September 2, 2015

9315patientsafety640On the morning August 27, a Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women employee was struck by a car driving on Main Street. The individual was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The individual is recovering and expected to be okay. The driver in this incident is cooperating with police.

As always, the safety of employees, patient families and visitors is a top priority at Texas Children’s Hospital. Hospital leadership immediately took action to improve pedestrian safety at this intersection.

Starting Friday, August 28, off-duty officers will be present at the intersection of Southgate Boulevard outside of the Pavilion to assist in traffic control. These officers will be monitoring the area to help the organization as we determine the best course of action, increasing safety for both pedestrians and drivers. These officers will be present during peak traffic times in the morning and evening.

“With so many people driving in this congested area of the medical center, it is extremely important that we do our part to keep our employees and patient families safe,” said Laura Reynolds, director of Facilities Operations. “We are doing our part to increase safety and we hope our employees will practice extra caution as they drive or walk around campus.”

Employees are asked to cooperate with these traffic control officers and pay extra attention when driving around the medical center where patients, families and employees cross.

“My number one advice is for everyone to be aware of their surroundings at all times,” said Christopher Carr, operations manager for Security Services. “We are constantly looking at the campus-wide plan to enhance safety and security for all those who visit or work at our organization, we want to make sure our employees are doing their part to avoid distractions as they walk or drive.”

9315SSSantanaGibbsMarks175Santana Gibbs-Marks from Diabetes/Endocrine Care Center is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star employee. “The best thing about working at Texas Children’s is the compassion of my fellow coworkers and to see the children smiling even when they are sick,” said Gibbs-Marks. “That puts a smile on my face, and it makes me remember how thankful I am.” Read more of Gibbs-Marks’ interview, and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Q&A: Santana Gibbs-Marks, June 2015 Employee

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?

Santana Gibbs-Marks, Lead Ambulatory Service Representative in the Diabetes/Endocrine Care Center. I started at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2008 has a contractor, and on June 15, 2009 I became a permanent employee. As of June 15 I’ve been at Texas Children’s six years.

What month are you Super Star for?

The month of June.

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.

We had a graduation ceremony for our fellows and right afterwards they said we had a mandatory meeting. My director Ryan Breaux came in and start talking about AIDET and then walks in my mom and husband. I was very surprised when he announced that I had won the Super Star award for the month of June.

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do? How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?

The Super Star recognition means to me that the work that I do daily is noticed and that someone sees a bigger picture of me and I am all so grateful. This organization has contributed to my success in so many ways. I am thankful for my leaders who have helped me reach some of my goals and going. I’m not finished. This is only just the beginning.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?

Consistently going above and beyond without being asked to do so. Thinking outside of the box and having a strong passion and love for what you do every day.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?

My motivation for going above and beyond is seeing these beautiful kids and their families smiling at the end of their visits. I am most of the time the last person they see before they leave our clinic I LOVE to see a sense of ease, and that they have been well taken care of at the end of the day.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?

The best thing about working at Texas Children’s is the compassion of my fellow coworkers and to see the children even when they are sick smiling. That puts a smile on my face and it makes me remember how thankful I am.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?

To me it means everyone plays a part in leadership because in some form we all have someone looking up to us and we are guiding each other. A leader in my opinion is one who leads by example, so that others are motivated to follow.

Anything else you want to share?

I would like to thank my leaders and coworkers in my department and all the doctors for believing and trusting in me.

9315PulmonaryPaintingGroup640Physicians and staff with Texas Children’s Pulmonary Hypertension Program hosted a tile painting party on August 22 where patients transformed ceramic tiles into colorful pieces of art. The event benefited the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA).

Held in the newly renovated Child Life Zone on the 16th floor of West Tower, pulmonary hypertension patients and their families painted tiles to decorate a garden bench that will be auctioned off at a PHA fundraising gala in October. The theme of the garden bench is “hope” and each tile represents a family’s idea of what hope means to them.

Special guest Dynamo Diesel entertained the children. He signed picture frames for families to keep as a memento. The tile painting party also provided a venue for families to meet and support other Texas Children’s families impacted by pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is a health condition characterized by abnormally high blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs. As a result, the heart works harder to pump blood through the lungs, which can cause breathlessness, difficulty performing physical activity and heart failure.

