November 25, 2014

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As you know, Texas Children’s is a pretty special place. Everyone here, no matter their role, works together to create a healthier future for children and women. That common goal binds us together in a community that is unlike any other.

To recognize and celebrate that bond, Texas Children’s Human Resources Department launched on November 20 an exciting new culture initiative and website that showcases the infinite passion each one of us has for the mission of Texas Children’s: to create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research.

The culture initiative also formalizes the four core values that underpin who we are and what we do – Embrace Freedom, Lead Tirelessly, Live Compassionately and Amplify Unity. By living each value, we continually strengthen the already strong culture we have in place, perpetually extend our sense of community, and constantly maintain a spirit of our own. This new website and work will become a tangible platform from which we will grow and advance our culture as we lead the charge to accelerate health care.

You’ll be hearing more about our values and the website throughout the year. For now, you can visit the site at infinitepassion.org and enjoy the popcorn treats and new badge cards that were provided to you as a thank you for your commitment and service and a token of what’s to come as our culture initiative gains momentum over the next year.

CEO Mark A. Wallace personally passed out the treats on the day of the launch to employees at Texas Children’s Health Center – The Woodlands. During that special visit, Wallace shared his infectious smile as well as stories about the wonderful organization we all have helped create.

“As I reflect on the last 25 years at Texas Children’s, I am deeply thankful for the incredible impact our culture and our work community has had on all of us,” Wallace said. “I believe in each and every one of you and know that, while our mission is compelling, it is our people and our collective human experiences that have made a difference in the way we deliver on our mission.”

Wallace said he is excited about the launch of the culture initiative and that because of it for the next year, the next 25 years and beyond, our culture and values will be secured in stone as a testament to our infinite passion.

“Texas Children’s mission, culture and the infinite passion of our people are the heart of our past, present and future successes,” Wallace said. “These elements differentiate us from all other health care systems and employers. Our culture is amazing. It touches lives. It is simply so profound that I want it to last forever.”

Watch the newest “I Am Texas Children’s” video featuring employee Tony Perez in West Campus – Ambulatory Services.

“I’ve been with Texas Children’s for 10 years. Every day is a new adventure. You come to work with a mindset of wanting to make a difference for patients and their families. I enjoy being part of that vision.”

Check out Perez’s video, and find out how you and your coworkers can be featured in the “I Am Texas Children’s” section on Connect.

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The holidays are just around the corner and you know what that means – it’s time to submit your favorite holiday photo of your precious little one!

Bump Watch asks employees to send us their favorite photo capturing their baby’s most memorable holiday moment. If you have a photo of your baby dressed up in a festive holiday outfit, a Santa hat, or perhaps you snapped a photo of your little one visiting Santa Claus, we’d like to see them. Bottom line, we’re looking for holiday photos that capture just how cute your kiddos are!

The deadline to submit Bump Watch photos is Friday, December 19. Please email high-resolution images to connectnews@texaschildrens.org. We will showcase your photos December 23 on a special edition of Bump Watch.

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Last week, Jim McIngvale, better known as Mattress Mack, spoke at the West Campus Patient Experience Leadership Meeting.

The fast-talking owner of the Gallery Furniture retail chain shared his best practices in customer service that he’s developed over the past 33 years. His catchphrase, “The customer is the business, and the business is the customer” resonated with the group of more than 30 employees who strive to make the patient experience a positive one on a daily basis.

McIngvale added that in order to convey passion to your customers, you have to be passionate about the job you are doing. This is a quality Mattress Mack said is very evident at Texas Children’s Hospital.

November 18, 2014

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On Thursday, Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace shared exciting news: Texas Children’s Board of Trustees has enthusiastically approved our plans for CareFirst.

Wallace and the leadership team launched CareFirst in January to reinvest in the programs our most critically ill patients need – primarily in the Critical Care units, operating rooms, Heart Center, Emergency Center and many of our Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services.

“These programs are at the core of our mission to create a healthier future for children throughout our broad community,” Wallace said.

The CareFirst plan includes adding 19 floors to the existing building base next to Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. For now, this new tower is named “Pediatric Tower E.” The 25-floor tower is slated to come online in 2018 and will house a 130-bed intensive care unit, new operating rooms with the latest technology and Texas Children’s Heart Center, including the cardiovascular operating rooms and the cardiovascular intensive care unit. The CareFirst plan also includes renovation of the Emergency Center and other areas in the West Tower that will become available once Pediatric Tower E is completed. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services will be located throughout the new spaces so that care can be delivered close to where patients are.

“This is cause for celebration,” Wallace said. “A considerable number of people, including board members, medical staff, managers and employees, have invested countless hours in this work, and together, we conducted a comprehensive study of our challenges, needs and aspirations, and a thorough assessment of the most effective solutions. The result is CareFirst.”

The expansion of the hospital’s facilities and programs in the Texas Medical Center will create access and allow us to provide the best quality care for the children who need us the most.

“CareFirst will ensure the best possible outcomes for some of the nation’s sickest children,” Wallace said. “And it will help us deliver on our promise to make Texas Children’s the best possible place to give and receive care.”

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Each year more than two million people in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result.

