“I help make a difference. This past year has been a difficult year for many people, but having a job like mine makes me see things from a different perspective.” Read Seher’s story. Read More
What’s the solution for resupplying one of the items that is fundamental for delivering dialysis for our patients when the product is backordered due to supply chain issues caused by COVID? “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, you have to get creative and think outside of the box if you are going to survive in health care supply chain during COVID,” said Eric Swaim, Director of Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain Analytics.
According to Swaim, when reordering dialysis acid in January, his team learned our vendor had a COVID outbreak in their Dallas distribution center and would not be able to fulfill our order at that time. Not wanting to accept “no” as an answer, Swaim and his team worked with the vendor to find an alternate solution for restocking our supply of the product in time to avoid any disruptions for our patients receiving dialysis.
The vendor moved fulfillment of the order to an alternate distribution center in Los Lunas, New Mexico, sold the acid in drums instead of the one gallon jugs we normally purchase, and allowed Texas Children’s to pick up the order with our own truck.
To ensure zero issues in picking up and transporting this high priority delivery, the Supply Chain team received updates from the driver every four to five hours during transit from Houston to New Mexico and back to Texas Children’s Renal Center.
“Our clinicians are thankful for the resourcefulness and resilience of our Supply Chain partners,” said Jae Frazier, Director of Renal and Apheresis Services. “Without them, we would have had to make clinical decisions with direct impacts to our patients’ dialysis care and overall health.”
According to Frazier, countless citywide and nationwide dialysis facilities have been affected by a shortage of this critical supply component for life-saving, life-sustaining dialysis care and many centers have had to decrease services provided to dialysis patients. Swaim added that pre-COVID, only five percent of products were on some sort of backorder. Now his team are seeing 30-40 percent on backorder.
Planning ahead in a challenging supply environment
Since this experience, the Supply Chain team has been partnering more closely with the Renal clinical team and with the vendor during weekly calls to monitor supply. Along with this consistent communication, the clinicians are conserving the product, and two more trucks were sent to the same New Mexico distribution center to pick up our allocation of dialysis acid, which provided the Renal Center with over 30 days’ worth of supply.
“This regular communication has allowed us to remain nimble in our approach to managing this critical supply shortage,” said Frazier. “Our conservation efforts, although precipitated by the shortage, will become part of our ongoing commitment to providing cost-effective care.”
The teams’ extra efforts have put Texas Children’s in a good position to survive this backorder through June, and their continued partnership will ensure limited to no disruption for our patients, according to Swaim. One of his main takeaways is that vendors want to help us be successful, but if they say they can’t supply something it’s best to challenge it by asking the tough questions or proposing off the wall solutions in order to get the product you need.
As the first therapy dog ever at Texas Children’s, lovable Elsa and her animal-assisted therapy coordinator Sarah Herbek made the Pawsitive Play Program a welcome reality for thousands of patients and their families.
POST YOUR WELL WISHES ON SPECIAL YAMMER PAGE
Now is your chance to shower Elsa and Sarah with thanks and well-wishes before they retire and leave Texas Children’s on April 8!
Just CLICK HERE to post kind words and sweet memories to the Yammer page dedicated to their farewell – photos and videos included.
If you’re not familiar with Yammer or have not used the platform before, it’s easy to get started! Simply follow these steps to leave your goodbye note:
Below the images, click “Conversations” and you’ll see your picture alongside a prompt to “Start a discussion” or “Share thoughts, ideas or updates.”
Click in that space to type your message and/or upload attachments, photos or a video using the icons below the message box. You can even record a video from your phone and upload it to the page.
Once you’re done, press “Post” and your message will appear in the feed.
You can also like or comment on other posts that interest you.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to HR Communications. Let’s fill up the feed and send Elsa and Sarah off with lots of love and support from all their furriends at Texas Children’s!
Be sure to also check back on Connect in the coming days for a detailed story and special tribute to Elsa and Sarah.
Tamara DuBose and Steven Kibodeaux describe how they are making history in their new roles as Nursing Retention Specialists. Read More
As we move toward creating our Tomorrow, Together, we look forward to the journey and listening to the thoughts and perspectives of our One Amazing Team. Following through on our commitment to put our people first, Culture Rounds was launched, beginning on Wednesday, March 16.
Culture Rounds progress
Executive teams rounded on 32 care areas over the past two weeks and have listened to 59 workforce members and 21 families. Our executives are learning with every minute they spend rounding! Here’s what they have to say…
“I’ve shared with many how grateful I am to be rounding. I appreciated the rounding more than I realized. As I reflect, it has been a very humbling experience and the timing was perfect. The past two years have created a distance and/or absence of what’s really happening with direct patient care. I can’t thank you enough for including me in the pilot program. I look forward to the weekly visits!!!” – Myra Davis, Senior Vice President
“Hearing about patient, family and staff experiences directly from them is exactly what Culture Rounding is about. It is so great to communicate face-to-face and tell them that their voice matters!” – Bert Gumeringer, Senior Vice President
“Hearing directly from the front line team members what they are experiencing is so valuable. We have heard feedback from parents about how amazing our care team members are and how thankful they are for TCH. And when we are hearing concerns, we are able to discuss quickly with leaders and strategize ways to correct quickly.” – Mark Mullarkey, Executive Vice President
Our executives are looking forward to rounding on your teams and hearing your insights about making Texas Children’s even stronger and building a better Tomorrow, Together.
For more information on executive culture rounds and quality, safety and patient experience, contact Quality Specialist Kandice Bledsaw via e-mail.
March 29, 2022
After launching with a 2% pay increase and additional week of PTO for all team members, Texas Children’s journey into Tomorrow, Together is still unfolding with bold action that supports and celebrates our people.
Texas Children’s Tomorrow, Together is an investment in our One Amazing Team and the careers you’re building with our organization. Our commitment is to make sure you feel hopeful about the path forward – a path we’re forging by listening to your voices and acting on your needs.
To trace every step of our journey so far, visit ourtomorrowtogether.org. Here are a few recent highlights:
In March, eligible team members received the second payout of our 1-2-3 Retention Program, which rewards our employees for their loyalty and resilience. The first bonus payment came in September 2020, and a third is set for September 2021.
Leading up to the second payout, we hosted a series of celebrations across the organization to express gratitude for all our team members have accomplished during this season. You can relive the fun of our Tomorrow, Together popcorn parties with this video.
To keep Texas Children’s signature spirit flowing, leaders hosted additional celebrations at the team and department level. Check out the photo gallery below to see how the good times rolled at our campus and practice locations!
For a personalized statement that details exactly how this investment has impacted you directly, check out the My Tomorrow, Together app here.
Share your thoughts!
We want to know what you’re most excited about as we head into our Tomorrow, Together. Click here to participate in our latest Waggl before the survey closes on March 31.
March 25, 2022
In recognition of Certified Nurses Day on March 19, Robbye Willoughby reflects upon why she chose to obtain her professional nursing certification. Read More
