January 11, 2022

As recently announced by President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, Texas Children’s is requiring all workforce members to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, aligning with recommendations from the numerous agencies, health care organizations and Texas Children’s Vaccine Task Force.

While there is still much to learn about COVID-19 and its fast-evolving variants, available vaccines have continuously proven themselves to be successful at preventing severe disease. As a leading researcher and health care provider, Texas Children’s remains committed to protecting our workforce and community through every available means, including the use of safe and effective vaccines. Please see below for additional details.

COVID-19 Booster Dose Requirement
  • Requirement. Unless they already have an approved exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine, all full-time, part-time and per diem employees, as well as medical staff, contractors, on-site vendors and volunteers, are required to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Deadlines. The deadline for managers and above is 5 p.m. on March 1, 2022. The deadline for all other employees is 5 p.m. on April 1, 2022. All employees are encouraged to receive their booster as quickly as possible to ensure the full level of protection during the current surge.

Please note that if you only recently completed your vaccine series, and are not yet eligible to receive a booster dose, you will have until the last day of the month after the month you become eligible. For example, if you become eligible to receive a booster in April, you would be required to receive a booster by the last day in May. Please click here or see below for guidance on eligibility.

    • Pfizer: you are eligible to receive a booster dose 5 months after you’ve completed your Pfizer vaccine series
    • Moderna: you are eligible to receive a booster dose 5 months after you’ve completed your Moderna vaccine series (updated this morning following FDA guidance)
    • J&J: you are eligible to receive a booster dose 2 months after you’ve completed your vaccine series
  • How to schedule a booster. To schedule through Texas Children’s, please click here. Walk-ins are also welcome. Additionally, family members and friends can schedule using the same link. Boosters can also be received outside of Texas Children’s.
  • Submitting proof. As documentation for all booster doses administered at Texas Children’s is stored in employees’ personal health records in EPIC, Employee Health does not have access to that information. Therefore, all employees will be required to submit proof of receiving a booster dose. At this time, we are working to launch a new portal that will allow employees to easily submit booster information anywhere and on any device. This portal will be launched next week and communicated when available. Until the portal is ready, please keep your vaccination record handy. If you have lost your vaccination card, click here for instructions.
  • For Baylor employees and all other workforce members (such as contractors and on-site vendors), please follow the processes established by your employer to provide proof of compliance. You are not required to submit proof of a booster through Texas Children’s.
  • Exemptions. If you are planning to apply for a medical exemption from receiving a booster dose, click here to access our exemption form (your request must also include a physician’s note). If you have other concerns (not medically related) to receiving a booster dose, please contact Employee Relations at employeerelations@texaschildrens.org.
  • Questions? For questions related to boosters, please reach out to our COVID Vaccine Employee Support Center at 832-VACCINE (832.822.2463), open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Team members can also email at employeevaccines@texaschildrens.org.

Getting vaccinated and boosted is the best tool we have in our fight against COVID-19. To access the information listed in this global at any time, please visit our COVID-19 Vaccine website.

Sadly, Emeritus Trustee, Josephine Abercrombie, passed away in her sleep on Jan. 4 at 95.

“It has been an absolute privilege to know Josephine for many years,” said CEO Mark Wallace. “The gift of having her witness Texas Children’s growth, from the very first hospital building – named after her father and our founder, James S. Abercrombie – to where we are today is something I will forever be grateful for. She was very close with her mother and father and I know that Texas Children’s meant the world to her.”

As a pillar in the community and a generous philanthropist, Josephine served on Texas Children’s Board of Trustees for 45 years. For more than four decades she staunchly supported Texas Children’s through her advocacy and heartfelt, steadfast contributions.

Notably, Josephine’s love for horses which began as a child carried through in her work alongside her father as he helped create and establish the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show.

Wallace remembers, “In addition to her incredible talent and records held through horse shows and competitions, one of the most unique – and one of my favorite things about Josephine – was her love and passion for boxing. Many people don’t know that side of her, but she was an expert at developing champions in the ring as a boxing promoter and founded the Houston Boxing Association. Looking back, her investment in the sport and the athletes she took under her wing spoke volumes about who she was as a person – Josephine was a dedicated and unwavering fighter.”

