October 24, 2023

Welcome to 2024 Annual Enrollment – your chance to make a real difference in your well-being and your family’s well-being! Our on-site events, virtual experiences and expert support are available to help you understand and embrace our most comprehensive benefits, yet! Visit texaschildrensbenefits.org to get engaged.

Starting today and running for three weeks through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023, Annual Enrollment brings you inclusive offerings designed to meet your unique needs. Click here to discover What’s New in 2024, including:

  • New Paid Parental Benefit
  • Free biometric screenings
  • Decreased elimination period for Short-term disability; minimal rate increase
  • Minimal rate increases for Medical and Dental plans

With coverage for eligible full-time and part-time employees – and paid parental time up to 4 weeks – we are especially excited about our new Paid Parental Benefit for families growing through birth, adoption or foster placement! Click here to discover details about the new Paid Parental Benefit, and get the answers you need at our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.

Begin your better health journey today!

WEEK 1 will help you take charge of your wellness when you schedule your appointment for a free Biometric Screening. You will get to Know Your Numbers in key health indicators such as blood pressure, glucose and total cholesterol, and your data will be your guide to benefits solutions perfect for you.

  • Schedule your appointment at one of our campus locations or at a Quest Diagnostic Patient Service Center near you. (Patient Service Center appointments are available through 12/31/23.)
  • Use registration key: TexasChildrens2023 and click the “Register Now” button.
  • Connect with Workforce wellbeing team members excited to discuss the physical, mental, financial, social and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing
  • Click here to review the schedule of biometric screenings.

QUESTIONS? NEED HELP?

  • Contact an HR expert about the new Paid Parental Benefit

An HR team member can help you understand all of the important details.

Available 24/7 in both English and Spanish from any desktop or mobile device, Ask Emma offers confidential guidance and advice to help you select the right benefits for you and your family.

  • Texas Children’s Benefits Virtual and Phone Support

Our Benefits team is available to help by phone or web chat from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays, October 28 and November 4. Spanish language assistance is also available via phone and web chat.

    • Phone 832-824-2421 (select option 1 and then option 1 again for Benefits).
    • Web chat (located at the top of your Benefits homepage).
    • Virtually via Teams for 30-minutes by appointment from November 8 – 10. Click here to reserve your desired time slot.
  • Dedicated On-site support

Receive dedicated on-site and support from vendors and Benefits team member during one of the weekly scheduled on-site Annual Enrollment events.

Appreciative parent submitted the following Caught You Caring recognition for Occupational Therapist Tunesha Banks.

“She has made a huge impact on my daughter. She has brought her so far. While she’s in school she is able to succeed because of Tunesha. Without her, my daughter would not be where she is today.”

Caught You Caring

There are countless examples of how team members make an impact every day. Through our Caught You Caring recognition program, 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. Click here to submit a recognition for a colleague. The recipient and their leader will receive an email notification. Since its inception in 2015, there have been more than 40,000 recognitions submitted.

Aquanetta Hicks believes it was divine intervention that led her to Texas Children’s. After ten years working with the Navy in San Diego providing couples counseling and suicide awareness trainings, a friend sent her the Indeed job posting. Shortly after, she was thrilled to get the call: “We want you at Texas Children’s!”

The opportunity to be part of the new Workforce Chaplain program at the best pediatric and women’s hospital in the state of Texas is something she does not take lightly. Having friends who provide chaplain services to both patients and employees, she realizes it is a profound gift to be able to solely support the workforce, or as she likes to say, “Helping the people who help people.” This is the number one goal, never pushing any religious or spiritual agenda, but always to be an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on should anyone need it.

Aquanetta has had the chance to work with many different people and departments during her short time at Texas Children’s, but her most rewarding work has been the Blessing of the Hands. During this ceremony, the hands of the staff are blessed for the purpose of taking care of the patients and families at Texas Children’s. This support is available for all team members, regardless of faith, who may need a reminder that what they do and who they are is essential to the success of our mission.

October 22 – 28 is Pastoral Care Week and the theme this year is “Chaplaincy and Mental Health: It’s Healthy to Get Help.” For Aquanetta, this week gives her and the Workforce Chaplain team an opportunity to remind our employees that asking for help for themselves is equally important as helping others. Every day she sees our dedicated workforce show up to provide exceptional care for our patients, even when experiencing challenges in their own lives. Providing both spiritual and non-religious support, our Workforce Chaplains are a caring presence and are available for our One Amazing Team’s emotional needs at work and in their personal lives.

To request Chaplain Services and Support call 832-824-3327 or email eap@texaschildrens.org. To learn more about the other chaplains on the team, head to our Spiritual Well-Being page.