Over the years, Texas Children’s pulmonary hypertension team has collaborated with the PHA to sponsor fundraising events to increase awareness, promote research and educate families about this medical condition.

For more information about Texas Children’s Pulmonary Hypertension Program, click here. To visit the PHA website, click here.

September 1, 2015

bench-and-beside-Header2Bench and Bedside is a digest of the previous month’s stories about the clinical and academic activities of our physicians and scientists. We welcome your submissions and feedback.

August 4

Department of Urology to present 12 papers at international conference

The Department of Urology will be well represented at the 26th Congress of the European Society for Paediatric Urology this October in Prague. Twelve of the department’s abstracts were chosen for posters, most with presentations.

August 4

Zoghbi receives seven-year Javits award to advance ataxia research

Dr. Huda Zoghbi, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and the director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s, has been awarded a Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for her “distinguished record of substantial contributions in the field of neurological science.”

9115tcpanniv300August 4

Texas Children’s Pediatrics celebrates 20 years of providing primary care

Twenty years ago today, Texas Children’s launched what is now the largest pediatric network in the nation with more than 200 board-certified pediatricians and 50 practices throughout the greater Houston community. Each year, the group sees 400,000 patients and completes more than a million visits.

9115chagas300August 4

Grant funds first therapeutic vaccine for Chagas disease in humans

The Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development have received a $1.8 million grant to accelerate development of the first therapeutic vaccine for Chagas disease in humans. The vaccine is in a development program under the direction of Drs. Peter Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi. Chagas disease impacts people throughout Texas, and Texas Children’s is leading the way in vaccine development.

9115woodlandsurgentcare300August 18

Texas Children’s opens urgent care center in The Woodlands

Texas Children’s has expanded its urgent care network, adding a location in The Woodlands next door to the community’s children’s museum on West Panther Creek Drive.

 

 

August 18

Texas Children’s Hospital is a sponsor for the 2015 Be The Match Walk-Run

Be The Match Walk-Run is a fundraising event that helps patients find a bone marrow, stem cell, or cord donor and receive a life-saving transplant. Each year the Texas Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Program has a group of patients, employees and their families who walk or run in support of this life saving research. You and your family are invited to join us as we support and raise awareness for the Be The Match registry.

9115autismwalk300August 18

Join the NRI, Baylor team for the 2015 Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Ready to lace up to support a worthy cause? The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine invite you to join their team for the 2015 Walk Now for Autism Speaks.

August 27, 2015

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Congratulations are in order for Texas Children’s esteemed President and CEO Mark A. Wallace for winning Houston Business Journal’s (HBJ) inaugural Best Not-for-Profit CEO and Executive of the Year awards.

Wallace accepted both awards at HBJ’s C-Suite Awards dinner on Thursday, August 27,  at the Hilton Post Oak.  He was one of six finalists in the Best Not-for-Profit CEO category. He then went on to win the overall Executive of the Year award, beating out the winners of five executive categories from across a wide variety of industries in Houston.

The packed house gave Wallace a standing ovation, and true to form, he gave all the credit back to the organization and to the patients and families we serve. He attributed both honors to Texas Children’s “one amazing team.”

“I was honored to receive both awards, but really what I thought about most was how much it would mean to the employees,” Wallace said. “I knew they would be excited and that it would just instill even more pride within the organization.”

The HBJ awards recognized this year’s top C-level executives of for-profit and non-profit companies who are innovators, trailblazers, role models, standard-setters and leaders in the Houston area. A panel of judges scored each nominee based on their contribution to company success, civic involvement and career achievement.

In addition to Wallace’s recognition, HBJ awarded the top executives in the following roles:

  • Chief Executive Officer (For-Profit): Edna Meyer-Nelson,  The Richland Cos.
  • Chief Financial Officer: Daniel Molinaro, Now Inc.
  • Chief Operating Officer: Ed Gay, US Med-Equip
  • Chief Information or Technology Officer: Lori Kittle, Landry’s Inc.
  • Chief Marketing Officer: Scott Brown, The Company of Others

Click here to read The Business Journal interview with Mark Wallace, C-Suite Executive of the Year

August 25, 2015

82615backtoschool640Hours before the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) back to school event kicked off, a line was forming in Almeda Mall, the site of this year’s biggest event with 8,000 in attendance. With the promise of backpacks, school supplies, information on community resources and vaccines for students going back to school, parents were eager to participate.

