September 9, 2015

91015JohnDormansortho640Chief of Orthopedics Dr. John Dormans is an eternal optimist, skilled orthopedic surgeon and strategic leader, a combination of which are destined to prove great things for Texas Children’s.

Since joining the organization three months ago, Dormans has developed a plan to make Texas Children’s Orthopedics one of the top programs in the world.

“Texas Children’s is the place to be,” Dormans said. “It’s the largest children’s hospital in North America and is located in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country; the potential here is just immense.”

To harness that potential, Dormans is focusing his efforts on three main areas – recruitment, operations and facilities, and reputation and expertise.

Recruitment

Including Dormans, five new people have joined the Orthopedics Department this summer. Dormans came to Texas Children’s from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he was the hospital’s chief of orthopedic surgery from 1996 to 2014. During his time with CHOP, Dormans focused his clinical work on pediatric spinal deformity and musculoskeletal tumors while providing the leadership to grow the number of specialized and outreach clinics and make CHOP the No. 1 ranked orthopedic program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. He also was president of CHOP’s medical staff for three years and presided over five international surgical organizations.

“Dr. Dormans comes to us with an incredible track record of success,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr. “His knowledge, leadership and accomplishments make him an exceptional asset to Texas Children’s and we are confident in his ability to lead our Division of Orthopedics into an exciting new chapter.”

In addition to Dormans, a new pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dorothy Harris, has joined the team, as well as two clinical fellows and one research fellow. Harris recently completed her fellowship in pediatric orthopedics and scoliosis at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Her major areas of interest include orthopedic trauma/fractures, cerebral palsy, and limb deformities.

Next summer, Dormans anticipates hiring up to eight new orthosurgeons at Main Campus and corresponding support for Texas Children’s Hospitals The Woodlands and Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

Some of those hires will be “super stars” in the orthopedics field, Dormans said, adding that 20 pediatric orthopedic surgeons have formally expressed interest in working with Texas Children’s Orthopedics, some of whom are among the top orthopedic surgeons in the country.

“I think we’re on the radar,” Dormans said. “We’ve attracted a lot of interest.”

A more robust staff will allow the Orthopedics Department to accommodate the requests it currently gets from patients and families across the region, throughout the United States and across the globe, Dormans said. It also will position the department for tremendous growth in both its general practice and sub specialty areas.

Operations and Facilities

A key ingredient to that growth is gaining more access to existing clinical space and operating rooms on Main Campus.

“We are bursting at the seams on Main Campus,” Dormans said about available clinical and operating room space at Main Campus. “Our only escape valve for surgical cases currently is at West Campus.”

Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands and the Care First initiative – which will reinvestment in the programs our most critically ill patients need – will help. In addition, leadership is acutely in tune with Dormans’ needs and is doing everything they can to meet them.

“The leadership at this organization is phenomenal,” Dormans said. “They are all over everything, listening, trying to prioritize and implement and execute to get things done.”

Operationally, Dormans said he is making several changes that will help make the department run more efficiently and become more competitive. The department will have dedicated surgical schedulers, which will free up some of the clinical staff’s time, for example. And, an additional six nurse practitioners, physician assistants and advanced practice providers will make the department’s outpatient visit process run more smoothly.

Another aspect of operations Dormans said he is focusing on is technology and getting the latest and greatest tools to aid his staff in doing the best they can to help the patients who seek expertise from his department. One such piece of equipment is a device called an EOS system that will bring state-of-the-art low X-ray dose imaging for patients with scoliosis and leg length issues. The machine will be in place later this month and is part of a joint capital project between the departments of Radiology and Orthopedics.

“There are a lot of exciting things coming to fruition and many more to come,” Dormans said.

Reputation and Expertise

All orthopedic departments are different in what services they choose to offer and specialize in. Some organizations dedicate all of their time and resources to specialty services while others only offer general services. Dormans said he wants Texas Children’s to offer the best of both.

“It’s like a football team,” he said. “You want a diverse lineup of players.”

Within his department, those players not only include medical and support staff but researchers and educators as well. Recently, the department has started journal clubs, revamped the conference schedule and collaborated with Brenden Lee, the No. 1 funded musculoskeletal researcher in the world, to create a basic science research program in orthopedics.

Ultimately, Dormans said he wants people to identify Texas Children’s as the place to go to find answers to all of their pediatric musculoskeletal problems.

