February 5, 2014

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Texas Children’s is going North. Or more specifically, we’re headed to The Woodlands. In fall 2017, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will begin providing specialized care to children and families in a world-class, 548,000-square-foot facility.

“We stand at the forefront of an exciting new time in pediatric health care as we continue to grow, save more lives and create better futures for children everywhere,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremonies for the new hospital. “Our next 60 years start today – here in The Woodlands – with a Texas Children’s community hospital built right on this spot.”

More than 700 Texas Children’s supporters, including many residents, leaders and donors from The Woodlands area, joined Friday’s groundbreaking events to help celebrate both the new hospital and Texas Children’s 60th birthday. Along with the ceremonial turning of the first shovels of dirt, the festivities included presentation of a birthday cake: local children, all former patients of the hospital, helped Wallace sing happy birthday and blow out the candles.

A video commemorating Texas Children’s 60 years of history was shown, and guests heard remarks from Wallace, long-time hospital supporter and Woodlands resident, Carol Garner, and from Carol Ann Demaret, mother of David Vetter, known widely as the “Bubble Boy.”

A peek inside
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will offer specialty pediatric care in cancer, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, diabetes and endocrinology, urology, sports medicine, gastroenterology and nutrition, plastic surgery, otolaryngology, allergy and immunology, dermatology, adolescent medicine and physician rehabilitation.

Hospital facilities will include 24 emergency center rooms, 74 outpatient rooms, five radiology rooms, four operating rooms and 30 acute care beds at opening with plans of up to 200 beds. Ample free parking will be available with 1,000 spaces planned. Along with serving families throughout The Woodlands area, Texas Children’s anticipates serving families in counties throughout Greater North Houston including Montgomery, Walker, Grimes, Liberty, Harris, Polk, San Jacinto and Hardin.

Partnering with Nordstrom, The Woodlands
On the heels of the birthday and groundbreaking was another big announcement of Texas Children’s newest partnership. Wallace announced that national retailer Nordstrom has chosen the new pediatric hospital in The Woodlands as the beneficiary for the opening gala of its much-anticipated new Woodlands store.

“Houston has been a great home for us and we can’t wait to open our second full-line store at The Woodlands,” said Nora Cummings, vice president and regional manager for Nordstrom. “We’re honored to partner with Texas Children’s Hospital and through our opening gala support their new Pediatric Hospital in The Woodlands.”

All proceeds from the pre-opening event, slated for Wednesday, September 3, 2014, will go toward the new hospital. The new Nordstrom at The Woodlands opens Friday, September 5, 2014. Ticket information will be shared on Connect closer to the event.

 

 

 

 

 

February 4, 2014

“For this hospital shall live and abide within the resolution that any child in the State of Texas in need of medical care and attention – regardless of race, color, creed, or capacity to pay – shall find in Texas Children’s Hospital a refuge from the ravages of disease and illness and the hope for health and happiness.”

Leopold L. Meyer, Founder
Texas Children’s Hospital groundbreaking ceremony
May 23, 1951

Many things have changed at Texas Children’s since the unveiling of the hospital’s cornerstone, but these words still capture the essence of our vision. That vision has guided Texas Children’s through 60 amazing years and hundreds of breakthrough discoveries in pediatric medicine.

“At 60, we’re the youngest of the nation’s top 10 children’s hospitals, yet we are leading advancements in medicine for children and women all over the world,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “Our expertise is respected and renowned, and the care we provide is unparalleled. We’ve done more in 60 years than most can imagine in twice the time.”

This is an exciting time at Texas Children’s Hospital as we celebrate several major milestones in our history. Last week, we introduced a brand new mission statement that defines who we are and what we want to achieve. Today, we are breaking ground on our newest community hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, which helps us fulfill our promise to deliver the right care at the right time in the right place. And tomorrow, Texas Children’s Hospital will celebrate its 60th birthday.

Click here for a video about Texas Children’s first 60 years.

On February 1, 1954, Texas Children’s opened with one building and 106 beds. We treated 4,558 patients that first year. Today, with 592 beds and nearly 6 million square feet of space, we see about 8,500 patients per day and have more than 3 million patient encounters per year.

Today, Texas Children’s Hospital is known in Houston, across the nation and around the world. Families know they can rely on us for pioneering discoveries in childhood diseases. They know our staff and employees are some of the best in the world.

“We are intensely devoted to providing the best possible care, and still we strive to be more, give more and do more for our patients,” Wallace said. “It’s that unrelenting passion that’s driven us to dream and innovate and achieve seemingly impossible things. What we have done together has changed lives, inspired hope and made birthdays happier for families all over the world.”

Celebrate with us on Facebook!

During the entire month of February, we will be celebrating our 60th birthday on Facebook. Every week, we will feature a new #TBT (Throwback Thursday) photograph from Texas Children’s archives, and we will ask our thousands of supporters, employees and past/present patients and families to share their memories and favorite things about the hospital.

Check back on Tuesday for a Connect feature story with all the highlights from today’s groundbreaking of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

Patients and families are the lifeblood of our organization. We want to hear your thoughts on how well we provide family centeredness in our patient care areas across the system.

To better understand best practices related to family centered care we have partnered with Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care (IPFCC), an organization dedicated to “advancing the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care in all settings where individuals and families receive health care.”

Below is a survey developed by the IPFCC, designed to help us better understand where we excel and still have growth related to family centered care system-wide. Please take five minutes to fill out this survey, providing your personal thoughts about family centered care in your patient care area. Families are an important piece of the nursing strategic plan, and your feedback will help ensure that any improvement effort we commence aligns with our needs.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TRQVJ2L

Our goal is to have everyone and anyone that works or provides care on any patient care unit to fill out this survey (inpatient, outpatient, EC, Pediatrics, Health Centers, etc.). This is an anonymous survey and is asking for your personal opinion! Please complete by Tuesday, February 18.

