June 9, 2015

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Texas Children’s pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Julie Katkin has been an active, engaged member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for several years.

Katkin has been involved with the AAP Section on Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine (SOPPSM) not only as a member, but also as a past section program chairperson, where she continues to improve the health and quality of care for infants, children and adolescents.

Katkin has been a working member of the SOPPSM Executive Committee for 10 years and is currently in her second term as chairperson for SOPPSM. Katkin also has served on the Project Advisory Committee for the Medical Homes Chapter Champions for Asthma project and currently serves in that capacity for the revamped Medical Homes Chapter Champions for Asthma and Anaphylaxis project.

Contributions from members such as Katkin are critical as the AAP works hard to respond to the needs of subspecialists. If you see Katkin, please shake her hand and ask her how she got involved with AAP. The AAP is very grateful for the hard work she’s done and we hope you’ll join her as Texas Children’s and the AAP work together to help kids. Learn more about TCH Group Members in Action.

Click here to find out how Texas Children’s partnership with the AAP helps physicians advocate for their patients.

June 3, 2015

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Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace is hosting a series of events beginning Friday, June 5, to celebrate our entire Texas Children’s team and what makes this organization so special. The theme is One Mission, One Culture, One Amazing Team. 

The events kick off with four sessions at the Main Campus, followed by two sessions at the West Campus and one at the John P. McGovern (Nabisco) building. Dates and times are below.

One Mission, One Culture, One Amazing Team sessions are for all Texas Children’s employees and physicians. Events are come-and-go and will celebrate our mission and our core values in a fun, festive atmosphere with snacks, drinks, music, and fun activities/giveaways.

Here are the details:

Live Compassionately zoneOMOT map
  • Celebrate our Patient Experience: “Catch” your colleagues caring, pull acts of compassion cards, and win fun giveaways. By Living Compassionately, we make a difference for our patients and their families.
Embrace Freedom zone
  • Let your voice be heard: Mark’s said it before – when you talk, he listens. He and his leadership team want to know what’s on your mind and how you think we can make Texas Children’s even better. Embrace the freedom to share your ideas by writing on our giant brainstorming board.
Amplify Unity zone
  • Take a timeout: Remember recess? You will after just a few minutes of high energy games brought to you by our Employee Health and Wellness team. Come together with your colleagues for some competition and fun as we Amplify Unity through healthy activity.
Lead Tirelessly zone
  • Learn about leadership from the best: As Mark Wallace says, at Texas Children’s, everyone is a leader. To help you on your journey to Lead Tirelessly, Mark is giving everyone a copy of The Magic Book of Maxims, a commemorative children’s book illustrating Mark’s 10 Maxims of Leadership. Make sure you grab a copy.
Photo zone
  • Snap a picture: Who doesn’t love a good selfie? The Photo zone includes a photo booth and a selfie station with fun props, so bring your team spirit and capture it on camera.
Houston Texans tickets
  • Make a touchdown: Who’s ready for some football? You will be if you win two tickets to a Texans game. Make sure you fill out a comment card about why you’re proud to be part of the Texas Children’s team. All team members who complete and turn in a card will qualify for a drawing for a pair of Houston Texans football tickets. We’ve got 25 pairs of tickets to give away.

 

Schedule of event sessions

Friday, June 5

7:30-8:30 am AND 10-11 am

Main Campus – Pavilion 4th floor conference area

 

Monday, June 8

3:30-4:30 pm AND 6-7:30 pm

Main Campus – Pavilion 4th floor conference area

 

Monday, June 22

7:30-8:30 am AND 9:30-10:30 am

West Campus – 1st floor conference area

 

Tuesday, June 30

2-3:30 pm

John P. McGovern Campus (Nabisco Building) – Human Performance Center

 

Parking 

Main Campus 

  • Parking for the Main Campus events will be the same as normal.
  • If you are visiting the Main Campus, park in Garage 19, and an attendant will be at the entrance to let you in.
  • Visitors, please enter Garage 19 on the Colonade Drive side entrance and catch the shuttle on the Meyer Building side.
  • If Garage 19 is your assigned garage, park as normal and ride the same shuttle you normally would.

