June 15, 2015

Monday, June 15, 10:05 p.m.

Texas Children’s executive leadership and the Emergency Management team are closely monitoring Tropical Disturbance no. 7, which has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Bill. The storm is expected to impact our area within the next several hours. We will continue monitoring the weather over night and reassess the situation very early in the morning.

New information

  • Weather update. Tropical Disturbance no. 7 has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Bill. Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected throughout the Houston area beginning tomorrow morning through early Wednesday. Isolated tornados are possible, but it is expected that they will be brief and relatively weak.
  • Inpatient and Outpatient Operations. At this time, we are continuing operations as normal throughout the Texas Children’s system. Leaders will continue to assess staffing needs over the next 24 to 48 hours and will make adjustments accordingly.
    • Please direct Main Campus inpatient calls to the NAC at extension 6-4282.
    • Please direct West Campus inpatient calls to the House Supervisor at extension 7-4700.
    • Some clinics and outpatient areas may delay patient arrivals or have cancellations. Please be patient with and accommodating of these adjustments.

Reminders and previous information

  • Using appropriate judgement. It’s important that we all remain mindful of our obligation to be here to provide uninterrupted care for our patients and their families. By the same token, we want you to be safe. We rely on your judgement in these situations to balance the need for your presence here with our desire to ensure you are not putting yourself in harm’s way.
  • Public transportation. If you are planning to travel to work by Metro bus or rail, ensure you have an alternate means of transportation, as service may be limited tomorrow.
  • Flood doors and Garage Entrances. At this point, there has been no decision to close the flood doors or the garage entrances. They will remain open unless closure is absolutely necessary.
  • Back-up child care and elder care benefit. Backup care for children and elders is available to Texas Children’s employees through Bright Horizons. Click here for details.
  • Hurricane season planning. Ensure your personal emergency preparedness plans are in place, as hurricane season is here. Pack your disaster bag, confirm back-up child care and elder care plans, check emergency supplies, and ensure emergency contact numbers are correct. Your disaster bag should include: your employee badge, bottled water and non-perishable food, light-weight clothing (including socks and under garments), linens (sleeping bags, sheets, pillows), medications/glasses/contact lenses, cash, phone charger, personal care items and toiletries.
  • Emergency communications. There are several ways to stay connected:
    • Global emails: Texas Children’s Global Alert emails will be sent as needed to provide updates.
    • Connect message: A message on the Connect home page also includes the latest updates.
    • Texaschildrensnews.org: All global alerts are being posted on our external news site,www.texaschildrensnews.org
    • Latest weather, traffic and road conditions are available on the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service

Please use caution when navigating roadways, and do not drive into flooded areas. Again, thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families.

 

Judy Swanson, Administrator on call

Amy Puglia, Emergency Management

Monday, June 15, 3:29 p.m.

Texas Children’s executive leadership and the Emergency Management team are closely monitoring Tropical Disturbance no. 7, which is expected to reach our area within 24 hours.

New information

  • Weather update. Rainfall has begun in isolated areas, and heavy rainfall and tropical storm force winds are expected throughout the area Tuesday morning and afternoon. Isolated tornados are possible, but it is expected that they will be brief and relatively weak.
  • Public transportation. If you are planning to travel to work by Metro bus or rail, ensure you have an alternate means of transportation, as service may be limited beginning later today.
  • Flood doors and Garage Entrances. At this point, there has been no decision to close the flood doors or the garage entrances. They will remain open unless closure is absolutely necessary.
  • Back-up child care and elder care benefit. Backup care for children and elders is available to Texas Children’s employees through Bright Horizons. Click here for details.
  • At-work disaster bag. Your at-work disaster bag should be ready to go with at least three days of essential supplies. It should include: your employee badge, bottled water and non-perishable food, light-weight clothing (including socks and under garments), linens (sleeping bags, sheets, pillows), medications/glasses/contact lenses, cash, phone charger, personal care items and toiletries.
  • Using appropriate judgement. It’s important that we all remain mindful of our obligation to be here to provide uninterrupted care for our patients and their families. By the same token, we want you to be safe. We rely on your judgement in these situations to balance the need for your presence here with our desire to ensure you are not putting yourself in harm’s way.
  • External access to communications. All emergency communications are accessible from any home or work computer, tablet or mobile phone at texaschildrens.org.