October 18, 2023

In just over 100 days, Texas Children’s will open the doors to our first hospital in Austin. The brand new, state-of-the art, $485 million campus will cater to both children and women with a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services – many of which are not available locally, or even offered at our own community hospitals in Houston. This includes a Level II Trauma-designated Emergency Center, Level IV NICU for smallest and sickest of newborns, inpatient Women’s Services and more.

Texas Children’s has been building a presence in Austin since 2018, starting with the opening of Urgent Care in Westgate and Mopac Specialty Care. We acquired and forged partnerships with providers across the region to build a network of 18 Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations, and we’re not stopping there! Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin is the centerpiece of a strategically planned care model, designed to meet the unique, specialized needs of Austin’s children and women.

Texas Children’s #OneAmazingTeam in Austin, at all of our locations, has been hard at work growing our culture of care in the region and preparing to open North Austin campus. By providing the right care in the right place from the right people, our mission to create a healthier future for the people of Austin and Central Texas is just getting started!

Follow along weekly on Connect to meet the faces of Austin, hear their stories and see the exciting journey to open North Austin campus unfold. Click here or the Right Care, Right Place, Right People button featured on the right-hand side of the Connect homepage to see our refreshed Austin Expansion SharePoint.

October 16, 2023

Appreciative patient submitted the following Caught You Caring recognition for Physical Therapist Cortney Jarvis.

“Mrs. Cortney is one of my very few trusted adults. She is so kind, caring and supportive. She’s so good at her job and I know I can always talk to her and ask her about anything!”

Caught You Caring

There are countless examples of how team members make an impact every day. Through our Caught You Caring recognition program, 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. Click here to submit a recognition for a colleague. The recipient and their leader will receive an email notification. Since its inception in 2015, there have been more than 40,000 recognitions submitted.

There are daily reports about companies being hacked by cybercriminals. The sensitive health care data we manage makes us even more vulnerable to these attacks. We all need to do our part to minimize our risk of a cyber attack.

The Information Security team maintains multiple layers of security to guard against the risk of a ransomware attack, including email, training, network and endpoint security. Here are a few of the most recent enhancements.

  • Updated password policy: Weak and stolen credentials are the #1 cause of data breaches. Our new 12-character passwords would take a computer 34,000 years to crack. Click here for more information.
  • Updated Multifactor Authentication (MFA) process: Starting, Wednesday, Oct. 18, remote users will enter a two-digit code in the Symantec VIP Access application to add another layer of security. Click here for more information.
  • Third party assessments: There is a robust program to evaluate risks working with third parties. It includes assessing information security controls, validating user access controls and performing a thorough due diligence review of information security documentation.
  • Employee training: Don’t be too quick to click! If you do, you may just fail an IS test to ensure you know what to be on the lookout for from cybercriminals. For cybersecurity awareness tips, please click here.

Visit the events calendar on Connect to learn more about the Cybersecurity Awareness Month events. There are keynote speakers, booths and games to help you learn how to keep your data secure from cybercriminals.

We’re getting close to the witching hour. Dust off your Halloween-themed clothing and get ready for a ghoulish good time. This year’s Spirit Week kicks off Oct. 23 – please click here to view the schedule.

Everyone is welcome to participate in Spirit week, and on Halloween, there is an organization-wide costume contest. Please send your photos to volunteerservices@texaschildrens.org. Our Texas Children’s volunteers will select winners for best team and best individual costumes. They will notify winners by Nov. 6.

Costume guidelines:

  • Costumes should be fun, festive and family-friendly, but not scary for our patients.
  • If working in a clinical area, costumes must be easily removable to handle medical emergencies.
  • Remember, no face coverings.
  • Please make sure your badge is worn and visible at all times.
Halloween Campus Events

While some events are for patients and families, our dedicated team members will be on hand to make sure they have a howling good time. If you want to get involved or for more information for each campus, please contact Volunteer Services.

  • Austin: Austin Gathering – Trick or Treating from 2-4 p.m. at Austin North Campus. Team members are encouraged to wear costumes for the meeting. They will have a chance to visit different tables to get updates, enjoy treats and have fun!
  • Medical Center: Halloween Spooktacular on The Auxiliary Bridge from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Patients and families are invited for interactive games and festivities. After a 3-year hiatus, this Texas Children’s tradition is back with lots of spooky fun. Departments and teams will host themed booths for patients and families to participate in games, receive prizes and enjoy the elaborate decorations.
  • West Campus: Fall Fun Day for patients and families in the main lobby from 10 a.m. – Noon filled with crafts, games and a photo booth. There will be an employee costume contest and a pumpkin decorating contest. Details to follow, which will be communicated locally.
  • The Woodlands Campus: Fall Festival for patients and families in the main lobby from 10 a.m. – Noon with a fire truck, games, sno cones and popcorn. Following the festival there will be a team member costume contest and parade from 12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m.