May 17, 2022

Armed Forces Day is observed on the third Saturday in May to pay tribute to the men and women who serve across all six branches in the United States military. This year’s observance falls on Saturday, May 21.

Some get this national holiday confused with Memorial Day (May 30) or Veteran’s Day (November 11). Armed Forces Day was first created in 1949 to celebrate those currently in uniform, including the Army, Navy and Air Force, while Memorial Day honors those who have sacrificed their lives while serving our country and Veteran’s Day celebrates all those who have served and continue to serve.

Texas Children’s is honored to provide care to current and previous members of the Armed Forces and their families. In honor of Armed Forces Day, take time to thank those in your life who protect and serve our country. Thank you for your service!

May 12, 2022

Seven days a week, 363 days a year, Texas Children’s Urgent Care (UC) teams make pediatric health care possible at times that may otherwise be impossible – afternoons, evenings and weekends. Urgent Care Week, May 9 through 15, honors our dedicated UC team members and highlights their work providing the most compassionate care for patient families who have non-emergency yet pressing health care needs or questions.

UC team members will be unleashing their UC spirit all week with fun activities: team jersey Monday, crazy sock Tuesday, crazy headband Wednesday, twin Thursday, PJ’s and pizza Friday, Disney Saturday, and Superhero Sunday. Show your appreciation by celebrating along with them and thanking them for their wonderful work all year!

“I believe Urgent Care Week is a great time to celebrate the services we offer, but also to highlight the amazing care that our teams deliver every day,” said Terry Yen, Medical Director, Texas Children’s Urgent Care. “We know that the last couple of years have been incredibly difficult for many families, and it has been our honor and a privilege to continue to provide high quality patient care for the children of the greater Houston and Austin communities throughout this period. Acute illnesses and injuries often occur at the most unexpected and inconvenient times, and we strive to be there for families as an after-hours option and on the weekends to provide access to pediatric health care during their time of need – and when other services may be unavailable.”

“As part of Urgent Care Week, I also wanted to take a moment to praise our patient care teams,” Yen added. “Everyone has shown remarkable perseverance and dedication by stepping up during the pandemic despite their own personal hardships, and by working extremely long hours into the late evenings and on weekends to ensure that every child is cared for. They have truly exemplified our core value of ‘living compassionately’ by shifting the focus back to our patients during this unpredictable time.”

One Amazing Team serves growing pediatric urgent care needs of Houston and Austin communities

Texas Children’s Urgent Care sites are located at all three hospital campuses – Medical Center, West and The Woodlands, with seven locations throughout the Houston community (Pearland, Heights, East Houston, Kingwood, Cinco Ranch, Fairfield, Vintage) and at one location in South Austin.

These pediatric-centered spaces are designed to put kids at ease, with the same fun, brightly-colored, child-friendly décor seen throughout Texas Children’s. Board-certified pediatricians, advance practice providers, nurses and diagnostic technicians, along with front office and support staff build relationships with the families they serve for common pediatric illnesses and injuries including fever, cough, sore throat, ear pain, minor burn, sprain or strain. The urgent care locations perform procedures such as antibiotic injections, X-rays, stitches and sports physicals. Virtual care visits are another convenient option for parents. All services can be found on the Texas Children’s Urgent Care website.

By providing immediate care for common conditions, Texas Children’s UC teams help improve patient flow at our hospital campuses as well. Families seeking basic procedures will be triaged by a nurse and given the option to be seen at Texas Children’s UC for more convenient care that can be provided in a more cost effective setting for the patient. During COVID surges, UC teams were able to help ease the volume at our Emergency Centers by taking more patients and extending hours until 3 a.m. with our Virtual Care team.

“We operate together as a team,” explained Director of Urgent Care Clinical Operations Gary Macleod. “No matter what tool is in hand (mop or stethoscope), each team member plays an essential part in providing high-quality care for our Urgent Care patients and families.”

UC team members are passionate about working in a dynamic environment. Many of their stories about how they care deeply for patients and why they love their work have been shared on the Texas Children’s People website. There you can learn how their unique training and experience helps them thrive in an environment that involves practical listening and medical skills along with lots of smiles, quick thinking and de-escalation skills for situations that can arise when families are challenged with unknown circumstances.

“If you’ve ever visited one of our urgent care locations, you’ve experienced world class care, in a child friendly environment from team members who are passionate about providing exceptional care to our patients,” said Assistant Vice President of Urgent Care Kara Abrameit. “They have a unique ability to quickly develop relationships with our patients and families, making an often scary situation a pleasant experience. I am grateful for this #OneAmazingTeam who choose to share their time and talents with Texas Children’s Urgent Care and truly make a difference every day.”

As more bright, young physicians, nurses and other Texas Children’s medical staff find their career paths in pediatric urgent care, they have the opportunity to learn from our veterans who built our centers from the ground up. Together, they continue to provide excellent and innovative service in our unique settings geared toward children and young adults through the age of 18. Future plans include opening a second location in Austin in February 2024.

Each May, the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) celebrates National Urgent Care Awareness Month and Urgent Care Week to highlight the invaluable services that urgent care centers provide to consumers.

“The COVID pandemic further proved the importance that urgent care centers can have in the community, playing a key role in helping keep low acuity emergency center volumes down, so the higher need patients can be seen more timely,” added Dan Gollins, President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care.

