February 4, 2020

Texas Children’s is always searching for innovative ways to improve the experience for our patients and their families while in our care, especially for those patients and families who are unable to go home.

Seeing the impact that our Pawsitive Play Program’s beloved therapy dogs – Elsa, Bailey, Pinto, Cohen and Pluto – have brought to countless patients and their families, Texas Children’s recently embarked on a virtual adventure that will further enhance the healing environment that animals can provide to our patients.

On January 30, Texas Children’s hosted a special celebration to announce the arrival of San Diego Zoo Kids, a closed-circuit television adventure channel, that will provide educational wildlife programming to children and families who call Texas Children’s and the Ronald McDonald House Houston “home.”

“At Texas Children’s Hospital, we are committed to the holistic care of children and families,” said Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark Kline. “Outstanding partners, like the San Diego Zoo Kids Channel, can help to normalize the hospital experience for the children and families that we serve.”

This groundbreaking event included remarks from Paul Baribault, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Global, Major General Richard Noriega, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Houston, Jackie Wallace, senior director of Public Relations for the Houston Zoo, and Denny Sanford, a businessman and philanthropist whose vision and generous donation made this program possible for children and families around the world.

“Denny Sanford has given us this meaningful opportunity to share the joy and wonderment of animals with children who may be unable to visit their local zoo or aquarium due to injury or illness,” said Baribault, president and CEO of San Diego Zoo Global. “We hope the inspiring stories of the San Diego Zoo Kids channel can be a source of comfort and inspiration when young patients need it most.”

The program’s launch at Texas Children’s marks the San Diego Zoo Kids’ 300th facility location which is broadcast across 44 states and 12 countries. The channel will feature animal stories from the San Diego and Houston Zoo, and more than a dozen accredited zoos and aquariums in North America. A generous grant from The Institute of Museum and Library Services made the channel available on TV monitors at Texas Children’s and Ronald McDonald House Houston.

More than a dozen patients, their families, hospital staff and invited guests attended the groundbreaking celebration, and met some amazing animals including a screetch owl and rabbit from the Houston Zoo, which was a big hit for the crowd.

Mercy Lopez, whose daughter is a patient at Texas Children’s, is grateful to Texas Children’s for bringing this new programming to patients and families.

“My daughter loves watching the Discovery Channel, so I know she will benefit from this programming,” Lopez said. “Since she can’t visit the zoo right now, she can experience it in her room.”

 

As we celebrate American Heart Month, and honor the week of February 7-14th as Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week, Donna Lovick shares some of the accomplishments from the Heart Center staff and how their volunteer efforts are making a positive impact on patients and families in the community. Read more

February 3, 2020

The Mark A. Wallace New Employee Pep Rally allows new employees to learn more about the organization and meet executives and other leaders within a festive atmosphere complete with foam fingers, pompoms and lively music. Participants included new employees based at the Medical Center who were hired between July 1 and December 31, 2019. The pep rally was held January 27 at the Pavilion for Women Conference Center.

“We are flourishing and we’re blessed to have all of you here,” President and CEO Mark A. Wallace told the new employees, recalling Texas Children’s early days in a single, seven-floor building – well before the opening of Legacy Tower at the Medical Center; the hospitals at West and The Woodlands; and the urgent care centers and specialty care clinics that stretch across Harris County and now reach into Austin and Central Texas.

“In 1989, I knew this was our destiny,” Wallace said. “I knew Texas Children’s was going to grow and flourish because that was part of the plan: taking care of more patients and more families. The key to our success has always been the people and the leadership.”

Wallace also introduced himself and shook hands with every new employee at the pep rally, pausing often to pose for photos and snap selfies.

Take a look at the photo gallery below to see some of those shots.

The countdown clock is ticking. Texas Children’s Nursing will host its seventh virtual town hall from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, at the Pavilion for Women Conference Center.

Nursing has partnered with the Corporate Communications team to organize this event to engage our team of more than 3,700 dedicated nurses that make up Texas Children’s largest employee population.

Hosted by Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre’, the town hall will include a discussion of recent nursing accomplishments, our nursing priorities and system updates. The town hall will also include time for Q&A. Nurses watching the livestream remotely can participate in the Q&A session.

Attendees can submit questions during the Town Hall by going to www.slido.com and entering the event code TCH. We will respond to as many questions as time permits during the town hall. Any unanswered questions will be responded to via individual email or the “Ask the CNO” feature on the Voice of Nursing blog.

As always, patient care is our first priority, and we know not all nurses will be able to attend the live event or view the live stream. However, nurses can still participate by viewing the town hall on-demand. The link to the town hall recording will be available on Voice of Nursing.

For more details and instructions on how to access the livestream, click here to view the flyer.