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Go Red for Women by wearing red this Friday, February 7, to raise awareness for heart disease. Texas Children’s Hospital badge-holders that wear red will receive a free heart healthy sweet treat with purchase* during lunchtime at the following Texas Children’s dining locations:

  • Clinical Care Center Food Court
  • Pavilion for Women Fresh Bistro
  • West Campus Luby’s DOTS Kitchen
  • Meyer Building The French Corner

For heart health education, blood pressure checks and tips to live a long and healthy life, please stop by the Employee Health and Wellness Go Red for Women booths on Friday, February 7:

  • Pavilion for Women Fresh Bistro: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • West Campus DOTS Kitchen: noon to 1 p.m.

*While supplies last.

Go Red heart health tips:

G: Get your numbers: Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure and cholesterol and monitor them regularly.

O: Own your lifestyle: Stop smoking, exercise, eat healthy, and manage stress.

R: Realize your risk: Heart disease kills one in three women. Learn about the risk factors, your family history, and the keys to prevention.

E: Educate your family: Make healthy food choices for you and your family and teach your kids the importance of staying active.

D: Don’t be silent: Tell every woman you know that heart disease is our number one killer.

The Employee Medical Clinic supports your personal health needs and offers convenient access to exceptional primary and urgent care services on the main campus. The clinic delivers many services including urgent care for personal illness and injury, preventive care, care management for chronic conditions, and counseling to help employees adopt the healthiest possible lifestyle. For more information or to make an appointment, please call Ext. 4-2150.

For more information visit goredforwomen.org.

LATCH vs. seatbelt, which one is safer?

 This is probably the most common question that my fellow Child Passenger Safety Technicians and I get. The answer is they are equally safe, but the installation method that gives your child the best protection should be used.

The caveat to this answer, however, is that the Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) system does have a weight limit and seatbelt does not. As many parents who have struggled with car seat and car manuals have discovered, the weight limit max for the LATCH system can sometimes be ambiguous.

Since the early 2000s, all cars produced for sale in the United States are required to have the LATCH system. The purpose of the LATCH system was to create a uniform system to install car seats and reduce installation misuse. Based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, about 4 in 5 of car seats are still used incorrectly, and the LATCH system can sometimes be a source of confusion.

Beginning this month, NHTSA is proposing new LATCH regulations to reduce the ambiguity between what car manufacturers and car seat manufacturers say are the LATCH limits. Towards the end of the month, lower anchor limits in cars will be a uniform combined weight limit (car seat + child) of 65 lbs. What this means is, if you have a car seat that weighs 20lbs, you can use the car’s LATCH system until the child weighs 45lbs (20lb car seat + 45 lbs child = 65lbs).

As of now this change is a proposal and not guaranteed. However, as of now, 25 car manufacturers already utilize these guidelines and more may begin to adopt it.

If you have any questions about the proposed changes to LATCH or wish to have your car seat inspected by a certified technician, please call Texas ChildrenÕs Center for Childhood InjuryÕs Car Seat Line 832-822-2277.

This blog post was contributed by Center for Childhood Injury Prevention Health Educator John Ansiaux for Bump Watch – the blog that follows the journeys of Texas Children’s families from pregnancy through baby’s first year.

Surprise your coworkers, friends or special someone and place your Valentine Delivery orders by Monday, February 10, at the Abercrombie and Pavilion Express Shops. Purchase your items, complete the form, and they will deliver the items on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14. Minimum order is $20.00, and delivery is free of charge.

Contact Stephanie Martinez, Volunteer Services, with questions.

January 31, 2014

Amid all the theories of what makes a successful leader, one thing I’ve learned over the course of my career is that leadership always influences and determines outcomes – not some of the time, but all of the time.

This is one of the lessons I’ve devised to help grow myself as a leader and develop future leaders as well. I began exploring the idea in earnest in my mid-20s when a colleague asked what I believed defined a great leader. I drew a blank.

That moment compelled me to develop a formal definition of leadership for myself. It took more than a year of reading, writing and contemplation before I crafted a satisfactory definition.

Leadership, to me, is Vision + Structure + People.

Vision

First, a successful leader must be a true innovator. Having vision and being motivated by an instinctual drive is not a learned skill but is honed over time.

Structure

The second component – structure – keeps a leader grounded while also providing the space and time needed to remain a creative visionary.

People

Last, people are unequivocally the most important ingredient in the definition of a successful leader. The team you’ve built to achieve your common vision will define your tenure as a leader. The colleagues you have committed to leading will ultimately be the most important factor in the entire equation.

While these three components have laid the foundation for my work at Texas Children’s Hospital, there is not a universal definition of leadership. In fact, to become successful, you must create your own definition based on who you aspire to be, how you want to lead, your personality and your core values.

At Texas Children’s, I ask every leader, from managers to executives, to submit their own definition of leadership, and we keep these on file. This helps new leaders hone in on what is important by providing a guide that ensures everything they do comes back to that definition. What’s more, in a large organization like Texas Children’s, it also helps me and my executive team learn more about each leader on our team.

Ultimately, harnessing your own definition of what makes a leader is the way to become a great leader yourself. When I meet someone who aspires to be a great leader, my first question to them is, “What is your definition of leadership?” It is a question I encourage everyone to thoughtfully consider.

Create your own definition, then start living it.

This editorial was authored by Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace and was originally published in the Houston Business Journal on January 17, 2014.