January 29, 2024

Expanding in Austin wouldn’t be possible without the Right People working tirelessly to advance our mission and culture of care. Five of those leaders are stepping up to the plate – thinking and leading differently for a city that demands it:

Dr. Bryan Vartabedian – Chief Pediatric Officer
Dr. Melanie Belt – Chief OB/GYN Officer
Dr. Edward Buchanan – Chief Surgical Officer
Dr. Shellie Josephs – Chief of Radiology
Dr. LyTorre Vidaurri – Chief of Anesthesiology

“We are incredibly fortunate to welcome such accomplished physicians to lead our medical staff in Austin,” said Executive Vice President Dan DiPrisco.

“These doctors represent the very best the medical community has to offer…our new hospital is poised for immediate success with each one of them at the helm,” added Russ Williams, Senior Vice President of Texas Children’s North Austin Campus. “Ultimately, our goal is to make a life-changing difference for children and women in Austin, and Drs. Belt, Buchanan, Josephs, Vartabedian and Vidaurri, are just the right people for the job.”

We want you to get to know our chiefs a little better, so we sat down with them to talk all things Texas Children’s Austin – from exploring the city to opening North Austin Campus this week. Click here to watch the full Meet the Docs interviews in addition to countdown updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion site.

 

On January 23, Texas Children’s Hospital launched its most recent major care venture – virtual nursing. The Virtual Care Network will transform the bedside care model, provide on-demand support and offer real-time surveillance.

While virtual nursing has recently grown in popularity among adult hospitals, Texas Children’s is set to be the first major children’s hospital with a robust program. Focused initially on care model redesign, it reimagines typical patient care at the bedside – removing administrative tasks from the bedside nurse and taking family-centered care “beyond the bedside” by offering coordinated, convenient support to patients using technology.

In October, over 60 providers, leaders, parents and care team members assembled to bring the vision for virtual nursing to life. “Innovation is contagious, and nurses are especially primed for it,” said System Chief Nurse Executive Jackie Ward as she opened the kickoff event. “They are critical thinkers who get creative with solutions and look at problems from multiple angles…they are tenacious and caring, constantly assessing situations to improve patient care.”

The NICU is the first department to pilot the virtual nursing care model redesign. This hybrid model adds a virtual nurse to the clinical care team from a remote hub, and through these virtual interactions, parents and caregivers can access supportive resources without interruption of bedside care. Virtual nurses will focus on department orientation following admission, enhanced education, support during the length of stay, and robust discharge readiness planning with intention to expand to different inpatient areas over the next year.

“Protecting our teams from burnout continues to be a top priority…with this redesign of duties, we can work to retain nurses who may have otherwise left the bedside and continue delivering compassionate care to families” shared Ashley Simms, Assistant Vice President, Nursing.

Virtual nursing offers game-changing opportunities around how we cater to our patients, families and nursing teams with evolving needs. The creation of this network highlights all the talents that make us One Amazing Team – problem solving, collaboration, patient advocacy, continuous learning and adaptability.

Stay tuned for more to come from the Virtual Care Network! For more information about the initiative or NICU pilot, please connect with one of our workgroup leaders:

January 24, 2024

Throughout the country, there is a high level of COVID-19 transmission, and U.S. wastewater surveillance data has shown that COVID-19 cases have continued to climb. What we’re seeing at Texas Children’s mirrors this trend as our test positivity exceeded 10% through the past week. We have remained at or near double-digit COVID-19 test positivity since mid-December with no evidence of a decline yet this winter.

“Based on what we’re seeing in our clinical data, we strongly advise our team members receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine,” said Texas Children’s Pathologist-In-Chief Dr. James Versalovic. “We have worked so hard to protect ourselves, coworkers, patients, members and their families. We need to continue to do what we can to help limit the spread of these highly transmissible COVID-19 variants and help everyone stay healthy.”

The updated vaccine (similar to yearly influenza vaccines) provides more current and more complete protection. Specifically, it includes the more recent Omicron XBB variant, which is significant as the circulating variants continue to be Omicron.

Schedule your free COVID-19 vaccine

All team members (including BCM faculty and staff) can click here to schedule a free vaccine appointment through Employee Health at Medical Center, West and Woodlands campuses and Austin Mopac.

If you prefer to receive the vaccine at an outside provider, most medical plans cover COVID-19 vaccines at 100% under preventive care at an in-network provider. Out-of-network coverage depends on the plan in regards to cost share. Employees can visit www.myCigna.com or use the myCigna app for more information.

Additional resources

Remember, please stay home if you feel sick and get tested if you have respiratory symptoms compatible with COVID-19. Antiviral treatments are effective if administered early enough for COVID-19. Early diagnosis and treatment also reduce spread of viruses in the workplace. Click here to review the COVID-19 Return to Work process.

Access the Employee Health Virtual Assistant from any device, any time, on or off the Texas Children’s network for COVID-19 related guidance and support.

