This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he celebrates National Nurses Week by honoring Texas Children’s immensely talented nursing leaders and staff. Read more
May 5, 2023
Aleena was recognized for her warm demeanor and welcoming personality. Watch the video. If you want to recognize someone, go to the Tools drop down on Connect to access the form. Read more
Let’s celebrate our more than 4,000 nurses across the Texas Children’s system! Click to read Jackie Ward’s message for Nurses Week 2023. Read More
May 4, 2023
Every day, our team members deliver safe, personalized, compassionate care for our patients. From small gestures to life-saving procedures, everything we do contributes to creating a positive and impactful patient experience.
Recently, our teams rose to the occasion to thank and celebrate both our patients and team members. With special activities, such as volunteer tea cart and fun cart experiences, character visits, including Star Wars and Princesses on Parade, visits by therapy volunteer dogs, as well as fresh baked cookies delivered during culture rounds, ice cream socials and root beer floats, there was something for everyone. Thank you to the Patient Experience team for putting the events together!
The dedicated team members across our TCPs, TCUCs and The Centers created fun environments to show their patients how valued they are and to thank them for choosing their practices for the care of their loved ones. Check out the amazing photos from around our various locations. Many of the teams also made special videos with their staffs with the TCP Cypresswood location putting their own lyrics to a familiar favorite. Here are just a few.
“I’m so proud of how our teams rise and shine for patients every day, and the extra effort they put in last week was so special for everyone,” said Dan Gollins, president, TCP/TCUC. “Our teams continue to nurture the special connections they have with our patients and their families, and we appreciate their trust in us. Everyone had so much fun celebrating with each other and enjoying the activities all week long.”
Patients commented on their positive experiences last week:
“I loved her visit, the staff always makes her feel welcomed. She especially loved the game they had at this visit.” – North Shore family
“We visited during patient appreciation week and there was this very creative tic tac toe activity which allowed the kids to learn more scout the staff and share some of their own favorite things. I found this to be fun and engaging.” – TCP Town & Country family
There were events happening all across the Texas Children’s system. View the photo gallery below for the activities from around The Medical Center, West and The Woodlands campuses.
This year’s Patient Experience Week theme was SHINE and that’s exactly what our team members did for our patients. They went above and beyond to make it a special week.
If you want to recognize someone for making an impact, click here for the Caught You Caring form. Anyone (patients, families, colleagues, vendors, volunteers or visitors) can provide a kind word about someone who went the extra mile. Even the smallest act of kindness can brighten someone’s day. The recipient and their leader will receive an email notification. Since its inception in 2015, there have been more than 30,000 recognitions submitted.
Hana was recognized for advocating for a patient’s needs. Watch the video. If you want to recognize someone, go to the Tools drop down on Connect to access the form. Read more
May 3, 2023
Rona was recognized for going above and beyond for a patient. Watch the video. If you want to recognize someone, go to the Tools drop down on Connect to access the form. Read more
May 2, 2023
Dealing with a family member’s illness can take a toll on everyone involved. Going through the transplant process is especially exhausting, as it can take years of waiting and put a major strain on day-to-day life and finances. Sometimes, those experiences bring out the best in people and inspire them to give back and do good for others going through the same thing.
The Graves Family
When Juliana comes back to Texas Children’s for her check-ups, she doesn’t mind at all as she thinks of it as her second home. Everyone is so nice and welcoming, and she even got time to visit with therapy dog Pluto, which put a big smile on her face. It wasn’t long ago when Juliana was the youngest heart transplant recipient at Texas Children’s at just 17 days old. Parents Riki and Christopher were elated when they found out they were pregnant, but simultaneously, they were told Riki had breast cancer. They are now both thriving thanks to the strength and courage of the Graves’ family and everyone involved at the Pavilion for Women and the Transplant Services team. Riki changed her career path and now does business development for the Transplant Center at Houston Methodist, has contributed to a book on the subject and is involved with the Texas Children’s family advisory committee. Watch the video or read more about their moving story.
The Gray Family
For all the struggles Abby and Reid Gray have gone through, they had two miracles happen months apart. Reid, who was on the transplant list due to long-term liver issues, was finally matched for a liver. After struggling for years to get pregnant with multiple rounds of IVF, two months later, Abby gave birth to twins six weeks early. The twins spent 19 days in Texas Children’s NICU. Now all family members are happy and healthy, and Abby has found a new passion for helping others coping with a family member’s transplant. Abby wrote a children’s book to honor her husband’s donor who they think of as a super hero. Abby got involved with Life Gift and our NICU’s Little Listeners program, and has taken courses to become a patient and family advocate. Read more about their amazing story.
The Witty Family
Ross donated his kidney to his daughter Kimmy in 2011 for a life-saving transplant. Motivated by their daughter’s wish to get more involved and give back, the Wittys have become part of the circle of care for fellow transplant families. They founded the Children’s Transplant Initiative to ease the burden and help lessen the fears of the transplant process. CTI provides information, services and support to children and their families as they embark on this journey. Their ultimate goal is to open a hospitality service like Ronald McDonald House, and they are well on their way. Today, they operate seven apartments to house out-of-town transplant patient families. They’ve had nearly 50 families come through the apartments, the majority of which are families of patients at Texas Children’s. Read more about their inspiring story and CTI.
These ambassadors were on hand at a recent event on The Auxiliary Bridge for Pediatric Transplant Week to share their stories in hopes to inspire and educate people on how to get involved. Transplant team members also showcased custom made tri-folds for each organ that featured stories of inspiration. LifeGift was on hand to register people for organ donation.
