January 31, 2024

We continue to monitor the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across our communities, our workforce and our system.

Highly transmissible COVID-19 variants combined with the peak of the flu season and other circulating respiratory illnesses have made for a somewhat challenging winter in the communities we care for, but we remain confident in our ability to meet the needs of our patients, families and team members.

We’re prepared for this, and part of that preparation means taking simple yet effective steps to help stop the spread of winter illness.

Reminders to fight contracting and spreading germs

Masking. While masking remains optional, we recommend you consider masking at work, particularly in shared spaces or patient settings. In the community, consider masking, particularly in crowded areas. Masks are strongly encouraged for those with high-risk conditions. Please note that masks are widely available at Texas Children’s hospital campuses and care locations at building entry points.

Hand hygiene. Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly to protect yourself and your patients. Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer. Follow the Five Moments for Hand Hygiene ENG|ESP.

Schedule your free updated COVID-19 vaccine

Updated vaccines provide more current and complete protection. Texas Children’s strongly advises team members to receive the latest COVID-19 vaccines. All team members (including BCM faculty and staff) can click here to schedule a free vaccine appointment through Employee Health at Medical Center, West, Woodlands and Austin Specialty Mopac.

Additional resources

Stay home if you feel sick and get tested if you have respiratory symptoms compatible with COVID-19 or Flu. Note that antiviral treatments are effective if administered early enough for Flu or COVID-19. Early diagnosis and treatment also reduce spread of viruses in the workplace. Click here to review the COVID-19 Return to Work process. For non-COVID-19 related illnesses, click here to review the Illness in the Workplace Policy.

All team members can access the Employee Health Virtual Assistant from any device, any time, on or off the Texas Children’s network for COVID-19 exposure, symptom or illness related guidance and support.

If you have any questions about COVID-19 or vaccines, you can contact Employee Health at (832) 824-2150, option 4, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Team members can also email emphealthcovid19@texaschildrens.org.

For Flu or non-COVID-19 related illness questions, please contact Employee Health at (832) 824-2150, option 2, Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After hours for any emergencies (i.e., needle sticks, splashes, work related injuries), please page the on-call nurse through the page operator at (832) 824-2099. Team members can also e-mail emphealth@texaschildrens.org.

January 29, 2024

It’s time for a hole-in-one! The Texas Children’s Houston Open is only weeks away, so let’s get ready to tee off. We’re honored to be the title sponsor of this celebrated PGA TOUR event, building on its legacy and providing a memorable experience for the city of Houston. Through our partnership with The Astros Golf Foundation, we’re thrilled to be a part of this monumental sporting event, hosting some of the PGA TOUR’s most outstanding players.

The event will occur on March 25-31, and our team members and their spouses/significant others are invited to volunteer free of charge. Don’t miss your chance to be involved, give back and be part of something special.

The volunteer registration deadline is Friday, February 23.

Texas Children’s team members and their spouses/significant others are also eligible for 20% off the purchase of grounds tickets at the tournament through our partnership with The Astros Golf Foundation.

Visit the Texas Children’s Houston Open SharePoint site for ticket and volunteer details, including the promotion code and registration link.

 

Expanding in Austin wouldn’t be possible without the Right People working tirelessly to advance our mission and culture of care. Five of those leaders are stepping up to the plate – thinking and leading differently for a city that demands it:

Dr. Bryan Vartabedian – Chief Pediatric Officer
Dr. Melanie Belt – Chief OB/GYN Officer
Dr. Edward Buchanan – Chief Surgical Officer
Dr. Shellie Josephs – Chief of Radiology
Dr. LyTorre Vidaurri – Chief of Anesthesiology

“We are incredibly fortunate to welcome such accomplished physicians to lead our medical staff in Austin,” said Executive Vice President Dan DiPrisco.

“These doctors represent the very best the medical community has to offer…our new hospital is poised for immediate success with each one of them at the helm,” added Russ Williams, Senior Vice President of Texas Children’s North Austin Campus. “Ultimately, our goal is to make a life-changing difference for children and women in Austin, and Drs. Belt, Buchanan, Josephs, Vartabedian and Vidaurri, are just the right people for the job.”

We want you to get to know our chiefs a little better, so we sat down with them to talk all things Texas Children’s Austin – from exploring the city to opening North Austin Campus this week. Click here to watch the full Meet the Docs interviews in addition to countdown updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion site.

 

On January 23, Texas Children’s Hospital launched its most recent major care venture – virtual nursing. The Virtual Care Network will transform the bedside care model, provide on-demand support and offer real-time surveillance.

While virtual nursing has recently grown in popularity among adult hospitals, Texas Children’s is set to be the first major children’s hospital with a robust program. Focused initially on care model redesign, it reimagines typical patient care at the bedside – removing administrative tasks from the bedside nurse and taking family-centered care “beyond the bedside” by offering coordinated, convenient support to patients using technology.

In October, over 60 providers, leaders, parents and care team members assembled to bring the vision for virtual nursing to life. “Innovation is contagious, and nurses are especially primed for it,” said System Chief Nurse Executive Jackie Ward as she opened the kickoff event. “They are critical thinkers who get creative with solutions and look at problems from multiple angles…they are tenacious and caring, constantly assessing situations to improve patient care.”

