April 27, 2022

It’s no secret that our administrative professionals are some of the most vital members of Texas Children’s One Amazing Team!

They have an incredibly diverse range of responsibilities, and consistently go above and beyond in demonstrating their attention to detail and care for our people and organization. They also help ensure day-to-day operations across the organization run seamlessly.

For Administrative Professionals Day on Wednesday, April 27, we are proud to show our gratitude for their hard work, and our appreciation for their dedication to enhancing and improving our effectiveness for our patients, our members, their families and each other.

To our administrative professionals – thank you! Every day, you help make Texas Children’s the best possible place to give and receive care.

April 22, 2022

We’re celebrating the special moments Texas Children’s team members and providers create every day that lead to positive patient experiences. Activities highlighting our teamwork and values begin this week with a Scavenger Hunt and Magical Moments captured in team photos, posters and videos, leading to Patient Experience Week April 24-30. One Amazing Team members’ Magical Moments Together will be showcased and prize winners announced along with Caught You Caring of the Year award winners. Here’s how you can start sharing your moments this week and not miss a moment of fun next week.

Enter to WIN prizes by completing these activities this week! Submissions due by Sunday, April 24.

Please remember, patients and patient information should not be included in your creations.

Magical Moments Created by Staff. Show how you elevate the experience of our patients and families by submitting your photo, poster and next video trend entries by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, April 24. Enter here

Creating Magical Moments Scavenger Hunt. Round up your teammates for this fun-filled activity. As a team, work together to complete all of the tasks (six – you can do it!) listed on the entry from, see links below. Take photos of your team completing the tasks and submit your entry by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, April 24.

Texas Children’s entry form

Pediatrics & Urgent Care Centers entry form

Activities in store for Patient Experience Week

Throughout the week, patients and families will be treated with activities such as BINGO, crafts and prizes. This is also a special time to show your appreciation to our patients and families by welcoming them in a fun way or writing a ‘Thank You’ note. (See examples in the photo gallery.)

Patient care and ancillary departments received a fun-filled toolkit to help teams commemorate Patient Experience Week and celebrate the magical moments you create.

Staff prize drawings for Magical Moments Submissions will occur Monday through Wednesday, April 25-27. Join the live Teams events by clicking the link below.

The Patient Experience Team received over 50 nominations from across the organization for the 2022 Caught You Caring of the Year Award. Hundreds of phenomenal examples of Texas Children’s team members living compassionately and amplifying unity were shared! Winners and Honorable Mentions will be notified during Patient Experience Week so stay tuned for winner announcements!

Show your Spirit. Let’s finish Patient Experience Week strong by wearing your favorite Disney or Super Hero themed shirt or socks on Spirit Day, April 29!

Share your Magical Moments Together. In addition to the photos entered for prizes, the Patient Experience team encourages you to take photos of you celebrating Patient Experience with your team and sharing with us at patientexperience@texaschildrens.org!

We look forward to seeing the magical moments you created together during this special week honoring your work to ensure positive patient experiences!

During National Volunteer Week 2022 here at Texas Children’s, we’re taking the opportunity to shine a light on our amazing, red-vested volunteers as they continue to support our mission to create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community.

This diverse group of over 800 active volunteers support patients, families, and hospital staff across our three campuses by playing games with patients, interacting with families, and assisting with administrative duties.

Our volunteers dedicate a minimum of two to three hours of their time each week supporting our hospital and people, and without them, our organization and community wouldn’t be the same.

That is why for this year’s National Volunteer Week April 17-23, we’re celebrating those who live their life compassionately and giving so much of their time, effort, and commitment to helping others. Throughout this week, the Texas Children’s Volunteer Services team will be hosting a number of fun activities and events all week geared towards recognizing and giving back to our inspiring volunteers.

Here’s a look into some of those exciting activities:

  • At the Medical Center, find the “make your own trail mix bar and swag bag” event every day for volunteers.
  • At the West Campus, snacks and gifts will be provided to volunteers throughout the week.
  • At The Woodlands, volunteers checking in for their shift will be provided special treats.

In addition to all the goodies, the Volunteer Services Team is hosting four special events for volunteers:

  • Medical Center Lunch with Volunteers

Tuesday, April 19 – Noon to 1 p.m.

  • Virtual Volunteer Spotlight

Tuesday, April 19 – 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

During this notable event, the Volunteer Services team honored long-time volunteer Carol Ann Demaret. To learn more about Demaret and her son David’s story, check out her feature in the Volunteer Roundup Newsletter.