West Campus 

  • Parking for the West Campus events will be the same as normal.
  • If you are visiting West Campus, feel free to park in the open parking lot.

John P. McGovern Campus (Nabisco Building)

  • Parking for the John P. McGovern event will be the same as normal.
  • If you are visiting John P. McGovern Campus, an attendant will be at the entrance to let you in.
  • Shuttles will transport Revenue Cycle employees to the John P. McGovern Campus. Transportation details will be shared in a separate communication.

Mark Wallace to take One Mission, One Culture, One Amazing Team on tour 

All Texas Children’s staff and employees are welcome to attend any of the hospital-based events listed above. However, beginning in July, Mark will take the fun on the road with stops at Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices, Texas Children’s Health Centers, The Center for Children and Women locations and Texas Children’s Urgent Care sites.

The team tour will continue throughout the fall and winter, until Mark has made it to all locations. He’ll bring books and other treats for every team member. We’ll communicate specific details to the appropriate leaders of the locations as the tour stops are scheduled.

Questions

We look forward to seeing you Friday and Monday at Main Campus and later this month at the other locations. If you have questions, please email us at connectnews@texaschildrens.org.

June 2, 2015

EAP - HERO

EAP---INFO4---300One of the hardest times in Wanda Davis’ life came more than a decade ago when she learned her mother had been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

From that moment until her mother’s death 10 years later, Davis, a human resources manager at West Campus, became her mother’s primary care giver. During that time, Davis took her mother to hundreds of doctor appointments, she spent hours coordinating her mother’s medical care, and she tried to come to terms with the fact that her mother, who was suffering from kidney disease, could pass at any time.

All of this took a toll on Davis, who said she began to lose focus at work and struggled to get things done.

“I felt like I was spinning,” she said. “I wasn’t myself.”

Davis’ leader at the time noticed she was going through a tough time and suggested she reach out to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which offers confidential, professional services to assist employees in solving personal difficulties affecting their personal lives and work.

Davis took her leader’s advice and started weekly counseling sessions that ended up helping her more than she could have ever imagined. After her mother passed in 2009, Davis completed a grief support program offered by EAP.

“I don’t know where I would be today without EAP,” Davis said. “I learned so much from them and still use the techniques they taught me.”

Davis is one of many Texas Children’s employees EAP helps each year. A recent impact study measuring the department’s outcomes shows EAP has a significant impact on workplace performance. Based on four years of self-reported data collected from employees who have used EAP counseling services, the study found:

  • Absenteeism is down by 53 percent
  • Presenteeism is up by 25 percent
  • Life satisfaction is up by 19 percent
  • Work distress is down by 5 percent

“It is clear from the data that the EAP continually provides services that have a positive impact on worker productivity,” said EAP Program Manager Brent LoCaste-Wilken. “Of particular note is the significant influence on absenteeism.”

The 53 percent improvement is 7 percent higher than 20 other EAP providers in medium to large companies. In addition, it translates into an annual savings of more than 18,000 hours and almost $616,000.

Work presenteeism measures whether an employee is working at his or her optimum. Recent research indicates that losses due to poor presenteeism rival that of medical claims. The impact study shows that the EAP improved people’s concentration and productivity by 25 percent.

Life satisfaction is a general measurement of an employee’s general sense of wellbeing. EAP participants reported that they were significantly more satisfied with their life after coming to the EAP than prior to receiving EAP services. This measurement helps to enhance employee appreciation for Texas Children’s and is speculated to positively affect employee longevity and loyalty.

Work distress measures an employee’s feelings of distress about being at work. Although the impact study did not show a huge change, it does indicate that the EAP is making somewhat of an impact in this area.

“We are very pleased with the results of the study,” LoCaste-Wilken said. “We feel it shows our services are valued by our employees and are valuable to the organization as a whole.”

