September 21, 2021

With the exciting launch of Voyager, our new cloud-based software platform, powered by Oracle, we are consolidating our Performance Management review cycle to help us stay aligned as One Amazing Team.

While Performance Management remains a key component of our overall employee experience and journey, we’ve created a streamlined process to make it easier for everyone to meet the Oct. 1 deadline.

In PeopleSoft, you will have the option to complete your FY2021 Annual Performance Review with an easy-to-use clickable form, which includes spaces for written (typed) comments. Please click here to view the instructions on how to complete and submit. If you’ve already started the traditional process and want to switch, you can copy and paste your comments in the new form. If there is any uncertainty, please discuss with your leader what tool may work best for your review.

Please reach out to the Performance Management team with any questions or refer to these frequently asked questions for additional guidance.

September 20, 2021

In response to the FDA’s recommendation of a Pfizer booster dose in persons 65 years of age and older, and individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19, Texas Children’s is awaiting necessary guidance from the CDC and the State. The CDC is scheduled to meet next week. Texas Children’s remains ready to administer boosters once these guidelines and approvals are available.

September 17, 2021

As Hurricane Nicholas tracked toward Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast, our Texas Children’s team members dutifully reported to ride-out at the Medical Center, The Woodlands and West Campus – staying into the night to care for our patients and their families through the storm.

Their commitment during a crisis is what makes our workforce One Amazing Team, and why our communities know they can always look to Texas Children’s no matter what.

To show our colleagues on ride-out the gratitude and appreciation they deserved, the Employee Assistance Program passed out tasty goodies and fun giveaways that night from Wellness Carts at all three campus locations.

Scroll through the gallery to see a few stops that were made, and join us in thanking our ride-out team members for making a difference when it mattered the most!

Information Services (IS) is urging all team members who use Apple devices – whether issued by Texas Children’s or used personally – to update to the latest version of iOS software to address a new invasive spyware called Pegasus.

IS will begin pushing these critical updates to TCH-issued Apple devices this week. Please be prepared to receive the updates when prompted.

IS also strongly encourages team members with personal Apple devices to update to the latest version of iOS as soon as possible. To check your version of iOS, open Settings > General > Software Update.

Essential details about the software update
  • To ensure a successful update, make sure the devices in your area are charged, powered on and connected to Texas Children’s wi-fi.
  • The update will take about 20 – 40 minutes to complete. Please plan for devices to be temporarily unavailable since they cannot used during the update process.
  • If you prefer to download the software updates yourself, please do so prior to the scheduled update. Click here to learn how to perform the updates yourself.
What is Pegasus?

Pegasus is new spyware that is especially insidious because:

  • It has “zero click” capability to install itself on a device without a user clicking on anything, such as a link.
  • It is usually delivered as a text via iMessage.
  • It exposes content in text messages, photos, emails, videos, contact lists and can record phone calls.
  • It can secretly turn on a phone’s microphone and cameras to create new recordings.
  • It can compromise an Apple device in such a way that allows the attacker to obtain administrative privileges on a device without the owner’s knowledge.
Is my device eligible for the update?

The latest 14.8 software update is available for the following models:

  • iPhone 6s and later
  • iPad Pro (all models)
  • iPad Air 2 and later
  • iPad 5th Generation and later
  • iPad mini 4 and later
  • iPod touch (7th generation)
  • If your TCH device is older than the models listed above, please report the issue to the IS Service Desk at 832-824-3512.

Remember: At Texas Children’s, security is everyone’s responsibility. By updating your iOS software, you are helping to keep our mobile devices available, reliable and secure.

In a history-making day for Texas Children’s, thousands of team members and Baylor College of Medicine staff members based at Texas Children’s locations are receiving on Sept. 17 the first of three special payments that recognize their hard work and continued commitment.

Initially announced by President and CEO Mark A. Wallace in August, the 1-2-3 Retention Program is another step forward in the Tomorrow, Together initiative that Texas Children’s has made in our people. The program impacts every employee below the director and physician level, including our part-time and per diem team members.

