July 20, 2020

Dance, learn and perform with the Houston Texans Cheerleaders! Presented by Texas Children’s Hospital, the 2020 Junior Cheerleaders program will be virtual this year but just as fun and at a lower cost.

For just $50, 2020 Junior Cheerleaders get:

  • 2020 Junior Cheerleaders 2020 Junior Cheerleaders T-shirt, hair bow and poms
  • Instructional video with new choreography for the 2020 performance
  • Rehearsal time with Texans Cheerleaders in your Junior Cheerleaders’ age-specific Zoom class
  • Zoom performance with Texans CheerleadersZoom performance with Texans Cheerleaders and all 2020 Junior Cheerleaders. The performance will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 15.

Registration for the program is open to children ages 7 to 12 through 5 p.m. Friday, July 31. Click here to sign up. Have questions or need more information? Visit the Houston Texans website for more information on virtual Junior Cheerleaders performance details, FAQs and more, or email CheerPrograms@HoustonTexans.com with questions.

Tell your friends and family that your loved one is going to be a HTC Junior Cheerleader! Download this shareable graphic to share on your social stories and type in the name of your Junior Cheerleader! Be sure to tag @texanscheerleaders to be featured on our social stories!

July 14, 2020

While more children are spending their summer at home amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristen Beckworth, manager of Texas Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention, shares important safety tips for parents to keep in mind to minimize preventable injuries and ensure a safe summer for all. Read more

The Child Life team at Texas Children’s has a pretty special job. Through a variety of educational and therapeutic interventions, they strive to alleviate stress and anxiety, while promoting positive coping skills for patients and families during their time at the hospital.

Made up of a variety of teammates – including child life specialist, art, music and animal-assisted therapists along with media professionals and activity, school, library and gaming coordinators – the department focuses on the psychosocial needs of children while collaborating with parents and other health care staff.

The need for such services and expertise has grown exponentially during the pandemic with anxiety and stress among patients and parents at a peak. Texas Children’s Child Life team has stepped in to do their part in calming these new nerves and making patients’ experiences at the hospital the best they can be during these unprecedented times.

“We are glad we are able to be in the room to support patients and families during this challenging time,” said Diane Kaulen, manager of the Texas Child Life Department. “We are there in PPE (personal protective equipment) helping support patients and families through all the emotions that come with illness and hospitalization. Our team is happy to still be working with them.”

The power of play

One way child life team members help children express and process difficult emotions is through play, the power of which can be amazingly strong. Audrey McKim has seen play work wonders time and time again during her tenure as an activity coordinator with Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers.

“As a child life team we make it a priority to bring patients together through intentional programming anchored by play,” McKim said. “We understand the significance of creating connections and building a community among people who are mere doors apart from each other but have the opportunity to share so much more than a diagnosis.”

Creating these connections during the pandemic has been challenging, but not impossible. McKim said an average day for her begins with huddles in the morning and looks over the census. Based on all the things she and her colleagues know about their patients and their needs, interests, strengths and diversity, they create a new daily challenge game.

Cup stacking and collapsing, ping pong challenge, Play Doh sentences, speed Spot-It, balancing building and trivia are just a few of the games the child life team play with patients in their rooms. To ignite competition among the other patients on the floor, scores reflecting speed and number of questions answered correctly are posted on a giant “Leader Board.”

“Imagine the show ‘Minute to Win It’ happening every day inside patient rooms,” McKim said. “We didn’t even need prizes, bragging rights and Leader Board ranking was enough.

McKim and members of her team also have incorporated photo projects into their repertoire and utilized creative themes burgeoning from social media. They have marked holidays with events like timed St. Patrick’s Day gold coin hunts, Mother’s Day interviews and photos from patient beds, individual egg hunts in rooms, Earth Day and super hero day art.

“What we found is how much patients started looking forward to visits from someone bringing something purposeful and fun that tied people and days together,” McKim said. “In the absence of so much, we have discovered a beauty in the challenge of creating and sustaining community through play all while staying apart from each other.”

The COVID effect

Chandler Townsend, a child life specialist in the Emergency Center, said she quickly learned that COVID-19 has more than just medical side effects.

“A hospitalized child within this pandemic is not just experiencing stressors related to hospitalization,” she said. “Our tiny heroes and their caregivers are now walking through our doors with a whole new set of external stressors, already altered from their baseline.”

Children miss their communities of classmates and playdates. Parents find themselves on a seesaw, balancing their work as professionals and as nurturers. The disappointment of a favorite park being closed, a postponed celebration or a canceled trip to see grandparents is felt by all. And, on top of everything, a visit to the hospital.

It takes extra, special intentionality to address kiddos’ fears and foster resilience, and Townsend and colleagues are doing just that and more. They are engaging family members in supportive conversation, recognizing that due to visitation protocols, they may not have their spouse’s hand to squeeze and may benefit from that extra check in.

They are allowing opportunities for control/mastery over a child’s day through procedural preparation, the dissemination of honest information, validating emotions, re-shaping perspectives, being a supportive presence and creating chances for control and facilitating play.

