March 30, 2021

Given the enormous vaccine participation from everyone, we are excited to announce the extension of the Get the Vaccine to End COVID-19 $1,000 Drawing to Friday, May 28. Now Texas Children’s team members have multiple chances to win prizes in celebration of the vaccine breakthrough.

In addition to the $1,000 Drawing, Winner’s Choice Team Drawing kicks off April 1, giving team members who have received at least one vaccine dose the opportunity to win some of the most sought-after electronics on the market. With the arrival of a third vaccine option and more of our colleagues and loved ones every day, this new contest is another way to express our appreciation for all those who have stepped up to lead the way.

How it works
  • Each senior executive, and the employees that roll up to that senior executive, represent a team.
  • To participate in the Winner’s Choice drawing, each team must achieve a vaccination rate of at least 75%. To view your team’s current vaccination rate, click here. If you don’t know who your senior leader is, click here to learn different methods of how you can find out.
  • The drawing consists of three prize tiers: 75%, 80%, and 90%. Once a team reaches a 75% vaccination rate, all employees within that team will automatically be eligible to participate in the first tier of the drawing. Once the team reaches 80%, employees within that team will be eligible for both the first and second tier drawings. Once the team reaches 90%, employees within that team will be eligible to participate in drawings for all three tiers.
Prizes up for grabs
  • Tier 1: 75% Participation – Winner’s Choice of Apple Air Pods, Amazon Fire Stick & Echo Dot or Bose Headphones
  • Tier 2: 80% Participation – Winner’s Choice of Apple Watch (5th Generation), Nintendo Switch or Dyson Vacuum
  • Tier 3: 90% Participation – Winner’s Choice of Smart TV, Apple iPad, Microsoft Surface Laptop or Nikon Camera
Your shot at winning

The first Winner’s Choice drawing will take place on April 1, and vaccine appointments are still available. If you have not yet received your vaccine, it is highly recommended that you schedule now as the best way to protect yourself against the virus.

To make your appointment at the Medical Center, West Campus or The Woodlands, click here.

March 26, 2021

A special thank you to all of our team members who have set an example for our patients, their families, our communities and each other. Schedule your vaccine appointment today. Read more

March 23, 2021

Texas Children’s is using artificial intelligence technology to remotely monitor vital health data for expectant mothers in Malawi, giving providers a new tool to help patients avoid the risky situations that can arise during childbirth – and all from literally an ocean away.

In a unique public-private partnership that brought together Texas Children’s, Baylor Foundation Malawi, Ministry of Health Malawi and software solution company PeriGen, PeriWatch Vigilance successfully went live on March 10 at Area 25 Hospital in the capital city of Lilongwe.

An automated early warning system and clinical decision support tool for obstetrics, PeriWatch Vigilance is designed to enhance clinical efficiency, timely intervention and standardization of care. The technology uses artificial intelligence and other analytical techniques to continuously analyze maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, contractions and labor progression.

Once the data is collected and analyzed, the Periwatch Vigilance platform associates it with predefined bed or room locations within the system. Approved providers can then view and access the data for each patient at Area 25, which is collaboratively run by Baylor Foundation Malawi and the Malawi ministry of health and performs more than 7,000 deliveries each year.

“This initiative represents a paradigm shift in care for Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr. Michael Belfort, Texas Children’s OB-GYN-in-Chief. “The use of advanced artificial intelligence programs to address the needs of a low-resource environment is an ideal way to leverage technology to the benefit of all.”

The Periwatch Vigilance project team at Texas Children’s worked closely with partners in Malawi to overcome many of the obstacles they faced when implementing the new technology, including network infrastructure and procuring the necessary workstations. They also had to work within a complex security design to ensure Texas Children’s data and infrastructure remained safe.

“The technical infrastructure present in Malawi provided some unique challenges that required strong partnership with our vendor, Malawi staff and the Texas Children’s Information Services department,” said Ashok Kurian, Director of Data & Analytics, Information Services. “The teams worked together to develop a solution that would allow for secure data transfer, which overcame these challenges.”

Project team members included Melissa Blado, Mark Carey, William Cheong, Jeremy Church, Keith Garcia, Terry Hamidi, Farkhad Kasumov, Justin McMillan, Veena Nagarajan, Tina Oduguwa, Dan Parker, Aaron Rainey and Melissa Witt.

With the lessons they learned to launch PeriWatch Vigilance in Malawi, the IS Department anticipates deploying the same technology to other African countries in the future – particularly Botswana and Uganda, which are also part of Texas Children’s Global Health Network and have already been discussing, planning and constructing their approach.

Created in 1999 by the Baylor International Pediatrics Aids Initiative (BIPAI), the network catalyzes pediatric and family HIV care and treatment, and continues to be the largest provider of pediatric HIV care in the world. Through its partnership with Texas Children’s, the network has also expanded its scope to include tuberculosis, malnutrition, Sickle Cell Disease, oncology, cardiology, emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesiology and maternal health.

The only way to receive any protection against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants is by receiving a vaccine. Doctor Julie Boom explains further in this short video.

