Melt your stress way with a one of the new massage chairs now located across the Medical Center, Health Plan, The Woodlands and West Campus. To find the massage chair closest to you, click here for a complete list of locations.

For those working remotely and in the Urgent Care centers, email wellbeing@texaschildrens.org for a chance to win a massage gift card. More massage opportunities will be coming throughout the year so stay tuned for some more resources in self-care.

October 27, 2021

With about 30,000 children across Texas in foster care – and 8,000 in Harris County alone – Texas Children’s Foster Care Clinic has played an important role in supporting and caring for this particularly vulnerable population since it opened in 2017.

“In collaboration with our physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, and many other partners, we are able to support our foster families with medical and mental health assessments, care coordination, and assessments for signs of abuse/neglect,” wrote Dr. Rachael Keefe in a blog post recently featured on Texas Children’s website.

The post also includes a testimonial from Diane Kaulen, a senior community initiative coordinator for Public Health Pediatrics at Texas Children’s, who shares what inspired her family to open their home to a child who didn’t have a family.

“Every day, I have two goals with my son,” Kaulen said. “Did I do the best I could to make a connection with him, and did I continue to show up for him? No matter how challenging the day is, if I can say yes to those two questions, I feel like I did my best for him, for my other children, my family and myself.”

For more on our Foster Care Clinic, check out the blog.

October 22, 2021

Goblins, ghosts and ghouls, oh my! As you know, we conducted the Waggl survey to hear directly from you on how Texas Children’s can be even better, and many of you asked to bring back our fun traditions.

The pandemic has prevented a complete return, but as part of our Tomorrow, Together initiative, we’re excited to launch a spooky Halloween Spirit Week starting Monday, October 25. Please click here for the full schedule.

You are invited to make this year’s Halloween a festive and fun experience for our patients and team members by wearing appropriate Halloween costumes or spirit attire. Please follow these guidelines below.

  • Costumes should be fun and festive, but not scary for our patients.
  • If working in a clinical area, costumes must be easily removable to handle medical emergencies and be respectful to our patients and their families.
  • Please make sure your badge is worn and visible at all times.
  • Please continue to follow safety, social distancing and PPE guidelines. A Halloween mask/face covering cannot be used in place of your TCH issued mask (wearing a mask might just fit in perfectly with your costume idea).

If you don’t have Halloween gear, please stop by any of the campus gift shops and receive a 25 percent discount on any Halloween merchandise when you present a red or blue badge.

To participate in Friday’s costume contest for a chance to win prizes, click here to submit your photos to HR Communications.