Previous information

We are taking all appropriate precautions according to our response plan, and we ask staff and employees to do the same. We urge you to:

  • Prepare for staffing changes, and be flexible with scheduling adjustments. Leaders are assessing staffing for the next 24 to 48 hours and making plans to adjust the schedule should we experience a severe weather event.
    • Some inpatient staff may need to arrive earlier or remain on shift longer. Please direct all inpatient calls to the NAC at extension 6-4282.
    • Also, outpatient areas may delay patient arrivals or have cancellations. Please be patient with and accommodating of these adjustments.
    • Ensure your personal emergency preparedness plans are in place, as hurricane season is here.
    • Review your personal and family preparedness plans. Pack your at-work disaster bag, confirm back-up child care and elder care plans, check emergency supplies, and ensure emergency contact numbers are correct.
  • Stay connected, and pay attention to communications.
    • Global emails: Texas Children’s Global Alert emails will be distributed each morning and afternoon – and more frequently if warranted – to provide updates, so please check your email.
    • Connect message: A scrolling message on the Connect home page also includes the latest updates.
    • Latest weather, traffic and road conditions are available on the Emergency ManagementConnect site and the National Weather Service

Please use caution when navigating roadways, and do not drive into flooded areas. Again, thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families.

Judy Swanson, Administrator on call

Amy Puglia, Emergency Management

Monday, June 15, 11:40 a.m.

Texas Children’s executive leadership and the Emergency Management team are closely monitoring Tropical Disturbance no. 7, which is expected to reach our area within 24 hours. Rainfall is forecasted to begin this evening, with heavy bands of rain throughout the area Tuesday morning and afternoon. Some areas may receive 10 to 14 inches of rain, which subsequently could cause flooding.
We are taking all appropriate precautions according to our response plan, and we ask staff and employees to do the same. We urge you to:
  • Prepare for staffing changes, and be flexible with scheduling adjustments. Leaders are already assessing staffing for the next 24 to 48 hours and making plans to adjust the schedule should we experience a severe weather event.
    • Some inpatient staff may need to arrive earlier or remain on shift longer. Please direct all inpatient calls to the NAC at Ext. 6-4282.
    • Also, outpatient areas may delay patient arrivals or have cancellations. Please be patient with and accommodating of these adjustments.
    • A global email about scheduling and staffing adjustments will be sent around 2 p.m. today.
  • Expect the weather to begin impacting our area as early as tonight, and plan accordingly. Please plan for additional travel time, and identify alternate routes to and from work.
  • Ensure our personal emergency preparedness plans are in place, as hurricane season is here.
    • Make sure that your at-work disaster bag is stocked and ready to go with at least three days of essential supplies. If you have not yet created and brought in your bag, do so as soon as possible, as it is a requirement of all employees.
    • Review your personal and family preparedness plans. Identify back-up child care and elder care plans. Check supplies, and ensure emergency contact numbers are correct.
  • Stay connected, and pay attention to communications.
    • Global emails: Texas Children’s Global Alert emails will be distributed each morning and afternoon – and more frequently if warranted – to provide updates, so please check your email.
    • Connect message: A scrolling message on the Connect home page also includes the latest updates.
    • Latest weather, traffic and road conditions are available on the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.
Please be safe, use caution when navigating roadways, and do not drive into flooded areas. Again, thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families.
Judy Swanson
Administrator on call
Amy Puglia
Emergency Management Services
June 14, 2015

Sunday, June 14, 5:37 p.m.

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management have been closely monitoring Tropical Disturbance no. 7, which may reach our area within the next couple days, and we are taking all appropriate precautions according to our response plan.

Texas Children’s Emergency Management team is urging employees to pay attention to local media reports concerning weather conditions, as the Houston area may receive significant rainfall with subsequent flooding in the next few days, similar to what our area experienced Memorial Day weekend.
Staff members should be prepared for 1-to-1 replacement if travel conditions are unsafe in and around the Medical Center. Please plan for additional travel time, identify alternate routes, and ensure your personal emergency preparedness plans are in place.
More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions are available on the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.
Emergency Management
June 10, 2015

61015adelinemata640Formerly conjoined twin Adeline Faith Mata joined her family June 9 after being discharged from Texas Children’s Hospital. Her sister, Knatalye Hope, went home May 8, less than three months after she and Adeline underwent a successful separation surgery.