On average, EAP staff spends almost two hours with almost 1,000 clients each year. The EAP helps with problems such as:

  • Family/relationship issues
  • Workplace concerns
  • Alcohol and drug problems
  • Personal and emotional difficulties
  • Health and behavioral issues
  • Critical incident stress
  • Legal and financial referrals

Let the EAP help you carry out Texas Children’s values of embracing freedom, living compassionately, amplifying unity and leading tirelessly. Contact the EAP via Connect or call (832) 824-3327 for more information.

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On Saturday, May 30, more than 350 patient families and neonatal staff packed the Bayou City Event Center. The reunion celebrated former patients who graduated from Texas Children’s Newborn Center in 2014 after spending 21 days or more in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Parents shared stories of hope and triumph with other NICU families, and reconnected with the nurses and doctors who cared for their critically ill babies.

“Many of these families spent weeks or even months with our NICU staff,” said Pattie Bondurant, vice president of nursing at Texas Children’s Newborn Center. “It is very rewarding to see these children healthy and full of energy, especially when these thriving kids were once very sick.”

Highlights from the NICU reunion included opening remarks from Bondurant and Texas Children’s Chief of Neonatology Dr. Stephen Welty, guest speakers Katy Haynes and Desiree Collins-Bradley, and blessings from Texas Children’s chaplains Johnna Faber and Kirsten Springmeyer.

Texas Children’s NICU reunion also offered exciting entertainment for the children including coloring, face painting, inflatable pony races and balloon art.

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Stephen Davis, a pharmacy operations manager at Texas Children’s, recently received the 2015 Pharmacy Leadership Award from the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP).

This prestigious award recognizes a pharmacist who demonstrates leadership and vision in advancing the practice and profession of pharmacy and improving patient care.

During his nearly five years of service at Texas Children’s, Davis collaborated with colleagues to improve processes and modify pharmacy workflows by successfully implementing the DoseEdge Pharmacy Workflow Manager for the Main Campus Central Pharmacy and pharmacy areas at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

The DoseEdge system is a pharmacy workflow solution that interfaces with Texas Children’s EPIC system to automate the process of routing, preparing, inspecting, tracking and reporting IV and oral liquid doses. Since its implementation, Texas Children’s pharmacists have improved dose preparation safety, reduced medication waste and enhanced pharmacy productivity to ensure quality patient care.

In collaboration with the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, where he serves as an adjunct clinical professor, Davis is a program director for the concurrent Master of Science and Health System Pharmacy Administration residency at Texas Children’s.

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On Saturday, May 16, Texas Children’s hosted and participated in the Greater Houston-Galveston Society for Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA) educational seminar, which drew an impressive turnout.

Organized by Neurology Senior Regulatory Affairs Coordinator and SoCRA Chapter Chair Aryn Knight, more than 150 clinical research professionals from several Texas Medical Center institutions attended the conference, which included six hour-long presentations by leaders in the field.

Topics included risk-based trial monitoring, research documentation, study feasibility metrics, ethics of informed consent, emergency versus compassionate use investigational new drug applications and developing clinical research careers.

Neurology Project Manager Christina Talley presented an innovative tool for predicting clinical trial costs and evaluating study feasibility. Neurology Senior Research Coordinator Mariam Pontifes participated in a discussion panel with Knight, Talley and others.

Demand for this conference was incredible, reflective of the fast growth and constant change occurring in the field. As host of this successful conference, Texas Children’s delivered a valuable educational service and reinforced its standing as a leader in clinical research.

June 1, 2015

bench and beside Header
Bench 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.