With more than 20 physicians and advanced practice providers treating everything from minor fractures to complex disorders, the department is on the right track, but, “the sky is the limit,” Dormans said.

Texas Children’s employees and their families recently celebrated the organization’s 20th anniversary with a day of fun at Regal Ranch in Stafford.

In between feasting on hotdogs, cupcakes and snow cones, the more than 600 guests slid down a giant water slide, enjoyed a hay ride, played putt-putt golf, ping pong and volley ball, and visited with friends and coworkers.

“The mood was very festive and fun,” said Texas Children’s Pediatrics President Kay Tittle. “It’s been really nice to celebrate with the families of our staff.”

Texas Children’s Pediatrics turned 20 years old on August 1, launching what is now the largest pediatric network in the nation with more than 200 board-certified pediatricians and more than 50 practices throughout the greater Houston area. Each year, the group cares for more than 400,000 patients and completes more than 1.2 million visits.

Recently, the organization opened its first three urgent care centers and started a pilot program called Texas Children’s Pediatrics Walk-In-Now (W.I.N.) at Texas Children’s Pediatrics Cy-Fair. Both programs offer additional access to quality pediatric care any time of the day or evening. Additional urgent care and W.I.N. locations will be opening soon.

A few months ago, Texas Children’s Pediatrics launched the ParentAdvice Center, a new mobile health management app available for free on iTunes and Google Play that will help families make smart decisions about what level of care is needed for their child and how to provide symptom relief for minor illnesses or injuries at home.

And, for years Texas Children’s Pediatrics Community Cares Program has provided trusted, high-quality pediatric medical services for children who otherwise would seek care from emergency rooms or possibly go without care or treatment due to low family incomes and/or lack of health insurance.

Regardless of the family’s financial situation, the Community Cares Program provides health care to children from birth to age 18 and offers the opportunity to develop a trusting, long-term relationship with a board certified pediatrician. The program also collaborates with community partners to assist families with other needed health care services.

“Our top priority is taking care of patients and their families,” Tittle said. “That is what we do best and what we will continue to do for years to come.”

91015stresstostrength640While most five year olds are gradually building their independence – learning how to feed, dress and groom themselves – Hector Garces depends on his parents to do a lot of these things for him.

“Our son wears diapers and cannot talk so he uses nonverbal cues to communicate with us,” said Hector Garces. “He can still walk, but the hardest part is realizing that our son’s illness will get worse.”

Hector suffers from a rare, genetic and incurable disorder called Sanfilippo Syndrome Type A. Children with this disease are missing an essential enzyme that breaks down a complex sugar called heparin sulfate. When this sugar accumulates in the brain, it can cause progressive brain damage, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Many children with this syndrome lose their ability to walk, talk, eat and even breathe.

While every parent endures stress, studies show parents of children with developmental disabilities experience depression and anxiety more often. For the Garces’ family, they’ve learned how to cope with these emotional challenges thanks to a new support program offered at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Dubbed “From Stress to Strength,” this empowering program provides a much-needed support network for caregivers and equips them with life skills on how to emotionally care for themselves while being excellent caregivers to their children.

“Parents learn how to use their character strengths to reduce stress and practice exercises to incorporate gratitude, forgiveness and optimism in their daily role as caregivers,” said Texas Children’s geneticist Dr. Christian Schaaf, an assistant professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and a researcher at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s.

Schaaf and his Baylor and Texas Children’s colleagues – Dr. John Belmont, Madelyn Gillentine and Susan Fernbach – modeled this program after a Vanderbilt University curriculum course called Positive Adult Development. The program consists of two, 4-hour workshops and is split into one-hour blocks, with each block focusing on a different coping mechanism such as how to “accept and let it go,” “recognize what is important in the moment,” and “be mindful of what is and what is not in my control.”

“Our plan is for these workshops to become family-driven,” said Susan Fernbach, director of genetic outreach at Texas Children’s, “and that parent leaders will serve as facilitators for some of the sessions where they share their experiences and explain how they handled particularly challenging situations.”

Since the program’s launch in April, the Garces family has learned how to channel their anxiety into positive action, while not wasting energy on things that they cannot control.

“A powerful aspect of the program was realizing the power of forgiveness,” Garces said. “The program helped me pause and think about our son’s situation from a different mindset. After meeting with other families, it was a great feeling to know that we are not alone.”