1-2-3 is the first program of its kind ever to be implemented at Texas Children’s. Here’s how the payments work:

  • Retention Payment 1 on Sept. 17, 2021: Full-time team members will receive 1 percent of their salary or $500, whichever is greater, while part-time and per diem team members will receive 1 percent of their salary or $250, whichever is greater.
  • Retention Payment 2 on March 18, 2022: Full-time team members who remain employed with Texas Children’s until this date will receive 2 percent of their salary or $750, whichever is greater, while part-time and per diem team members receive 2 percent of their salary or $375, whichever is greater.
  • Retention Payment 3 on Sept. 16, 2022: Full-time team members who remain employed with Texas Children’s receive 3 percent of their salary or $1,000, whichever is greater, while part-time and per-diem team members will receive 3 percent of their salary or $500.
  • Baylor Dates: Payout dates for Baylor may vary based on their payroll schedule.

To download a handy chart about the 1-2-3 Retention Program, click here.

For answers to frequently asked questions about Tomorrow, Together, click here.

September 15, 2021

We are getting closer to the exciting launch of Voyager. Over the past year, hundreds of our team members have worked tirelessly to develop and test our new cloud-based software platform powered by Oracle.

On Oct. 4, we will launch the Finance and Supply Chain components and on Jan. 4, 2022, our Human Resources and Payroll teams will join us as we transform these platforms into one seamless, best-in-class system.

With this implementation, we will have many opportunities to improve our engagement and interactions with leaders and team members and optimize our processes.

To learn more about the highlights and benefits of the Voyager platform, click here to watch the video featuring the Voyager executive sponsors.

Visit our Voyager SharePoint site for the latest news and updates on the project.

Contact VoyagerProject@texaschildrens.org or your Change Agent with questions.

We will continue to provide updates and details on any actions you need to take to make the transition easier.

When he’s not assisting our young patients at Texas Children’s Immunization Clinic, team member Alex Trevino is busy being the glue that holds his close-knit family together after his mother and grandmother died from COVID-19 nearly a year ago.

It’s a responsibility he never expected but doesn’t take lightly – not after surviving his own hospitalization for COVID and pneumonia, and urging his husband, daughter, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.

“With us, it still hurts. We’re still lost,” said Trevino, a self-described mama’s boy who was the first to step up and receive the vaccine after the deaths. “You might think COVID is a joke, but I experienced it firsthand with my family members and it’s hard to recover from it. You can say you just don’t want the vaccine, but it will save your life.”

The matriarchs of their family, Maria Del Carmen Trevino and Enriqueta Robledo were careful about taking precautions against COVID and never sure how they contracted the virus. Maybe they caught it one day when they traveled to one of their regular doctor appointments, or from a cousin who briefly stopped by their home. But the devastating impacts were swift.

Enriqueta was the first whose symptoms became severe. She never learned her daughter had also been admitted to the hospital, having had just one brief video call with the rest of the family before she took a turn for the worst.

The same day that Enriqueta passed, Maria was placed on a ventilator. This time, there wasn’t a final video chat – only a hastily arranged phone call before her heart gave out and she was gone, just two weeks after the mother she didn’t know she’d lost.

“The whole thing is unreal. You think they’re still here, but they’re not,” Trevino said. “It’s hard for us. It’s like we’re in a bubble. You can’t get a hug from them. I don’t have that person that I used to talk to. Now I’m the one who tries to keep up the family, like my mom did. I’m trying to be the glue that keeps us from losing each other.”

Working in Texas Children’s Immunization Clinic has been a balm for Trevino. He draws strength every day from the memory of his mother and the excitement of seeing children and families so eager to receive the vaccine.

He loves his job and the feeling that he’s making a difference by helping to protect the most vulnerable members of our community as we progress toward the end of the pandemic.

“I want to be able to look beyond this, go back to normal and say that even though we went through it, we came out better,” Trevino said. “We can tell our grandchildren the story of what happened and how the vaccine helped everybody get back to where we used to be.”

All members of Texas Children’s workforce are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must receive at least one vaccine dose by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21. To schedule your vaccine appointment through Texas Children’s, please click here.