“Child Life is striving to adapt creatively while still keeping patient-and family-centered care at the center of our minds,” Townsend said. “I’ve been so encouraged by my coworkers and their drive to allow kids to be kids.”

July 13, 2020

For many of us, 2020 has been an unprecedented year filled with numerous challenges. Since March, the COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted our normal way of life. Many of us are working from home. We’re social distancing ourselves from each other, and wearing protective face masks wherever we go – both at work and in public – to protect ourselves and curb the spread of this virus.

The global pandemic has been especially difficult for children and their parents. Children are having to cope with closed schools, limited social gatherings, and cancelled extracurricular activities. And with the uncertainty of whether it is safe for schools to re-open this fall, many parents are adding the new role of “teacher” to their list of parental responsibilities. These circumstances have prompted researchers to ask: What emotional and social impact is the COVID-19 global pandemic having on children and their parents/caregivers?

In collaboration with Geri LoBiondo-Wood, PhD, RN, FAAN from the UTHealth Cizik School of Nursing, two nurses from Texas Children’s – Karla Abela, PhD, RN, CPN, CCRN-K, assistant director of clinical practice in the PICU and Darlene Acorda, PhD, APRN, CNE, CPNP, clinical specialist in the PICU – are conducting a research study that will highlight the specific anxiety and post-traumatic stress-related mental health needs of children and parents. The study will also investigate the associations between parental/caregiver and child mental health during a pandemic.

“Our understanding of the impact of a global pandemic on the mental health of children and their parents is very limited,” Abela said. “We hope that our findings from this study will lead to future studies aimed at understanding these concepts better, and eventually, leading to supportive interventions for the family unit.”

Researchers at the UTHealth Cizik School of Nursing are recruiting children ages 9 to 17 years old and their parents to take part in the research study. Participation in the study involves a short, online survey with separate questions for parents and children to answer. The online survey includes questions about demographics and an assessment of anxiety and stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We encourage Texas Children’s employees and their families to participate in this secure, anonymous online survey,” said Acorda. “We encourage you to also share this flyer with anyone who may be interested in participating in the COVID-19 parent-child study.”

Once the survey closes at the end of August, the research team will analyze the findings before submitting the results for publication.

How to participate in COVID-19 parent-child study

If you are a parent or caregiver and have a child between the ages of 9 and 17, and are interested in participating in this research study, click here to complete the survey. Participation involves a short online survey for both parents and children.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this COVID-19 parent-child study, please contact Karla Abela at Karla.M.Abela@uth.tmc.edu or Darlene Acorda at Darlene.E.Acorda@uth.tmc.edu.

Medicaid applications can be overwhelming and intimidating, but their difficulty doesn’t have to be a barrier to joining Texas Children’s Health Plan. Thanks to the health plan’s application assistance team incoming members can receive help with the process from start to finish.

The team of three works to help potential members fill out the forms and submit the necessary paperwork. “We work with both English and Spanish speaking families to ensure that they have support in navigating the process,” said Lupe Fraga, application assistance specialist. “The absolute best part of our jobs is educating families so that they know that they can get medical, dental, vision and access to other social services resources in the community. That’s our greatest joy — providing valuable information.”

Fraga’s teammate, Elizabeth Gallegos, added that families are amazed about how easy the process can be. “People truly are in disbelief that it is so simple. They feel a sense of relief that with our help they can receive so many benefits.”

But with any great reward, there also comes challenges and that is where a lack of trust comes in. Gallegos said that getting the community to trust the team is something they are constantly working on.

“In order to help, we have to be trusted,” Gallegos said. “They have to trust us to fill out the application and submit important paperwork.”

When trust does take place, negative consequences can be avoided. Elizabeth Tobar, the third member on the team says that because of the complexity of the application, families can be denied coverage because of errors. “Unfortunately this can be so discouraging that many go without coverage or needed care for long periods of time. Having the opportunity to help navigate them through the process and overcome those barriers is so rewarding, especially at a time like this.”

The team is currently averaging about 35 to 40 applications per week and with a steady increase in membership, they are slated to do much more in the weeks ahead.

The application assistance team was created in 2017 and is led by Claudia Garcia, marketing manager.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Health Plan visit TexasChildrensHealthPlan.org. To read about the health plan’s new marketing plan geared toward the unemployed read this story.

Unexpected kindness

The following passage was written by Texas Children’s Chaplain James Denham.

I listen to a podcast every week called “Kind World.”  It is an amazing and encouraging podcast that celebrates the simple acts, the ordinary moments, and the people that impact us through their kindness.

It has been so refreshing to hear during this time!  And it reminds me of this quote by Bob Kerrey, that “Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change. Kindness that catches us by surprise brings out the best in our natures.”  I just love how this quote frames the stories I hear on the Kind World podcast.

I’m willing to bet that you have seen lots of kind moments that bring out the best of our natures during this time of the pandemic, whether you have noticed it or not.  It may not be easy to sift through all of the political chatter, the relentless news of the virus, increasing numbers, and all sorts of other things.