After February’s historic winter storm, many Houstonians and Texans are still recovering and rebuilding, including many in the Texas Children’s community. As with previous hurricanes and other climate disasters, Black families and other communities of color were disproportionately impacted by the storm’s aftermath. For March, 2021, we encourage you to “Take Five” to learn about environmental racism across the United States and in our own backyard:

  1. Learn: Dr. Robert Bullard is Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and winner of the United Nations Lifetime Achievement Award (https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2020/robert-bullard). He developed the concept of Environmental Justice. Learn about this concept and explore his books and publications at https://drrobertbullard.com/#
  2. Watch: 14-minute video about the personal impacts of environmental racism on people in neighborhoods across Houston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsUBShDee3Y&t=518s
  3. Read: Cancer clusters – including pediatric leukemia and several adulthood cancers – have been found in Houston’s 5th Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods, attributed to toxic pollution from burning creosote-treated wood rail ties at a nearby railyard https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/environment/article/cancer-cluster-fifth-ward-houston-15885717.php
  4. Get informed: Texas State Senator (District 13), Borris Miles, introduced a bill to the Texas Legislature to reduce air contaminant emissions, with the goal of minimizing impacts on vulnerable communities https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB87/id/2215245
  5. Support: Non-profits like West Street Recovery (https://www.weststreetrecovery.org/) organized after Hurricane Harvey to help neighborhoods impacted by environmental racism recover, organize, and get prepared for future climate threats. They help residents repair and rebuild homes, engage community members on their staff, distribute funds and health resources (e.g., PPE) to the community, and engage in advocacy. Air Alliance Houston (https://airalliancehouston.org/) is a non-profit that conducts research, education, and advocacy to “reduce the public health impacts from air pollution and advance environmental justice.”

By the time the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine had arrived at Texas Children’s, Mirronda Williams felt fairly certain she did not want to receive it. Her mind was filled with questions and concerns about the efficacy and risks, and conflicting stories and theories about the vaccine made her even more apprehensive.

Then came the heavy realization that the pandemic was literally at her doorstep.

“I received a call that a very close friend of the family tested positive and a few days later lost his battle with COVID,” said Williams, a team leader account representative at the Central Business Office. “My family was so stunned and heartbroken over what happened. The feeling was absolutely unexplainable.”

From there, it was like a domino effect: Williams and her husband just kept hearing about family members testing positive. Upset and scared, she felt caught in an emotional whirlwind – but doing her own research about the vaccine made a difference.

After attending the COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sessions hosted by Texas Children’s Vaccine Task Force, she began to feel more confident about moving forward. A heart-to-heart conversation with her supportive husband sealed the deal.

“Once I received that extra assurance, I immediately went online and signed up to take the vaccine,” Williams said, snagging an appointment for January 14. “When I arrived for my first dose I was trembling because I was so nervous. It was a true test of faith, but everything went way better than expected.”

Though she did experience extreme soreness at the injection site, fatigue, chills and a headache, the side effects subsided within 24 hours. When she received her second vaccine dose on February 4, the soreness and a slight headache only lasted about 2-3 hours.

Only a short time later, she learned of several classmates, and a friend of her husband, who had all died within weeks of each other because of COVID-19.

“I know I made the right decision to receive the vaccine,” Williams said. “I want to make sure I do my part to help win the battle over this pandemic, and I would personally like to say ‘thank you’ to Texas Children’s.”

If you have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine, appointments are still available – and receiving your first dose makes you automatically eligible for a $1,000 prize! To schedule your vaccination now, click here. For more information about the vaccine, including recordings of Texas Children’s live vaccine information sessions, visit our vaccine website.

The Get the Vaccine to End COVID-19 Drawing was announced Monday, February 8, and will continue every weekday through this Friday, March 26. Texas Children’s employees who receive their first dose are automatically eligible for the drawing and the $1,000 prize. Full details on eligibility and requirements are outlined here.

After winning the Get the Vaccine to End COVID-19 Drawing, the following team members tell us why they stepped up to be vaccinated and hope to inspire others.

Adrianne Bourgeois – 8 years of service
EMR Educator, EPIC Training Team
“A little over a year ago I fell ill with what I thought was the flu. After feeling progressively worse, at the suggestion of family and friends, I was tested and received confirmation that I had actually contracted the virus. I chose to get the vaccine to protect myself and others from feeling the way I felt. And I’m so blessed to be alive to receive it.”

Tracy Barbour – 13.4 years of service
Newborn Center NICU Level IV
“I received the COVID-19 vaccine to protect my kids, parents, grandparents, friends, patients, and my community to the best of my ability. I felt, as a nurse, I needed to lead by example and help fight this disease.”

Sylvia Campos – 20 years of service
Ambulatory Services Rep I, Nutrition/GI Clinic
“I’m so Thankful to Texas Children’s for giving me the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It is a good feeling knowing I am doing my part to ensure the safety of myself, my family and my co-workers especially to our patients who come for the best care we have to offer them. Texas Children’s has been the best place to work for the past 20 years and counting!”

To date, more than 9,800 of Texas Children’s employees have received at least one vaccine dose. If you haven’t already, schedule your vaccination appointment now and get your chance at the $1,000 prize, simply click here and sign up for the date and time that work best for your schedule.