  • Medical Center Lunch with Volunteers

Wednesday, April 20 – Noon to 1 p.m.

  • The Woodlands Volunteer Appreciation Dinner in the Courtyard

Wednesday, April 20 – 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers at Texas Children’s! You continue to inspire us with your empathy and dedication of service, and we are so appreciative of all that you do.

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer with the Texas Children’s Volunteer Services Team or want to learn more about upcoming volunteer events, visit the volunteer webpage or Volunteer Roundup newsletter.

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Just after formally launching the Ukraine Donation Drive to collect needed items for refugees fleeing violence in their homeland, Texas Children’s is seeing an overwhelming response from our own team members and the communities we serve.

On the initial day of the drive, generous donors quickly sent monetary gifts totaling more than $25,000 and counting. The response was so great that Shannon Wallace and President and CEO Mark A. Wallace committed to matching the first $25,000 raised, reaching the milestone of $50,000 on the first day.

“Compassion is an essential part of our Texas Children’s spirit, and Mark and I are touched to see there has already been such an outpouring of support for the people of Ukraine,” Shannon Wallace said. “We are blessed to contribute and hope many others will follow to help these Ukrainian refugees with not only supplies, but also our love and support.”

Texas Children’s launched the Ukraine Donation Drive on April 18. As part of the effort, donation boxes will be set up through April 23 at employee entrances and break areas at multiple hospital, practice and clinic locations. Thanks to our team members and your commitment to serving others, the boxes are also quickly filling with items for the cause.

Our patients and their families will participate in the drive on April 19 when they gather in the Child Life Zone to write personal messages of support on cards for Ukrainian refugees. Designed with the guidance of Texas Children’s Spiritual Care team with text in English, Ukrainian, Romanian and Russian, the cards will be included in a donation shipment to Romania.

The exciting news of the donation drive is also spreading rapidly throughout the Houston area and beyond. Community volunteers are eagerly lining up for shifts to help collect, sort and prepare donations for shipping, and the Houston NBC affiliate KPRC-TV is partnering with Texas Children’s in this effort and will be covering the donation drive extensively. Click here to watch their live broadcast from the Feigin Tower on Monday.

For more information on Texas Children’s Ukraine Donation Drive, including donation locations and FAQs, please click here for the launch Connect story.

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Building a brighter Tomorrow, Together at Texas Children’s includes creating and maintaining a healthy environment to live, work and receive care – not only for our patients and our people, but for our planet.

As Earth Day approaches and our journey into the future continues, Texas Children’s has re-established the Green Team: a cross-functional group of team members from across the system with a focus on sustainability, education and the coordination of environmental best practices.

The Green Team is supported by our executive leadership and committed to making Texas Children’s a leader in sustainability and environmentally efficient operations. They’re working to support healthier children, women and communities, and developing new strategies to implement system-wide.

They have partnered with Practice Greenhealth, a health care membership organization that provides a range of sustainability solutions. Within the Practice Greenhealth platform are 12 areas of focus around which the Green Team will create programs and initiatives.

Let’s celebrate Earth Day!

Please join the Green Team for a fun and informative Earth Day celebration.

Texas Children’s Celebrates Earth Day
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Friday, April 22
The Auxiliary Bridge, Medical Center campus

Learn more about our sustainability goals, get tips for maintaining sustainable practices at work and home and make a personal sustainability pledge. You can also meet our vendor partners and enter a drawing for a chance to win a special Earth Day Giveaway!

Our commitment in action

Over the years, Texas Children’s has taken several steps to support sustainability and impact real change and benefits in our facilities. The measures include the following action and are just the beginning:

  • Installing low-flow toilets and faucets
  • Utilizing reusable sharps containers
  • Energy-saving improvements in NRI building with savings of nearly $350,000
  • Energy-saving assessment in Mark A. Wallace Tower with potential savings of nearly $350,000
  • LED lighting upgrade on main campus to improve lighting, save energy and reduce maintenance costs
  • Implementing dozens of energy-saving initiatives, including renewable energy projects, energy rebates and credits, and system upgrades, such as installing temperature range control in non-patient care areas

Texas Children’s Green Team is currently applying for the Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards program across all areas of focus. Navigating this process will help determine sustainability analytics to better understand the cost, impact and performance of past and present sustainability initiatives. It will also allow provide insight to better anticipate future conditions and requirements as the team builds a multi-faceted program.