Dressed in matching striped pastel sundresses and accompanied by their 5-year-old brother, Azariah, the girls sat on their parents’ laps and smiled for cameras capturing the memorable event.

“We are so pleased with the progress of both Adeline and Knatalye following their first-of-its-kind separation surgery earlier this year,” said Dr. Darrell Cass, pediatric surgeon, co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center and associate professor of surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. “They will both require additional therapies as they continue to grow, but we are thrilled with their outcomes and are optimistic they will continue to do very well.”

The Mata family will reside in Houston temporarily for follow-up appointments at the hospital before returning to their hometown of Lubbock.

“The past year has been such a whirlwind for our family and we are so thankful we can finally have both girls home with us,” said Elysse Mata, mother of the twins. “In addition to the great care our girls received, the thoughts, prayers and outpouring of love from the community really helped get us through the last year and we are grateful for everyone’s continued support.”

Knatalye and Adeline were born on April 11 at 3:41 a.m. at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, estimated to weigh 3 pounds, 7 ounces each. Delivered via Caesarean-section at 31 weeks gestation, Knatalye and Adeline were welcomed by their parents, Elysse and John Eric Mata, and their older brother, Azariah.

The family learned during a routine ultrasound on Jan. 13, 2014 that Elysse was carrying twins and they were conjoined. Subsequently, the family was referred to Texas Children’s Fetal Center where they underwent extensive prenatal imaging, multidisciplinary consultation and development of plans to achieve a safe delivery and postnatal care.

The girls spent the first 10 months of their lives in the Level IV neonatal intensive care unit at Texas Children’s. In December 2014, they underwent chest and abdomen area. The tissue expanders helped to stretch their skin in preparation for the separation surgery.

During their historic separation surgery in February, a team of more than 26 clinicians including 12 surgeons, six anesthesiologists and eight surgical nurses, among others, worked together to separate the girls who shared a chest wall, lungs, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis. During the complex surgery, the team worked for approximately 23 hours on Knatalye and 26 hours on Adeline with the official separation occurring approximately 18 hours into the surgery. Among the surgical subspecialties involved were pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, cardiovascular surgery, urology, liver transplant surgery, orthopedic surgery and pediatric gynecology.

Following their separation surgery, the girls were cared for by a multidisciplinary team in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit before moving to lower-acuity units prior to discharge. Both girls also underwent additional surgeries including the removal of rods from their pelvises and the placement of a gastrostomy button in each girl. Adeline also underwent a tracheostomy surgery in April to aid in her breathing and lung development and was discharged on a ventilator to provide additional breathing support. Knatalye and Adeline continue to receive physical and occupational therapy after recovering from surgery and will be carefully followed by pediatric subspecialty experts.

“When I first met the Mata family and learned of the diagnosis, I was optimistic we would have a positive outcome,” Cass said.  “It is with great joy to watch them leave the hospital and I look forward to the day Elysse shares with me pictures of them walking into kindergarten together.”

June 9, 2015

U.S.News and World Report released its 2015-2016 Best Children’s Hospitals list today, and Texas Children’s Hospital maintained the no. 4 spot among the 184 children’s hospitals surveyed by the publication. Also, Texas Children’s once again is listed on the Honor Roll, which recognizes hospitals with top 10 rankings in at least three specialties.

“We are thrilled that U.S.News continually recognizes our hospital as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “These rankings reflect what we all already know, that the trajectory of Texas Children’s is incredible. In our relatively short 60 year history we have achieved amazing feats. Through the commitment and enthusiasm our staff and employees display each and every day for our mission, we have become, and will continue to be, one of the preeminent resources for health and hope to all children and their families.”

U.S. News surveyed 184 pediatric centers to obtain clinical data in 10 specialties and asked 150 pediatric specialists in each specialty where they would send the sickest children. This year, specialty certified physicians were able to participate in Doximity in addition to the sampling of 150 specialty certified physicians.

These rankings are the result of a methodology that weighs a combination of outcome and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing, outcomes, best practices, infection prevention, and reputation, among other factors.

