November 27, 2023

When a crisis happens, we need to respond quickly to mitigate risks and keep people safe. Having the right information readily accessible can make all the difference. While everyone is encouraged to review emergency procedures as a best practice in case of emergency, there are resources available to help in the moment.

Emergency Operations Plans
  • Updated Red Booklets. In the Meyer Building, Medical Center, West and The Woodlands campuses, and soon to be in the North Austin campus, floors are equipped with red booklets containing emergency preparedness procedures. Teams are in the process of replacing outdated versions with updated booklets. New sections include Workplace Violence and Active Attacker.
  • New MyEOP Mobile Application. There is a new mobile application available containing content from the red booklets. This is available for anyone to download and reference. For those at locations without the red booklets, including Health Plan, TCPs/UCs and specialty locations, it is highly encouraged to download. Instructions are below for each area.
    • Hospitals
    • TCP/TCUC/The Centers
    • Health Plan
  • Organizational Resilience SharePoint. The red booklets are also available to view/download on the new Organizational Resilience SharePoint site.

Please reach out to any of the contacts listed on the SharePoint site for assistance.

Grateful parent submitted the following Caught You Caring recognition for Occupational Therapist Jane Yun.

“Even though everyone has been extremely nice to me since our stay in ICU, I have been feeling like I was somewhat lacking as a mom to take care of my sick baby son. When I got to CPCU, Jane constantly encouraged and involved me to be hands-on during the occupational therapy sessions. Her getting me involved with skin-to-skin, feeding, and exercising and playing with my baby made me feel more and more confident about my ability to attend to my son’s needs. I really appreciate her validating my feelings and also challenging me to really be involved in the care. I felt like I could do something again.”

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.

Social media allows us to connect with friends, family and causes important to us. Working in health care, we handle confidential information from patients and members every day. Even if names and other identifiers are not included, we must be sensitive about what we share on our personal social media channels.

See below for seven real examples of employees getting social media wrong. All of them received disciplinary action, and some were terminated.

  1. The Today Show ran a story about a patient. An employee commented on Today’s post, “I worked with this patient.”
  2. An employee made a “day in the life” TikTok video, which included footage panning the camera around their workspace, capturing computer screens with patient information in the background. The employee also included an image of blood splatter on their scrub pants.
  3. A local news channel highlighted an incident in which a parent allegedly physically assaulted a school bully. Recognizing the parent, an employee shared the post and tagged several co-workers commenting, “their kids come to our clinic.”
  4. An employee posted a photo of them holding an infant patient on Instagram. The post was captioned, “this baby needs a new heart, but she’s already stolen mine,” hinting at the patient’s health condition.
  5. Two employees assisted in an unusual procedure. The situation was embarrassing for the patient. One employee “interviewed” the other employee about the procedure, posting the video to social media.
  6. An employee posted on a patient’s online obituary, “he fought so hard after his lung transplant.”
  7. After seeing a patient with measles for the first time in their career, an employee posted about their experience on an anti-vaccine Facebook group. The story was of great local interest, and, in their attempt to get more information on the case, local news stations set up tents outside our facility.
So what should I share?

The key to striking the right balance between being an active, engaging professional on social media and upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct is knowing what you can and cannot share.

  1. General work statements such as “I love my job at Texas Children’s” or “today was tough” or “we’re having a busy flu season” are acceptable as long as confidentiality of patient/member information is maintained.
  2. Professional achievements and milestones, such as completing a training program or obtaining a certification, deserve to be celebrated!
  3. Work gatherings and celebrations are great for social media! Just keep things work-friendly and be cautious of the surroundings you capture.
  4. Health and wellness advice, like tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle or preventative care, is fine to share if it’s not tied to specific patient/member cases.
  5. Expressing empathy and offering general condolences like “get well soon” and “sorry for your loss” are appropriate as long as comments don’t indicate a professional/clinical relationship.
  6. Maintain professional boundaries and use discretion when connecting with others…comment sections can get heated, so keep conversations respectful and always be cautious when sharing work-related information.
  7. Consult with your peers if you’re unsure about a social media post – it’s always best to double-check before sharing any content that might be questionable.

Need to read the fine print? Texas Children’s has several policies related to social media behavior and etiquette:

Concerns? Texas Children’s does not tolerate retaliation for reports or concerns made in good faith. If you have a concern about any suspected unethical, illegal or questionable activity, you should report the concern to:

  • Your immediate supervisor,
  • The Compliance and Privacy Office at 832-824-2085, or
  • Texas Children’s Confidential Hotline at 1-866-478-9070 (available 24/7)

Questions? Contact the Compliance and Privacy Office at 832-824-2085 or compliance@texaschildrens.org, or HR Employee Relations at 832-824-6721 or employeerelations@texaschildrens.org.

Just in time to kick off the holiday season, the Grinch left Whoville and made a stop in Austin! Sponsored by Texas Children’s Hospital, Grinchmas at Domain Northside offered families a free, fun-filled afternoon of celebration and got everybody in the holiday spirit.

In addition to meeting the Grinch himself, participants also enjoyed holiday tunes, a Vannagram photo booth, bracelet bar, hair tinsel studio, caricature artists and face painters, letters to Santa, and the official tree lighting to close out the evening.

“Texas Children’s won Austin this holiday season with Grinchmas at the Domain,” said Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, Chief Pediatrics Officer of Texas Children’s Austin. “The line to meet the Grinch seemed to be half a mile long…it was just amazing to connect with these families and see so much energy around Texas Children’s!”

View the photo gallery below to see more from the event.

Meet Lesli Rossler, one of our incredible outpatient education coordinators in Austin. Before moving there to help open Specialty Care Austin in 2018, she managed outpatient clinics at West Campus. When North Austin Campus opens, she will be an educator for Sleep & Neurophysiology and continue serving the Specialty Care clinics.