If you have any questions, please contact the Employee Health Nurse Support Line at 832-VACCINE (832.822.2463), open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Team members can also email employeevaccines@texaschildrens.org.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit our COVID Command website on Connect.

January 23, 2024

Understanding your role in a crisis is a key element of emergency preparedness. Planning ahead eliminates confusion and saves precious time needed to keep our system running during a crisis.

All team members must re-register annually for the Employee Disaster Roster – electing to be part of the Prep Team, Ride-Out Team and/or Relief Team. Details for each team are listed in the form, and you should work with your leader to agree on the appropriate role for you.

Deadlines
  • Friday, March 1 – EDR registration closes.
  • Friday, March 15 – Leader validation must be complete.
Details and resources
  • If registering for the Ride-Out Team, you are responsible for making appropriate childcare arrangements. Texas Children’s does not offer dependent care.
  • For those on the Ride-Out Team, you can use this easy checklist to pack your at-work disaster bag with 5-7 days of essential supplies.
  • If you want to receive emergency texts, log in to Voyager, go to Contact Info and add the Home Mobile Phone field. Even if your home phone is your mobile phone, by adding this field, it ensures you are on the list. Please also be mindful the number is correct. Just transposing two digits will prevent you from receiving texts.
  • Keeping you informed and prepared is our top priority. Visit the Department of Organizational Resilience SharePoint site for contact information and links to websites to help you create an emergency preparedness plan of your own.
  • If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Organizational Resilience Department at OrganizationalResilience@texaschildrens.org.

If you have consented to receive your 2023 W-2 electronically, it is now available in Voyager.

Follow these steps to access:

  • Visit Connect and select Voyager in the gray resources box
  • Log in to Voyager using single sign on
  • Select Me on the top navigation menu
  • Click the myADP US Tax Statements and Garnishments app and follow the instructions

If you have not consented, it will be mailed to your home address as listed in Voyager.

If you would like to print a copy, you may download your W-2 and forward it to your personal email address to print at home. Please note, this action may trigger our Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policy due to the personal information in the W-2, but it will be released within 24 hours.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the Payroll Department at 832-824-6868 option 3 or payroll@texaschildrens.org.

Meet Michael Brantley, renal and apheresis education coordinator at Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin. He started his career in renal medicine as a unit clerk at a local dialysis clinic, but knew working in pediatrics was always the end goal.

What brought you to Texas Children’s?

I’m originally from Albuquerque, N.M., where I graduated from the University of New Mexico with my BSN. I eventually moved to Austin to work at a local children’s facility, and during that time, I had the opportunity to utilize Texas Children’s as a resource and start developing a network with the hospital. Whether at conferences or camps, TCH always set the standard and its people shared a passion for bringing the best care to their patients. Once I heard about TCH expanding in Austin, I wanted to be a part of that legacy.

What are you most excited about as we open North Austin Campus?

I am most excited about the opportunity to serve Austin and its surrounding areas. We get to extend the TCH legacy and bring it to a new city while creating our own unique culture.

What’s the best career or work advice you’ve ever received?

‘Lead by example in any situation you are in’ and ‘treat people the way you want to be treated.’

What does providing the ‘Right Care’ mean to you?

It means having the knowledge to provide excellent services and resources, advocating for our team and patients, and going above and beyond with every single interaction.

What makes Austin a great place to work and live?

Austin has been an amazing place for my family and myself. There are countless things to do for all ages. We love to go hiking, catch a good movie or go downtown for concerts. We love going to ACL Live for shows!

Ranked #1 in Nephrology by U.S. News & World Report, Texas Children’s is home to one of the largest and most comprehensive pediatric renal services in the world. The Renal and Apheresis Services department at North Austin Campus has multiple modality offerings, like in-center and home hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and apheresis services.

Right Care, Right Place, Right People. Now ranked #1 in Texas and #3 in the nation, we’re bringing the best to Austin. Click here for countdown updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion SharePoint.

After a years-long hiatus of one of Texas Children’s most beloved events, long-tenured team members and recipients of special awards will receive the red-carpet treatment in February when the Employee Recognition Celebration (ERC) returns with the largest number of honorees in history at a new venue.

More than 2,200 team members will be honored at the 2024 ERC, held on February 27 at Minute Maid Park for employees who reached a significant career milestone of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 years of service in 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023.

Team members who received a special award in 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023 will also be honored at the ERC this February – including Best of the West, Caught You Caring, Shining Star, and Super Star recipients system-wide.

‘We’re planning a celebration unlike any other our team members may have seen, heard about, or experienced in the past, filled with the same warmth and appreciation that has always made the celebration so special,’ said Executive Vice President and CHRO Linda Aldred, who has participated in nearly every ERC since the event began at Texas Children’s more than 30 years ago.

Additional information about the ERC, including the full list of honorees and program schedule, will be provided to participants and shared via Connect as the big day approaches.

‘As our system grows to serve more communities and families, it is more important than ever to cherish the values and traditions that have made Texas Children’s an incredible place to give and receive care for generations,’ Aldred said. ‘The Employee Recognition Celebration has always reflected the best of who we are.’