September 4, 2019

Each year in September, Texas Children’s Cancer Center goes gold to honor the courageous journeys of our patients and families who have been touched by pediatric cancer and to create awareness about the challenges these children and their loved ones face. It is also a special time to honor the Cancer Center’s staff and everyone involved in the care and support of our patients.

Today, you will get a sneak peek of what’s to come this month, including the launch of a video series called “This is Cancer: Reflections from our patients.” The series documents the journeys of several families receiving care at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center. Their stories illustrate in intimate detail what they’re experiencing and how to better support them.

In addition to this series, there are several events scheduled across the organization geared toward raising awareness about childhood cancer. Some of those event are listed below. Please check the Connect calendar and the Cancer Center’s Facebook page for additional details. Also, visit the Texas Children’s Blog for Cancer Center related posts throughout the month.

“We are proud to say that our Cancer Center helps children fight and defeat cancer every day,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. “We hope you will stand with us in Going Gold for childhood cancer, so that together, we can continue to work on finding a cure for childhood cancer.”

Upcoming cancer awareness activities:

  • September 2-9 – McGovern Commons Water Wall will be lit gold in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
  • September 3 at 1 p.m. – West Campus Going Gold Parade and Ribbon Tying Event in the hospital’s main lobby
  • September 4 at 10:30 a.m. – Main Campus Going Gold Parade and Ribbon Tying Event starting on fourth floor of the Pavilion for Women and ending on The Auxiliary Bridge
  • September 5 at 1 p.m. – The Woodlands Going Gold Parade and Ribbon Tying Event in the hospital’s main lobby
  • September 5 at 6 p.m. – Vannie Cook Children’s Clinic in McAllen Going Gold Parade and Ribbon Tying Event
  • September 6 at 10 a.m. – The annual Hyundai Hope on Wheels Tour will stop at Texas Children’s in support of research and programs that bring us closer to better treatment and possible cures to cancer. The tour is a united effort of Hyundai dealers who travel the country to present Hyundai Scholar grants to children’s hospitals.
  • September 7 at 2 p.m. – The opening of and reception for the Periwinkle Foundation’s Making A Mark exhibit on The Auxiliary Bridge. The exhibit, which highlights the art and creative writing by children touched by cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, will be on the bridge throughout the month.
  • September 21-22 – Houston City Hall and the Montrose bridges across Southwest Freeway will be lit gold in honor of National Cancer Awareness Month.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Cancer Center, click here.

Members of Texas Children’s Health Plan are talking back to us – and saying good things.

According to the latest Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey, the majority of families who use our health insurance are pleased with the service they receive.

The recently released 2019 results ranked Texas Children’s Health Plan in the 99th percentile of health plans when it comes to overall performance. This means that we outperformed 99 percent of comparable health plans. We also ranked in the 99th percentile for the health care performed by our providers.

The Health Plan leadership team feels optimistic and we will continue to drive improvements in our member experiences.

“I attribute these scores to the hard work of our employees and the Texas Children’s reputation as a whole,” said Dr. Lisa Hollier, chief medical officer of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Texas Children’s Health Plan. “People trust us and want us to take care of their families.”

Hollier stresses that a reputation is not about what may happen every now and then. A reputation is about what consistently takes place over a long period of time – “And excellence really is who we are at Texas Children’s,” she added.

Our areas of improvement according to the survey data are health promotion and education, coordination of care and shared decision making.

All scores from the survey will be submitted to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the same organization that the Health Plan is looking to earn an accreditation from in April of 2020.

NCQA surveyors will look at the following six areas to see how we are measuring up.

  • Effectiveness of care
  • Availability of care
  • Experience of care
  • Utilization and risk adjusted utilization
  • Health plan descriptive information
  • Measures collected using electronic clinical data systems

Have you ever been asked to do something, but not given the tools to do it?
Have you ever wanted to do something, but lacked resources to get it done?

Not having what you need is one of life’s great frustrations. And unfortunately, this is the case for many students each and every day. They may not have a pen, pencil, notebook or other necessary supplies to do well in class.