6215OCT300May 27

New machine helps opthalmologists detect early signs of vision loss or problems

Texas Children’s has a new machine, called Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), which allows pediatric opthalmologists to evaluate for retinal diseases, uvetis and optic nerve disorders. The OCT is an imaging tool that is similar to ultrasound but uses light waves instead of sound waves to create high resolution images of the retina and optic nerve. The Ophthalmology Division at Texas Children’s Hospital is one of the premier pediatric opthalmology surgery programs in the nation with exceptional expertise depth and quality of services and patient volumes. Read more

 

6215ECMO300May 21

Texas Children’s hosts 25th Annual ECMO Conference

More than 125 people recently attended the 25th Annual Specialist Education in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Conference organized, in part, by Texas Children’s Hospital. Neonatologists, critical care physicians, surgeons, nurse and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialists gathered for three days in the Texas Medical Center to exchange information and ideas about the technique that can provide both cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose hearts and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of blood flow and oxygen to sustain life. Read more

May 21

Society of Pediatric Radiology honors imaging researchers with prestigious award

Imaging Researchers at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine won the prestigious Pilot Award at the national meeting of the Society of Pediatric Radiology in Seattle where the Texas Children’s team presented 10 posters and 24 scientific abstracts. The team’s abstracts represented almost 20 percent of all those podium presentations accepted from departments around the globe. It is the largest number of scientific abstracts accepted for oral presentations from a single institution at the national meeting. Read more

 

6215Capitol300May 19

Texas Children’s Surgical Team honored at the Texas Capitol

The Texas Children’s surgical team that facilitated the separation surgery of the conjoined Mata twins was honored at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Dr. Darrell Cass, Dr. Larry Hollier and Head OR Nurse Audra Rushing were all recognized on the floor of the State House and the State Senate for their outstanding leadership in preparing for, and successfully executing, the historic separation surgery that occurred for the first time in the Houston area in nearly 20 years. Read more

 

6215surgicalresearchday300May 15

Sixth annual Edmond T. Gonzales Surgical Research Day highlights advancements in field of pediatiric surgery

Almost 300 clinicians in the Department of Surgery attended the sixth annual Edmond T. Gonzales Jr. Surgical Research Day at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women on May 8. The event provided a forum for researchers to unveil their work highlighting remarkable advancements in the field of pediatric surgery. The program featured seven oral presentations and 96 poster presentations spotlighting the academic efforts of the surgical faculty, post graduate fellows, nurses and advanced practice providers. Read more

 

May 14

Professional organization names award after Texas Children’s otolaryngologist

The American Broncho-Esophagological Association (ABEA) recently honored Dr. Ellen Friedman by renaming its Presidential Citation for Excellence in Foreign Body Management to the Ellen M. Friedman Award for Excellence in Foreign Body Management. Read more

May 14

Dr. Shaine Morris awarded prestigious K23 grant from the National Institutes of Health

Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Shaine Morris was recently honored with a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of the award is to bring recipients to the point where they are able to conduct their research independently and are competitive for major grant support through career development. Read more

May 13

Two NRI researchers among 2015 Debakey Research Award honorees

Two researchers from the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, Dr. Benjamin Doneen and Dr. Olivier Lichtarge, were among the five Baylor College of Medicine faculty members honored with the 2015 Michael E. Debakey, M.D. Excellence in Research Award. Read more

May 13

Texas Children’s Hospital honors Distinguished Surgeon Award recipients

Three surgeons from the Department of Surgery recently received the Distinguished Surgeon Award. This year’s recipients are Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier, Dr. Edmond T. Gonzales, Jr. and Dr. David E. Wesson. Read more

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Formerly conjoined twin discharged from hospital

Less than three months after being separated from her twin sister in a 26-hour operation at Texas Children’s Hospital Knatalye Hope Mata was released to the care of her family, just in time for Mother’s Day. Read more

 

May 8

Dr. John Dormans joins Texas Children’s as chief of Orthopedics

Dr. John Dormans is the new chief of Orthopedics. He also will serve as a professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been a clinician and leader at CHOP, serving as the hospital’s chief of orthopedic surgery from 1996 to 2014 and as president of the medical staff and president of Children’s Surgical Associates for four three-year terms. He focused his clinical work on pediatric spinal deformity and musculoskeletal tumors. Read more