There were 83 hospitals that ranked in at least one specialty, and 12 hospitals were named to the honor roll, listed below:

Ranking Hospital Points Specialties in top 10
1 Boston Children’s Hospital 20 10
2 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 19 10
3 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center 15 10
4 Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston 12 6*
5 Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora 7 6
6 Seattle Children’s Hospital 7 5
7 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 6 5
8 Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC 6 4
9 Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio 5 5
10 Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 5 3
11 Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago 3 3
11 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta 3 3

The 12 children’s hospitals on the 2015-16 Honor Roll ranked at or near the top in three or more specialties. The order is by total points. A hospital that ranked among the highest 5 percent in a specialty received 2 points; a hospital that ranked in the next 5 percent got 1 point. Ties were broken by the number of specialties in which points were earned.

Texas Children’s, working closely with academic partner Baylor College of Medicine, continues to pioneer advancements in pediatric healthcare and earns the U.S.News honor roll distinction by being ranked among America’s best in:

  • #2 Cardiology & heart surgery
  • #2 Neurology & neurosurgery
  • #2 Pulmonology
  • #3 Urology
  • #4 Cancer
  • #4 Nephrology (kidney disorders)
  • #10 Diabetes & endocrinology
  • #11 Gastroenterology (digestive disorders)
  • #26 Neonatology
  • #26 Orthopedics

This year’s ranking demonstrates some significant gains among several Texas Children’s services. Here are a few highlights:

  • 7 services scored in the top 10*
  • 6 services were ranked among the top 5
  • 3 of the services among the top 5 now rank no. 2 in the nation
  • 7 of the 10 services maintained or increased their rank from 2014 (4 increased, 3 maintained)

* Note: Texas Children’s has services in the top 10 list in 7 categories. And of those, 6 are among the top 10 percent of all hospitals ranked.

“While we’re very proud of this achievement, we are never satisfied,” Wallace said. “We will continue to push ourselves and drive for even better results. Because ultimately, it’s not about a numerical ranking – it’s about delivering the best possible care and service to the patients and families who entrust us with their lives.”

The 2015-16 edition of Best Children’s Hospitals is available online at usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

61015speaknowforkids640

Dr. Jennifer Arnold, neonatologist and medical director of Texas Children’s Simulation Center, is serving as the face of a grassroots advocacy effort called Speak Now for Kids through Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). Arnold has been involved in promoting children’s hospital initiatives to legislators after visiting the hill with her husband and their children to speak about children’s hospitals last year.

Representatives from Texas Children’s Hospital are joining children’s hospitals from across the nation in Washington, D.C. next week for the annual Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) Family Advocacy Day. The hospitals along with patient families speak with members of Congress to advocate for issues impacting children’s health. CHA continues to promote Speak Now for Kids, a grassroots initiative to get patient families and health care providers to promote issues that matter to pediatric patients by reaching out to their legislators.

Texas children’s patients representing the hospital in D.C. this year with their families include Audrina Cardenas. Born with her heart outside her chest, Audrina was delivered at Texas Children’s and underwent a strenuous surgery before being cared for at the hospital over several months. Lauryn Audrict’s family traveled to Houston from their home in Louisiana for Lauryn to receive her care at Texas Children’s Hospital. Lauryn underwent a frontal and temporal lobectomy in August 2013. Dr. Angus Wilfong, medical director of the comprehensive epilepsy program, will accompany the patients on the trip and make visits to key representatives and senators.

The team is once again promoting important legislation that would create pediatric centers of excellence at children’s hospitals to care for the most vulnerable patients: medically complex children on Medicaid. The legislation – titled “Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act” (or ACE Kids Act) – will ensure that children are able to receive the care they need from a center equipped to provide comprehensive care, even if the hospital is in another state.

The families speaking in Washington, D.C., this week represent the voices of the thousands of children being treated at centers of excellence like Texas Children’s Hospital every day. As a Texas Children’s employee, you can help spread the message about why children’s hospitals are the best place for kids with complex medical conditions.

5 ways you can Speak Now for Kids:

  1. #Speaknowforkids. Use this hashtag and saturate social media with your stories about why children’s hospitals matter.
  2. Get social with your policymakers. Find the social media pages for your representatives and senators and post messages on their pages about why you want them to Speak Now for Kids.
  3. Call, write, and reach out. Lawmakers are elected by you to stand up for you. Make your voice heard. Contact their offices and let them know why you care about Medicaid reform for medically complex children. Click here to find out who represents you.
  4. Share a story. Encourage patient families to share their stories here.
  5. Vote. Elected officials are elected by you to represent you. Register to vote and practice your right to do so. The best way to ensure your legislators listen is to vote for them.