But you have seen it, and I know you have experienced it. Our families are deeply kind people.  Our staff are deeply kind people.  A father who supplied laundry detergent for an entire floor of parents.  The text from a family member saying “I love you.” A staff member who went and grabbed that medication for you.  The family that orders Tiffs Treats in gratitude.  The random expression of gratitude from your boss or coworker.  Kindness is all over, if we are willing to be brave enough to see it.

Often it comes when you didn’t expect it, and the depth of love you experience from simple things is profound.  I saw this recently.  I walked into our chapel and saw a bunch of prayer cards on our Tree of Hope, which has been a home for the written prayers of staff and families since 2001.  While I usually go in and look at a few each week, I noticed one that couldn’t be missed.  It was very simple, very straightforward, and very powerful:

“Thank you. Thank you to everyone here!”

The kindness of those two phrases resonated deeply in my spirit.  Thank you, because you have a purpose here. Thank you, because there are lots of people who made a difference.  Thank you, because there aren’t any better words!  I was so moved that someone came in and found two simple phrases that could touch us all in the midst of all that surrounds us.  Thank you.  This person, staff or family member or patient, expressed the kindness that catches us by surprise and truly is the greatest agent of human change.  It was a random note of appreciation but gave me strength for the day that I needed … and so do you.  You are a part of this kind world.

Thank you.  Thank you to everyone here at Texas Children’s Hospital.  You are One Amazing Team.

July 7, 2020

If you hop on social media these days – or even watch the news – it’s hard not to come across conflicting opinions regarding the effectiveness of wearing masks to protect ourselves from the spread of COVID-19.

At Texas Children’s, our employees, staff, patients, families and visitors, are required to wear masks at our health care facilities for one reason – it is a simple and effective way to stop the spread of germs.

“There is numerous scientific research that touts the effectiveness of mask wearing to reduce a person’s risk of contracting or transmitting the virus,” said Chief Safety Officer Dr. Joan Shook. “It is too risky to let our guard down right now, particularly when we are supposed to care for our patients who need us the most.”

While different masks provide different levels of protection, Shook says wearing a mask covering protects everybody around you. Surgical or procedural masks, like the ones distributed at our employee screening check-in locations, provide a protective barrier that prevents respiratory droplets from being easily spread from person to person. The N-95 masks, which are required to be worn by health care staff during aerosol-producing procedures (like intubation) and when providing care to COVID-19 positive patients, have a thicker mesh and fit more tightly around the nose and mouth, providing an additional layer of respiratory protection.

In this video below, Texas Children’s employees and staff share why they wear a face mask.

With the mandatory mask order now in effect across Texas requiring face masks to be worn in public, we must do our part at Texas Children’s to protect ourselves and each other. In addition to wearing a face mask, we must:

  • Wash our hands frequently
  • Watch our distance – stay at least 6 feet from others
  • Hold ourselves and each other accountable
  • Stay home when we’re not feeling well.

“It is important that we all continue to fully comply with the safety precautions that have proven successful at combatting this pandemic not just at work, but in our personal lives as well,” Shook said. “While some people may feel it is their right to wear or not wear a face mask in public – as we have seen many times on the news and in social media – I believe everyone has a right to feel safe and protected. When we are masked, we are less likely to get sick, and more likely to reduce the community spread of COVID-19.”

When wearing a face mask at work and in public places, the mask should cover your mouth and nose completely and fit securely to your face to maximize its effectiveness. Click here to view this infographic on ways you should and shouldn’t be using your face mask.

Connecting with our patients

Face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by staff to keep everyone safe during the pandemic has made it challenging to connect with patients and add that extra dose of warmth a smile often brings to a high-stress situation.

“Anxiety levels are typically pretty high when patients and families walk into our hospital,” said Diane Kaulen, manager of the Texas Children’s Child Life Department. “COVID-19 has added a whole new level to that, but Texas Children’s is finding creative ways to make our patients and families feel as comfortable as possible during their stay with us.”

To give patients an idea of what they look like without PPE, some Child Life specialists are wearing buttons donned with pictures of their faces. Others are reframing a child’s perspective of PPE, placing stickers of beloved characters on face shields and forming connections by asking patients if they think we look like astronauts or scuba divers or a personality of their own imagination.

Child Life Specialist Chandler Townsend’s personal favorite was when a child she was playing with told her she looked like “Forky,” the very personality that was on the coloring page they were working with.

“We here at Texas Children’s are finding innovative ways to meet the holistic needs of the hospitalized child alongside our health care teammates,” Townsend said. “No matter a patient’s level of visible anxiety, we are cognizant that there is more going on than just hospitalization/diagnoses and we continue to validate that.”

Basic comforting tools and behaviors such as physically getting down to a child’s level when you are talking to them, introducing yourself and talking through PPE and why staff is wearing it goes a long way, said Audrey McKim, an Activity Coordinator with Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers.

“I try to explain that we might be in goggles, masks and shields but those protections let us walk in their door and provide support in the ways pediatric oncology patients need,” McKim said. “This is so important in a time when so many doors shuttered.”

View a photo gallery below of the face buttons that Child Life team members are wearing to connect with patients during the pandemic.