Schaaf says programs like “From Stress to Strength” can be enormously helpful to families transitioning from feeling overwhelmed and alone to embracing their child’s and family’s strengths.

“I am proud to be part of this team spearheading a support system for these parents here in Houston, and my hope is that similar programs will begin to pop up around the country,” Schaaf said.

For more information and to sign up for the next “From Stress to Strength” program, contact Susan at Ext. 2-4182.

72915Drdavidroth175Urology services at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus have been extended to meet the needs of patients in Houston and its surrounding area.

Beginning in July, the Texas Children’s Urology Department started holding clinics from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the second Monday of the month and from 8 a.m. to noon on the fourth Saturday of the month. An advanced practice provider, registered nurse, medical assistant and ambulatory service representative help patients with pediatric urological needs. As always, a faculty urologist is available at all times if needed.

“We would like to expand this project if it proves to meet the needs of our patients,” said Dr. David Roth, chief of urology. “Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for children to get the urologic care they need by offering alternatives to the traditional Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours.”

West Campus President Chanda Cashen Chacón said she appreciates Roth’s initiative and support of the expansion.

“This is a great option for our patients and their families,” she said.

Roth is chief of urology at Texas Children’s. His team members offer the most advanced surgical care for routine urological needs as well as genitourinary problems related to congenital birth defects, kidney stones, undescended testes, inguinal hernias and a range of other medical conditions.

They have special expertise in minimally invasive, laparoscopic surgical techniques, including extremely delicate procedures in newborns and infants, anorectal malformations, urological conditions caused by neurological problems, such as spina bifida, and management of stone disease.

91015drhairaward640Dr. Amy Hair, a neonatologist and director of neonatal nutrition at Texas Children’s, recently received the Baylor College of Medicine’s 2015 Clinical Faculty of the Year Award for demonstrating “exemplary performance of activities that are above and beyond the scope of assigned responsibilities.”

Baylor colleagues nominated Hair for this prestigious award. In addition to exemplifying strong leadership and mentoring skills in her field, Hair was recognized for her ability to encourage teamwork and foster a culture of respect, integrity and excellence in patient care.

Fulfilling her clinical duties in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) – like providing superior care to her patients, leading weekly rounds with the NICU intestinal rehabilitation team and collaborating with dietitians to meet the nutritional needs of premature infants – Hair also devotes much of her time to advancing neonatal nutrition research to improve patient outcomes in the NICU.

A groundbreaking study led by Hair and published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that adding a human milk-based cream to the exclusive human milk diets of premature infants significantly improved their growth outcomes in the NICU. As a result of Hair’s findings, Texas Children’s is the first hospital in the world to add human milk-based cream to the diets of premature babies weighing less than 3.3 pounds.

Besides publishing her research studies in numerous premier scientific journals, Hair continually demonstrates her commitment to her tiniest patients by delivering presentations at pediatric research conferences worldwide promoting the health benefits of exclusive human milk feeding, which has significantly reduced the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in our NICU by 77 percent. Potentially life-threatening, NEC is a neonatal condition that causes intestinal inflammation.

An active member of several professional organizations – Academy of Pediatrics, Texas Pediatric Society, Texas Medical Association and Harris County Medical Society – Hair also serves as a scientific advisor to the NEC Society, a non-profit organization where she helps promote community awareness about the life-saving benefits of human milk, while encouraging more mothers to donate their breast milk to protect babies from NEC.

“I am extremely humbled to receive this award,” said Hair, who added that being nominated by her peers is an honor that is extremely validating. “Receiving feedback from my colleagues is one of the best forms of positive reinforcement. It demonstrates the work that I am doing has a profound impact on everyone, including the patients and families I serve. I love my job and I am fortunate to work with an excellent multidisciplinary team in the Newborn Center at Texas Children’s.”

September 2, 2015

9315SIUinside640Texas Children’s veteran nurse Sondra Morris recently was chosen to lead the Special Response Team’s nursing unit.

Nurses will make up a significant portion of the specially-trained portion of the team, which will be called to action if the soon-to-be-complete Special Isolation Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus is activated. The eight-bed unit is designed for children with highly contagious infectious diseases. Similar to the four other biocontainment units in the country, the one at Texas Children’s will be one of the only in the United States designated just for children.