Although nearly 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented, cardiovascular diseases continue to be a woman’s greatest health threat. That’s why knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body mass index numbers is a vital step toward long-term heart health.

Launched by the American Heart Association, Go Red for Women is a comprehensive platform designed to encourage women to take charge of their own heart health and increase awareness of cardiovascular disease, which causes 1 in 3 deaths among women each year.

To support this effort, the Employee Medical Clinic and Well-Being Team invites you to take part in a number of heart healthy events taking place Friday, February 7. On this day, all employees are also invited to where red in recognition of Go Red for Women Day.

Here are more details on the events taking place.

Texas Medical Center
Location: Fresh Bistro in the Pavilion for Women
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

During this time, clinic staff will be on-hand to conduct heart education and blood pressure screenings, which can help assess an individual’s risk for heart disease and stroke. Heart health education and well-being resources will also be available. In partnership with Morrison Chefs, employees will also be eligible to receive a complimentary heart-healthy sweet with the purchase of a heart-healthy meal (while supplies last).

Meyer
Location: Meyer Market
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Heart health education and well-being resources will be available. Complimentary heart-healthy sweets will also be provided by Morrison Chefs with the purchase of a heart-healthy meal (while supplies last).

The Woodlands
Location: Coffee Shop and Café
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Heart health education and well-being resources will be available. Complimentary heart-healthy sweets will also be provided by Morrison Chefs with the purchase of a heart-healthy meal (while supplies last).

West Campus
Location: Dot’s Cafeteria and Coffee shop
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Heart health education and well-being resources will be available. Complimentary heart-healthy sweets will also be provided by Morrison Chefs with the purchase of a heart-healthy meal (while supplies last).

Well-Being Resources
If you have not done so already, now is the time to schedule an annual physical with your health care provider. Texas Children’s Employee Medical Clinic provides full-service primary care, including annual physicals and the well-being physical, which offers a more in-depth and comprehensive approach to understanding your key health numbers. Complimentary health and nutrition coaching is also available to help you achieve your health and well-being goals.

To view Employee Medical Clinic locations and hours of operation, please visit us on Connect. To make an appointment, please call 832-824-2424.

Texas Children’s Family Fertility Center has opened a clinic in The Woodlands bringing care closer to home for women and men north of Houston.

The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located at 17350 St. Luke’s Way, Suite 300, which is near Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands in the MAC2 Building at CHI St. Luke’s.

Dr. Paul Zarutskie and his staff are leading the clinic. Zarutski is a long-standing member of Texas Children’s Family Fertility team and also is an assistant professor with Baylor College of Medicine. Throughout his 30-year career he has treated more than 15,000 patients and has consistently been named one of the Best Doctors in America.

A pioneer in reproductive endocrinology, Zarutskie has developed innovative treatment protocols, drugs, devices and laboratory procedures, including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cryopreservation techniques. He was one of the first infertility specialists in the United States to introduce preimplantation genetic screening services into clinical practice, and Zarutskie’s early research in male fertility established him as a thought leader in the field and continues to guide treatment strategies.

“We are extremely excited about being able to serve women in The Woodlands area closer to home,” said Jennifer Dalton, the clinic’s manager. “One of our main goals here at Texas Children’s is patient access and providing that access closer to home.”

Services offered at The Woodlands clinic includes:

  • Fertility consultation and evaluation
  • Male fertility services
  • Ovulation Induction
  • Ultrasound
  • Intrauterine Insemination
  • Endometrial Receptivity Array
  • Reproductive Genetics
  • Reproductive Psychiatry

Services not offered at this clinic are:

  • In Vitro Fertilization
  • Egg Retrieval

Patients can make an appointment with the clinic by calling 936-271-8000. For more information about the clinic, click here.

Baylor College of Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology Grand Rounds will host a talk on Women: The journey is far from over from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday, February 19 in Texas Children’s auditorium, B1 level of Texas Children’s Abercrombie Building.

Dr. James Dornan – chair of Health and Life Sciences at University of Ulster in Ireland, and retired chair of Fetal Medicine at Queen’s University of Belfast in the United Kingdom – will be giving the talk with the aim of increasing clinicians’ knowledge and skills related to the latest scientific advances and translational efforts, as well as the unique ethical challenges, in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objectives: Explain that women’s rights are human rights and that human rights are women’s rights.
Illustrate that religions are not to blame, but the men who run them are.
Explain that Native American Indians are correct when they said life is out of balance.

Target audience: OB/GYN Faculty, fellows, residents, and medical students.

Educational methods: Educational methods will include lectures, case presentations, literature review, and panel discussion.

Activity evaluation: Participants will be asked to complete a session evaluation.

Accreditation/Credit Designation: Baylor College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Baylor College of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.