Thank you Texas Children’s UC team members, for the excellent care you provide to our patients. Happy Urgent Care Week!

Texas Children’s is growing in Austin! We are making exciting progress as our Topping Out Ceremony will take place later this month where we will officially have our structure in place for our state-of-the-art hospital. We continue to offer new jobs to get the right leaders on board to help build the culture and foundation for this expansion.

The Austin team recently hosted Teams Live information sessions to provide updates on our expansion. If you weren’t able to join, but would like to hear the latest, please click here to watch the video replay.

Also this week, the team launched the Austin Talent Network to hear about the latest career opportunities as they become available and to follow along on the journey toward opening our Austin hospital. Please feel free to share the link with friends and colleagues interested in our expansion.

Austin continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, and Texas Children’s goal has always been to expand our expert pediatric and maternal care to more conveniently serve the families of Central Texas. Our new hospital is yet another example of how we are living up to this commitment while adding value to the health care options already available in the area.

In honor of Nurse’s Week May 6-12 and Mental Health Awareness Month, we are highlighting the role of the nurse in mental health care. Nurses have always been on the frontlines of caring for patients with behavioral health needs and will continue to be essential as the demand for mental health services increases. We are spotlighting two types of nurses: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners.

Behavioral health nursing can be one of the most challenging, but also rewarding career paths for a nurse to choose. Nurses work in a variety of roles and mental health settings and have different certifications. Like other specialties, mental health nurses can obtain certification in their specialty as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse (PMH-BC). The PMH-BC is awarded once a nurse has worked for two or more hears and has completed at least 2000 hours of direct psychiatric patient care.

“Obtaining certification as a PMH-BC along with three of our other psychiatry registered nurses (RNs) is one of the things I am proudest of as a nurse leader,” said Tiffany Bittner, Patient Care Management (PCM) nurse for Psychiatry and Developmental Pediatrics and Autism. “We have a passion for the behavioral health population and are dedicated to serving them with the most up-to-date care processes and information.”

A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) is a licensed, nationally board certified provider specializing in the care of psychiatric patients. Working alongside the psychiatrist, they often provide some of the same services as medical doctors as part of the holistic team. They are trained to care for patients with mental health issues across the lifespan and in various stages of care and recovery. Nurse practitioners are qualified in assessment, diagnosis, planning and evaluation, and medication management.

One of the unique things about nurses is the wealth of knowledge they bring with them and their desire to share knowledge. PMHNPs are able to assist families through the challenges of navigating the vast, often confusing world of mental health diagnosis, resources and in-depth education.

Do you know excellent psychiatric providers? Texas Children’s is recruiting!

Did you know that Texas Children’s is actively hiring and recruiting for psychiatric advanced practice providers and has already hired its first nurse practitioner dedicated to our behavioral health population? These psychiatric nurse practitioners and other advance practice providers will be seen all over the organization within all campuses and within inpatient and outpatient settings.

“This could not have come at a more appropriate time for our organization,” said Bittner. “With the behavioral health population increasing daily, these nurse practitioners and other physician extenders allow us to increase the number of patients who we are able to provide excellent and thorough care for in their most critical time of need.”

Are you or a family member on Cigna’s medical plan?

Cigna also has a list of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (NPs) available on their provider network. “Psychiatric NPs are helping expand the options for clients in getting immediate care when they need mental health assistance,” said Allison Bell, EAP Manager.

To see the Cigna Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner resources close to you go to: mycigna .com – Fina Care – Behavioral Health Counselor – Local Provider – Psychiatrists and Nurse Practitioners.

Mental Health Well-Being Survey

During the month of May, Texas Children’s employees are invited to complete the World Health Organization WHO-5 survey. For those working in remote locations or those who would like to take the survey at any time during May, you can access the survey here.

Read how Hilda Andrade pours love and kindness into every person and patient she encounters at Texas Children’s in this week’s people spotlight. Read More

Amid a rise in anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide, these leaders are sharing what it means to celebrate and recognize their heritage. Read More

May 6, 2022

We’re giving big shout out to all of the moms out there who have shown us what it means to be loved. For all of the moms in our lives: our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, foster moms, bonus moms, other-mothers, aunts, wives, partners, sisters, friends, fellow moms, and mentors who love with a mother’s heart – we appreciate you, we love you and we hope your day is as special as you are!

Mothers touch us so deeply, sometimes it’s hard to understand and put into words just what our mothers’ love means to us. They are good at everything – listening, teaching, nurturing – they seem like super humans who know how to do everything! Somehow they are there for us when we don’t even know we need them, throughout our lives. They show us what unconditional love looks like. Thank you moms, for everything you do. You mean the world to us!

There are many beautiful stories of motherhood, including your own. For those of you who are in the stages of planning for parenthood, we know there are many steps along this path, and Texas Children’s is here to support you and your family. From choosing your pediatrician to childbirth and everything in between and after, Texas Children’s offers many resources for team members in the Growing Your Family Guide.

Take a look when you have time. In the meantime, enjoy this special day in honor of motherhood and celebrating the moms in our lives, along with all those who surround us with love and support.

Happy Mother’s Day to all!