“Sondra is the best person for this job for many reasons, one of the main ones being she has led nursing teams in the Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Center,” said Shannon McCord, director of patient services at West Campus. “She has skill and expertise in working with the unexpected.”

Morris joined Texas Children’s 20 years ago as a graduate nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). During her time with the PICU, Morris worked as a transport nurse and later became a nurse manger.

As the Kangaroo Crew was becoming its own department, Morris transitioned to the nurse manager for that team. She spent five years there and completed her Master’s of Science in Nursing Management before moving to the Emergency Center as the assistant clinical director.

Last year when Morris learned about the creation of the Special Isolation Unit, she said she applied for the nursing leader position because she thought “it would be a unique, challenging and innovative unit that would be full of new opportunities, one of which would be building a unique nursing team that will take care of highly infectious patients, such as those with Ebola, MERS or other highly infectious pathogens.”

To date, at least 40 nurses across the Texas Children’s system have volunteered to be part of the nursing unit on the Special Response Team. The unit will work with a group of physicians, medical technologists and environmental service technicians if the Special Isolation Unit is activated.

There will be three to six nurses assigned to a patient based on the acuity of the case. Some nurses will be by the bedside while others will be observing, documenting and helping other team members donn and doff personal protective equipment.

Recruitment of all positions is ongoing. To learn more about joining the Special Response Team, click here.

“I already am impressed by the team’s dedication and passion for learning and for their willingness to care for this vulnerable patient population,” Morris said. “While I hope to rarely activate the SIU team, I am confident these patients will be in the best place to receive the best care possible.”

The decision to build a special isolation unit came last year after an unprecedented Ebola outbreak, resulting in the realization that we must be prepared to handle emerging infections as an institution. This new unit, which is scheduled to open in October, will incorporate all of the latest scientific and technological approaches to biocontainment, including negative air pressure, laminar air flow, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration, separate ventilation, anterooms, biosafety cabinets, a point-of-care laboratory, special security access, autoclaves and incinerators. There will be two levels of protection from airborne particles, as well as a comprehensive waste management plan, among other safety features.

It will be fully equipped to care for any infant or child with a serious communicable disease, with all of the measures available to assure safety of the health care team, other patients and their families. A point-of-care biosafety level 3 laboratory will enable the care team to monitor the progress of patients and perform rapid detection methods to identify unusual pathogens. Housed at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, the unit is anticipated to have capacity for eight patients, all in private rooms.

This specialized unit will be led by Dr. Gordon Schutze, who will serve as medical director, as well as Dr. Judith Campbell and Dr. Amy Arrington, who will be the unit’s associate medical directors. The Special Response Team will staff the unit and will be trained in infection control, hospital epidemiology and management of infectious diseases in the critical care setting. The staff will maintain their certification through participation in ongoing educational activities.

When the Special Isolation Unit isn’t activated, it will be used as a new acute care unit for West Campus. Morris is assistant clinical director of 5 West when the Special Isolation Unit isn’t being used.

The Employee Health and Wellness Team recently facilitated the 21-day H20 challenge to 4,935 employees, making it the largest organization-wide wellness challenge in Texas Children’s history.

Employees were asked to drink 64 ounces of water a day from July 20 – August 9. To provide encouragement, the Employee Health and Wellness Team provided participants with a water tracker, weekly educational and motivational emails, water discounts at various onsite cafeterias and a pre- and post-challenge survey.

The survey showed an increase from 9 percent to 35 percent of challenge participants who reported drinking 64 ounces of water per day and a decrease from 22 percent to 5 percent of challenge participants who reported drinking only 0-16 ounces of water per day.

Participant testimonials include:

  • “The challenge actually made it fun to drink water. In the Emergency Room we encouraged each other and even cheered each other when drinking water. It was just fun!”
  • “Leaders supported us in enrolling. That was nice. It showed they care!”
  • “The fun facts were motivational! Drinking water is something I knew I needed to do, but having support at work made it a reality.”
  • “The challenge caused our team morale to go way up!”

All participants who completed the post program survey will be given a 21-day H20 challenge water bottle. Bottles will be distributed September 2-9. Click here for more details.

Thirsty for more?

Texas Children’s videographer, Wally Crow, chronicled each week of his 21-day H20 challenge journey. Click the following links to review: Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

Thank you all for amplifying unity around this challenge! You can continue to rock the ripple effect by staying hydrated and encouraging your co-workers to do the same.