The NICU is the first department to pilot the virtual nursing care model redesign. This hybrid model adds a virtual nurse to the clinical care team from a remote hub, and through these virtual interactions, parents and caregivers can access supportive resources without interruption of bedside care. Virtual nurses will focus on department orientation following admission, enhanced education, support during the length of stay, and robust discharge readiness planning with intention to expand to different inpatient areas over the next year.

“Protecting our teams from burnout continues to be a top priority…with this redesign of duties, we can work to retain nurses who may have otherwise left the bedside and continue delivering compassionate care to families” shared Ashley Simms, Assistant Vice President, Nursing.

Virtual nursing offers game-changing opportunities around how we cater to our patients, families and nursing teams with evolving needs. The creation of this network highlights all the talents that make us One Amazing Team – problem solving, collaboration, patient advocacy, continuous learning and adaptability.

Stay tuned for more to come from the Virtual Care Network! For more information about the initiative or NICU pilot, please connect with one of our workgroup leaders:

January 24, 2024

Throughout the country, there is a high level of COVID-19 transmission, and U.S. wastewater surveillance data has shown that COVID-19 cases have continued to climb. What we’re seeing at Texas Children’s mirrors this trend as our test positivity exceeded 10% through the past week. We have remained at or near double-digit COVID-19 test positivity since mid-December with no evidence of a decline yet this winter.

“Based on what we’re seeing in our clinical data, we strongly advise our team members receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine,” said Texas Children’s Pathologist-In-Chief Dr. James Versalovic. “We have worked so hard to protect ourselves, coworkers, patients, members and their families. We need to continue to do what we can to help limit the spread of these highly transmissible COVID-19 variants and help everyone stay healthy.”

The updated vaccine (similar to yearly influenza vaccines) provides more current and more complete protection. Specifically, it includes the more recent Omicron XBB variant, which is significant as the circulating variants continue to be Omicron.

Schedule your free COVID-19 vaccine

All team members (including BCM faculty and staff) can click here to schedule a free vaccine appointment through Employee Health at Medical Center, West and Woodlands campuses and Austin Mopac.

If you prefer to receive the vaccine at an outside provider, most medical plans cover COVID-19 vaccines at 100% under preventive care at an in-network provider. Out-of-network coverage depends on the plan in regards to cost share. Employees can visit www.myCigna.com or use the myCigna app for more information.

Additional resources

Remember, please stay home if you feel sick and get tested if you have respiratory symptoms compatible with COVID-19. Antiviral treatments are effective if administered early enough for COVID-19. Early diagnosis and treatment also reduce spread of viruses in the workplace. Click here to review the COVID-19 Return to Work process.

Access the Employee Health Virtual Assistant from any device, any time, on or off the Texas Children’s network for COVID-19 related guidance and support.

If you have any questions, please contact the Employee Health Nurse Support Line at 832-VACCINE (832.822.2463), open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Team members can also email employeevaccines@texaschildrens.org.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit our COVID Command website on Connect.

January 23, 2024

Understanding your role in a crisis is a key element of emergency preparedness. Planning ahead eliminates confusion and saves precious time needed to keep our system running during a crisis.

All team members must re-register annually for the Employee Disaster Roster – electing to be part of the Prep Team, Ride-Out Team and/or Relief Team. Details for each team are listed in the form, and you should work with your leader to agree on the appropriate role for you.

Deadlines
  • Friday, March 1 – EDR registration closes.
  • Friday, March 15 – Leader validation must be complete.
Details and resources
  • If registering for the Ride-Out Team, you are responsible for making appropriate childcare arrangements. Texas Children’s does not offer dependent care.
  • For those on the Ride-Out Team, you can use this easy checklist to pack your at-work disaster bag with 5-7 days of essential supplies.
  • If you want to receive emergency texts, log in to Voyager, go to Contact Info and add the Home Mobile Phone field. Even if your home phone is your mobile phone, by adding this field, it ensures you are on the list. Please also be mindful the number is correct. Just transposing two digits will prevent you from receiving texts.
  • Keeping you informed and prepared is our top priority. Visit the Department of Organizational Resilience SharePoint site for contact information and links to websites to help you create an emergency preparedness plan of your own.
  • If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Organizational Resilience Department at OrganizationalResilience@texaschildrens.org.

If you have consented to receive your 2023 W-2 electronically, it is now available in Voyager.

Follow these steps to access:

  • Visit Connect and select Voyager in the gray resources box
  • Log in to Voyager using single sign on
  • Select Me on the top navigation menu
  • Click the myADP US Tax Statements and Garnishments app and follow the instructions

If you have not consented, it will be mailed to your home address as listed in Voyager.

If you would like to print a copy, you may download your W-2 and forward it to your personal email address to print at home. Please note, this action may trigger our Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policy due to the personal information in the W-2, but it will be released within 24 hours.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the Payroll Department at 832-824-6868 option 3 or payroll@texaschildrens.org.