Josephine fought for what she believed in and what she knew was right, according to Wallace, who said he has no doubt that these qualities were instilled in her by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Abercrombie. After their passing, Josephine continued to live by their mission of living to help others.

“I remain eternally grateful for her impact and support, and I am comforted in knowing that her spirit and her family’s legacy will live on throughout the halls of Texas Children’s,” added Wallace.

Josephine will be deeply missed by everyone at Texas Children’s, while her inspiration to fight for tomorrow will continue. Bless you and thank you, Josephine!

January 4, 2022

Learn how Allyson inspires her team and continues to build a culture of caring at Texas Children’s. Read More

Beth Pali and Briane Martin share their Nursing Shared Governance experience. Read more

Flu activity continues to grow across Texas with numerous cases being reported every day. As a result, Texas Children’s continues to see increases in patient and employee visits due to flu-like symptoms, and we expect that trend to continue in the weeks ahead. Although we have made some progress on our flu vaccination efforts over these last few weeks, we are still aiming to achieve our goal of a greater than 90% participation rate.

  • Flu Vaccination Progress: As of January 4, 77.5% of our employees are vaccinated.
  • To receive a flu vaccine on-site at any of our three hospital locations, you may walk-in to the Employee Health Clinic Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Employees may now schedule their flu vaccine at a TCP location across Houston, Austin, and College Station. To learn more, click here.
More information
  • If you have received your flu vaccine outside of Texas Children’s, please submit an attestation and proof of vaccination as soon as possible via texaschildrensbenefits.org/flu. You may also show proof of vaccination to Employee Health to receive a 21/22 flu badge sticker.
  • All employees – including community partners in Austin, Central Texas and those working remotely – are covered for a flu shot at 100% through Texas Children’s medical plans when administered by an in-network pharmacy.

To answer any questions, please reference this handy list of frequently asked questions.

If you have any questions, please contact Employee Health at 832-824-2150, option 5.

January 2, 2022

 

Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine announced on December 28, that CORBEVAX, a protein sub-unit COVID-19 Vaccine, whose technology was created and engineered at its Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch first in India, with other underserved countries to follow.

Commenting on this historic news for Texas Children’s, Mark Wallace said, “I cannot begin to express how monumental this is for Texas Children’s, Dr. Peter Hotez, Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi and their teams – but even more so, how monumental this is for the entire world. In the U.S., we have had access to the COVID-19 vaccine for a year – but around the globe, many countries are desperately waiting for the tool they need to overcome the pandemic, and the emergence of the Omicron variant emphasizes this dire need.”

Large-scale, fast and low-cost production

Dubbed “The World’s COVID-19 Vaccine,” CORBEVAX uses a traditional recombinant protein-based technology that will enable its production at large scales making it widely accessible to inoculate the global population. Because the vaccine uses a conventional production platform that has been in use for decades, it can be easily and quickly produced in existing manufacturing facilities around the world at a very low cost. The two-dose vaccine also relies on standard refrigeration storage conditions, making delivery of massive quantities of this vaccine to remote, rural populations possible.

More about the vaccine development and testing

The initial construct and production process of the vaccine antigen was developed at Texas Children’s Hospital CVD, led by co-directors Drs. Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez and in-licensed from BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicine’s integrated commercialization team, to Hyderabad-based vaccine and pharmaceutical company Biological E. Limited (BE). After completing two Phase III clinical trials involving more than 3000 subjects, CORBEVAX was found to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic.

“This announcement is an important first step in vaccinating the world and halting the pandemic. Our vaccine technology offers a path to address an unfolding humanitarian crisis, namely the vulnerability the low- and middle-income countries face against the delta variant,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, Professor and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. “Widespread and global vaccination with our Texas Children’s-Baylor-BE vaccine would also forestall the emergence of new variants. We have previously missed that opportunity for the alpha and delta variant. Now is our chance to prevent a new global wave from what might follow.”

Keep an eye on the national news as this exciting announcement is shared with the world.