Texas Children’s Health Plan addressed this issue head on with three successful back to school fairs. Together, the events provided nearly 3,000 students with day-one ready backpacks.

  • The August 10 event in Tyler had the highest attendance with 1,800 families present and 1,300 backpacks distributed.
  • The August 3 Pasadena event resulted in the distribution of 1,100 backpacks.
  • Port Arthur was host to the July 26 event where 492 students received backpacks.

In addition to the backpack giveaway, the events also included an opportunity for vaccines, health screenings and application assistance for any family wanting to apply for insurance through Texas Children’s Health Plan.

Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre hosted her sixth virtual town hall that spotlighted our recent nursing accomplishments, system updates and our exciting partnership with Employee Health and Wellness that is engaging our nurses around helpful resources to enhance their own health and well-being. Read more

Our 2019 Annual Required Training (ART) course is available in HealthStream through Friday, September 27. All Texas Children’s employees, contractors, and volunteers, are required to complete the course to satisfy Texas Children’s compliance requirements.* The completion goal is 100 percent across the organization.

What you need to know about ART:

  • All workforce members are required to complete ART except for:
    • New Texas Children’s employees (including Texas Children’s physicians) who were hired after January 1, 2019.
  • All staff members must review the course content and complete the attestation to receive credit.
  • Employees who are on leave of absence are required to complete ART within 30 days of their release back to work.
  • It is a Joint Commission and OSHA requirement for staff to renew their knowledge on an annual basis regarding key components such as: Patient Safety, Bloodborne Pathogens, Hand Hygiene, Diversity and several other important topics. Texas Children’s, in keeping with HIPAA guidelines, also requires staff to review their knowledge regarding Privacy, Compliance, and Information Security to ensure that Texas Children’s continues to sustain a safe and ethical environment in which to work and receive care.

How to access ART?

  1. Click on the ‘ART/Learning Academy/HealthStream‘ link on the Connect homepage under the ‘Quick Links’ heading.
  2. Log in to HealthStream.
  3. On the ‘To Do’ tab, click on the ‘Start’ link next to the course titled: Texas Children’s 2019 Annual Required Training.

Need help?

  • If you are having problems accessing HealthStream, contact the IS Service Desk at 832-824-3512 (option 2).
  • If you have questions about the course, please email healthstream@texaschildrens.org.
  • If you are having an issue with the course not giving you a completion status once you have passed the course test, or it will not allow you to advance to the end of the course, you may need to clear your browsing history. For instructions on how to clear your browsing history, click here.

* All contractors and volunteers (with the exception of RightSource) will complete the Alternate ART course which will be administered by his/her leader instead of through HealthStream. If you are a contractor or volunteer, please see your leader for further instructions.

August 28, 2019

On his blog, Mark Wallace remembers the significance of August 28, 1963, and reflects on a period of time where national unrest was met with unity. Read more

August 27, 2019

On August 17, more than 500 patients and families traveled from all over the country for the 2019 Texas Children’s Newborn Center family reunion. The Texas-themed event celebrated former patients who graduated from the Newborn Center in 2018 after spending 10 days or more in our neonatal intensive care units at Texas Children’s Hospital Medical Center Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

The reunion was held at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women where parents shared stories of hope and triumph with other neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) families and reconnected with the nurses and doctors who delivered life-saving care to their critically ill babies.

During the reunion the families were able to visit with the employees, physicians and other families that they spent so much time with while being cared for in our NICU. On this day, families who unfortunately were unable to take their babies home also were remembered.

In addition to being reunited with Newborn Center Staff, the NICU reunion offered children’s entertainment including a DJ, games, photo booth, face painting, crafts, airbrush tattoos, appearances from Minnie Mouse, SpongeBob Square Pants and Pikachu, and guests enjoyed a good old-fashioned Texas barbecue.

The event was made possible in part by Texas Children’s NFAC Committee and Bad Pants, an organization that has raised more than $6 million over the past 20 years to support the Newborn Center through the annual Bad Pants Open golf tournament.