“It’s a very rewarding event for us to bring a little relief to these families as they struggle to provide their children with everything they need to go back to the classroom,” said Veronica Arzayus, manager of community relations. “The parents are so grateful for something as simple as a backpack. For these families, it’s one less thing to worry about as the school year starts.”

According to an annual survey of back to school costs, on average, it could cost close to $200 to purchase the needed supplies for an elementary student to head to the classroom. That number jumps to nearly $400 for high school aged students. With more than half of the public school children living in poverty, these costs can be nearly impossible for some families to bear. The TCHP back to school event handed out 5,000 backpacks to the families present. The mobile immunization unit was there to administer about 130 vaccines, and the City of Houston Bureau of Oral Health was on hand to administer teeth cleanings, sealants and 115 dental screenings.

“We chose the Almeda Mall location to gage the community’s interest and acknowledgement of Texas Children’s,” Arzayus said. “That area is home to a lot of Health Plan members, but we were also able to attract a lot of non-members who benefitted from the vaccines, screenings and information we provided in conjunction with our community partners.”

Along with a kid DJ, Dynamo players and other entertainment, 40 non profits joined Texas Children’s to give out other school supplies and information about resources available throughout the community to assist their families.

Arzayus said attendance grows every year and the group knows it’s fulfilling a need for the community that not only assists the families, but ensures they receive information to help keep their children healthy throughout the school year.

What would you do if your pregnant patient, who was five centimeters dilated, told you in the examination room, “I need to get married before I have my baby?”

For Dr. Karla Wagner and her Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) team at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, the response to their patient’s request was a no brainer. Instead of saying no, they embraced this rare and exciting opportunity.

“We knew how important it was for our patient to get married before her baby arrived,” said Aimee Jackson, a nurse practitioner and clinical manager for maternal medicine at Texas Children’s Fetal Center. “It wasn’t a matter of, “Can it happen?” It was more like, “It will happen.”

With little time on their side, the MFM staff sprung into action to fulfill their patient’s wedding wish. Within an hour, they pieced together a simple, yet elegant ceremony for expectant mom Stephanie Tallent and her soon-to-be husband Jason Nece.

The couple planned to get married over the weekend, but their plans abruptly changed on August 21 when Wagner discovered during Stephanie’s reassessment exam that she was five centimeters dilated and her baby was still breeched. Luckily, the couple had their marriage license in the car along with a white sundress that Stephanie planned to drop off at the dry cleaners.

With these two items checked off the list, the rest of the components for the ceremony fell perfectly into place.

“Stephanie got the good luck tradition for a bride,” Wagner said. “She borrowed a beautiful pearl necklace from one of my nurses, we found something blue, we decorated the room with flowers, and I gave her a bouquet of roses that I grabbed from my office so she could hold it as she walked down the aisle.”

The staff rounded up the wedding troops to ensure every detail of the ceremony was covered. Texas Children’s videographer Wally Crow and photographer Allen Kramer captured the ceremony, maternal fetal scheduler Ashanti Riggs sang a cappella and the hospital’s chaplain Johnna Faber officiated the ceremony.

Wagner’s primary nurse Susan Hardee Crosky played the “Wedding March” on her cell phone, as Wagner walked her patient down the hallway aisle into Clinical Room 3 where Stephanie and Jason exchanged their vows in front of a congregation of roughly 25 Texas Children’s MFM employees.

At the end of the ceremony, the staff quickly scrawled on a piece of paper, “Just Married” and stuck it on the back of Stephanie’s wheelchair before she was whisked away to the delivery room. Later that afternoon, Stephanie and her husband welcomed their precious baby girl, Sophia, who was delivered by caesarean section.

“I love the maternal fetal department,” Stephanie said. “They pulled everything together at the last minute and did an unbelievable job. We cannot be any happier than we are right now.”

For Wagner, she is proud of her team who went above and beyond to meet the spiritual needs of her patient.

“We value the importance of family and spiritual values,” Wagner said. “We all came together as a team on such short notice to make this couple’s wish come true, while at the same time, meeting the medical needs of our other patients in clinic.”