Dr. Debra Palazzi, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and medical director of Texas Children’s Hospital’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, said the hospital has a good history of keeping antibiotic resistance at bay, but that the organization isn’t immune to the worldwide problem and has seen an increase in such cases during the past few years.

“We now see children with complicated diseases for whom we have limited or no effective antimicrobial therapy,” Palazzi said. “This is a growing problem in our pediatric population and results in increased morbidity and mortality.”

To help raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use, Texas Children’s Hospital is joining more than 20 children’s hospitals across the country this week to promote the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Get Smart About Antibiotics Week. The goals of the annual event are to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and to educate health care providers and the public about the appropriate and safe use of antimicrobial therapy.

Palazzi and Ruston Taylor, the clinical pharmacy specialist for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, have been working hard to achieve both of those goals and formed earlier this year a multidisciplinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Program aimed at optimizing the selection, dose, duration and route of therapy given to patients at Texas Children’s Hospital. Since then, a member of the program’s team has reviewed microbiology reports daily to assist healthcare providers in prescribing the appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

In some cases, the stewardship team – which is composed of people from multiple departments including Pharmacy, Infection Control, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Quality and Safety – makes a recommendation to improve a patient’s antimicrobial treatment plan. The recommendation might be to de-escalate therapy, use an alternative therapy or stop therapy altogether.

“When most people think of antimicrobial stewardship, they say ‘antibiotic police’,” Taylor said. “We’ve actually called providers to START a drug that’s active against a reported bacterial pathogen rather than calling for discontinuation of agents.”

Another tool the team uses to help optimize a patient’s treatment plan is a rapid diagnostic test that can identify the presence of certain antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in a few hours instead of days. Before the availability of the test, physicians had to wait on culture-dependent methods for identification, which could take two to three days. Now, results can be determined in about an hour, allowing physicians to prescribe more appropriate treatment sooner rather than later.

Another intervention developed by the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program team started in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and has quickly spread to other parts of the hospital. This summer, members of the stewardship team began rounding with all PICU teams to introduce a care bundle for antimicrobial prescribing to their daily provider progress notes. The bundle addresses the infectious disease the team is trying to treat, the antimicrobial agents the patient is on, microbiology data obtained, and the plan for antimicrobial therapy.

“The appropriate use of antimicrobials is something that affects all of us,” Taylor said. “The choices we make today may have consequences for generations to come.”

For more information on Get Smart About Antibiotics Week and how you can help, visit http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/week/.

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If you have been thinking about quitting smoking or using nicotine, you are not alone.

Texas Children’s is here to support your efforts to quit, especially in light of the Great American Smokeout, an annual event that occurs the third Thursday of November and challenges smokers across the nation to make a plan to stop smoking.

Tobacco consumption remains the largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the Unites States, and it is estimated that about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, which is almost one in every five adults.

Secondhand and thirdhand smoke also present health risks to those who smoke and to those around them. Research shows that secondhand smoke can seep into hair, clothing, dust, and other surfaces, and that it creates thirdhand smoke or particles that are left on surfaces after the visible smoke is gone. These particles can become airborne and can be picked up by people – especially babies and small children – who touch the surfaces and get the particles on their hands and bodies.

The best way to prevent all such risks is to stop smoking, a step the Acting U.S. Surgeon General Boris Lushniak said is the “single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives.”

Here at Texas Children’s, we value your total well-being and are committed to providing education and resources that optimize your health and wellness. That’s why employees covered under the Texas Children’s medical plan can receive free tobacco cessation medications and over-the-counter treatments. As of September 1, these tools are covered at 100 percent for Texas Children medical plan participants with a prescription.

Before you go out and get these medications and treatments, however, it’s best to set a date for when you want to quit smoking and devise a plan on how to do it. Here are some tips on how you can kick the habit:

  1. Set a Quit Date
    First things first – pick your quit date. By having a day you’re working toward, you’ll be able to prepare mentally and physically to quit smoking. Avoid choosing a day where you know you will be busy, stressed, or tempted to smoke.
  2. Tell Family and Friends You Plan to Quit
    Quitting smoking is easier when the people in your life support you. Let them know you are planning to quit and ask for their support in staying accountable.
  3. Anticipate and Plan for Challenges While Quitting
    Quitting smoking is hardest during the first few weeks. You will deal with uncomfortable feelings, temptations to smoke, withdrawal symptoms, and cigarette cravings. Just remember that they are temporary, no matter how powerful they feel at the time.
  4. Remove Cigarettes and Other Tobacco from Your Home‚ Car‚ and Work
    Don’t be tempted to smoke during your quit. Stay strong. You can do it! Removing cigarettes and things that remind you of smoking will get you ready to stop.
  5. Talk to Your Medical Provider about Quit Options
    It is difficult to quit smoking on your own, but quitting “cold turkey” is not your only choice. Smoking cessation medications can dramatically increase your likelihood of successfully quitting. Texas Children’s medical plans covers prescription medication and over-the-counter treatments at 100 percent with a prescription.

Your well-being contributes to making Texas Children’s the best possible place to work and receive care. Good luck and thank you for continuing to optimize your health and wellness.

For more information or additional guidance, please call the Employee Medical Clinic at Ext. 4-2150 or visit the Wellness Website on Connect.