What’s your background with Texas Children’s?

I started at TCH in August 1995, working in pediatric radiology as a late shift nurse before becoming an education liaison and eventually nursing coordinator. Next, I was a manager for the GI & Nutrition, Liver and Eating Disorder Clinics for three years – I loved this group of clinicians and providers. Then, I transferred to our Health Center in The Woodlands before leaving to be a school nurse at my daughter’s elementary school.

As West Campus was being built, I was ready to come back! I managed ambulatory clinics there before realizing my true calling was education. All of my experience throughout the years has brought me to where I am today. TCH has given me opportunities to grow and learn, and meet forever friends. I’ve been very blessed!

What are you most excited about as we open North Austin Campus?

It’s so special to me because it’s an opportunity to offer our world class care to the huge population of Central Texas that, up until now, had little knowledge of what we provide. I was shocked at the limited choices here in Austin for pediatric and women’s care, compared to all of the options in Houston. Opening Specialty Care Austin has been gratifying, the patients and families we see are so thankful for the care they receive.

What’s the best career or work advice you’ve ever received?

Make sure to maintain work-life balance. Do your best while you’re here at work for your patients and peers, but taking care of yourself and your own family comes first. If you do not take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of anyone else. Work to live, don’t live to work. Happy employees = happy patients!

What makes Austin a great place to live and work?

When I found out the plans for Austin expansion, I was thrilled! In 2003, my husband and I purchased land in the Hill Country. Our dream was to move out here, and we were able to make it happen sooner with TCH opportunities popping up in Austin. We love live music. The balance of nature and city is what attracts me to this part of Texas. Whether floating the river, hanging on the lake or going for a hike, the Texas Hill Country is the best place to live.

Why have you stayed with Texas Children’s all these years?

I have stayed at TCH because of the culture. I am proud to work for a hospital that invests in its employees and strives to provide the best care possible. I have been able to grow and learn tremendously. I have met some outstanding leaders. Everyone has the opportunity to be a leader in any role.

Opening in February 2024, the $485 million North Austin Campus will feature a 170,000-square-foot outpatient facility – connecting patients to numerous Texas Children’s subspecialties including cardiology, oncology, neurology, pulmonary medicine, GI, rheumatology, fetal care, dialysis, urology and more. Texas Children’s Specialty Care Austin on Mopac will continue to house pediatric specialists across a wide spectrum of service lines.

Right Care, Right Place, Right People. Now ranked #1 in Texas and #3 in the nation, we’re bringing the best to Austin. Click here for countdown updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion SharePoint.

November 20, 2023

Let’s welcome facility dog Crosby and handler Shelby to Texas Children’s! Read more

Meet Dr. Matias Bruzoni, Associate Chief Surgical Officer and Director of Pediatric Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin. During his tenure at Stanford and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Bruzoni made countless clinical contributions, provided outstanding care to patients and served as an inspiring mentor to students, residents and fellows.

What is your background?

I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I also attended medical school and completed my general surgery residency. I then continued my training as a transplant fellow in Omaha, Nebraska. After being involved in many pediatric transplants, I realized I wanted to become a pediatric surgeon, so I continued my training at The University of Nebraska Medical Center and became the first pediatric surgery fellow at Stanford University in 2009. I was fortunate to be part of the Stanford faculty until August 2023. During my time there, I participated in the development of the minimally invasive and bariatric surgery programs, as well as surgical oncology and inflammatory bowel disease. I was the program director for the pediatric surgery fellowship program and absolutely enjoyed training the next generation of pediatric surgeons.

I think what confirmed my desire to come to TCH was the unique opportunity of joining one of the top children’s hospitals in the United States and building a pediatric surgery division in a brand-new hospital, from the ground up, and in one of the fastest growing cities in America.

What are you most excited about as we open North Austin Campus?

I am very excited about the recruitment of top talent, not only in my division, but also in the other specialties, in order to build state-of-the-art clinical programs and provide outstanding care to the women and children in Austin and surrounding areas.

What inspired you to pursue pediatric surgery?

We had our first child during one of my pediatric surgery rotations. Taking care of children and their families during that time was very inspiring to me. In addition, I had amazing mentors in pediatric surgery, which sealed the deal. There is nothing more rewarding than making a significant impact on the life of a child and the dynamic of a family. I believe being a pediatric surgeon is a true privilege since it allows you to be part of such an impact.

What makes Austin a great place to live and work?

What I love the most about Austin is its people and beautiful landscape. The restaurants and music scene are also outstanding. The combination of a vibrant downtown, hills, lakes, and friendly residential neighborhoods make it an extremely desirable place to work and live.

What do you like to do outside of work? How does it help you unwind and recharge?

I like to spend time with my wife and three children. We travel together and visit Argentina every year. One of the things I enjoy most is watching my kids play competitive sports. I do my best to stay fit and healthy by playing tennis and golf whenever possible. I also find playing piano and guitar is a great way to recharge my battery. Sports and music also help me connect with other people and with myself. They are great tools to vent and unwind, especially after a tough day at the hospital.

Texas Children’s Hospital has one of the largest and most experienced Pediatric Surgery programs in the world, offering comprehensive surgical services for a broad range of diagnoses from routine to highly complex. Opening in February 2024, our North Austin Campus will offer both children and women most of the services provided in the Medical Center, including all pediatric subspecialties, in our state-of-the-art operating rooms and surgical procedure suites.

Right Care, Right Place, Right People. Now ranked #1 in Texas and #3 in the nation, we’re bringing the best to Austin. Click here for countdown updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion SharePoint.