January 12, 2022

Friday, January 14, everyone on our One Amazing team will have an opportunity to help meet the growing need for blood to support health care operations across our community. The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is hosting a blood drive in the Feigin conference center at the Medical Center Campus. To give, please register using this link. Donations will be taken by appointment only.

Based on CDC guidance, the Blood Center implemented several safety measures to protect donors from COVID-19, including no longer accepting walk-in donors, increasing sanitization and placing donor beds 6 feet apart to maintain social distancing.

For questions or assistance, please contact Volunteer Services at 832-824-2257.

On December 30, Texas Children’s patients were transported in the comfort of their rooms to the world of Encanto! The Child Life, Patient Experience and Biomed teams collaborated to make this special movie premiere a reality. Here’s how.

The idea for the event was sparked in late summer, during Pixar Week – when all of the Pixar movies are promoted as a way for fans to connect online and relive their favorites. This special week is part of Texas Children’s partnership with Starlight and Disney to televise Disney Plus content on CCTV. The three teams’ desire for our young patients to experience the excitement around newly released movies as well as regular content got them thinking about how to make that possible.

Patient and Family Services Director Katie Kalenda Daggett worked with Disney Studios to secure permission for Texas Children’s to premiere the next new Pixar movie coming out – Encanto – on the CCTV network in patient rooms. This started the ball rolling for the three teams to put together the big event! Also, “this first-time agreement with Disney to show one of the movies for a special event in addition to bedside and in activity/playrooms is something we hope to be able to do more of in the future,” said event lead, Child Life Services Gaming Activity Coordinator Marty McMahon.

The teams were innovative on how to create a community environment where each patient would have the opportunity to “be a kid” and socialize. According to McMahon, “A ton of work went into bringing this premiere to life for patients…we made a true production of everything leading up to premiere day, with songs produced by the Music Therapy team for weekly Music group, and flyers designed and printed for day-of distribution to patients with a summary about the movie and show times.”

Premiere day featured hand-delivered Encanto-themed toys and four showings throughout the day, in patient rooms, two in English and two in Spanish, with subtitles for both.

“This was a really fun day for all, and good way to connect in a collective way,” said Child Life Services Manager Kari Lown. “It was a real perk to provide real-time Disney magic in the way of this movie so that our patients could participate in one of the latest trends and all of the excitement about Encanto at the same time as their families and everyone else in the world,” she added.

Nelson Castellon shares his experience attending Just Jackie hosted by CNO, Jackie Ward. Read more

Learn from Senior Vice President of Facilities Planning and Development Jill Pearsall, and other leaders to come, on what’s headed to Austin. Read More

In this short video, learn how varying backgrounds and experiences have shaped the lives of three of our colleagues: Cherry Nguyen-Westmoreland, Natashia Bush and Ramon Enad. Read more

January 11, 2022

As recently announced by President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, Texas Children’s is requiring all workforce members to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, aligning with recommendations from the numerous agencies, health care organizations and Texas Children’s Vaccine Task Force.

While there is still much to learn about COVID-19 and its fast-evolving variants, available vaccines have continuously proven themselves to be successful at preventing severe disease. As a leading researcher and health care provider, Texas Children’s remains committed to protecting our workforce and community through every available means, including the use of safe and effective vaccines. Please see below for additional details.

COVID-19 Booster Dose Requirement
  • Requirement. Unless they already have an approved exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine, all full-time, part-time and per diem employees, as well as medical staff, contractors, on-site vendors and volunteers, are required to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Deadlines. The deadline for managers and above is 5 p.m. on March 1, 2022. The deadline for all other employees is 5 p.m. on April 1, 2022. All employees are encouraged to receive their booster as quickly as possible to ensure the full level of protection during the current surge.

Please note that if you only recently completed your vaccine series, and are not yet eligible to receive a booster dose, you will have until the last day of the month after the month you become eligible. For example, if you become eligible to receive a booster in April, you would be required to receive a booster by the last day in May. Please click here or see below for guidance on eligibility.

    • Pfizer: you are eligible to receive a booster dose 5 months after you’ve completed your Pfizer vaccine series
    • Moderna: you are eligible to receive a booster dose 5 months after you’ve completed your Moderna vaccine series (updated this morning following FDA guidance)
    • J&J: you are eligible to receive a booster dose 2 months after you’ve completed your vaccine series
  • How to schedule a booster. To schedule through Texas Children’s, please click here. Walk-ins are also welcome. Additionally, family members and friends can schedule using the same link. Boosters can also be received outside of Texas Children’s.
  • Submitting proof. As documentation for all booster doses administered at Texas Children’s is stored in employees’ personal health records in EPIC, Employee Health does not have access to that information. Therefore, all employees will be required to submit proof of receiving a booster dose. At this time, we are working to launch a new portal that will allow employees to easily submit booster information anywhere and on any device. This portal will be launched next week and communicated when available. Until the portal is ready, please keep your vaccination record handy. If you have lost your vaccination card, click here for instructions.
  • For Baylor employees and all other workforce members (such as contractors and on-site vendors), please follow the processes established by your employer to provide proof of compliance. You are not required to submit proof of a booster through Texas Children’s.
  • Exemptions. If you are planning to apply for a medical exemption from receiving a booster dose, click here to access our exemption form (your request must also include a physician’s note). If you have other concerns (not medically related) to receiving a booster dose, please contact Employee Relations at employeerelations@texaschildrens.org.
  • Questions? For questions related to boosters, please reach out to our COVID Vaccine Employee Support Center at 832-VACCINE (832.822.2463), open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Team members can also email at employeevaccines@texaschildrens.org.

Getting vaccinated and boosted is the best tool we have in our fight against COVID-19. To access the information listed in this global at any time, please visit our COVID-19 Vaccine website.

Sadly, Emeritus Trustee, Josephine Abercrombie, passed away in her sleep on Jan. 4 at 95.

“It has been an absolute privilege to know Josephine for many years,” said CEO Mark Wallace. “The gift of having her witness Texas Children’s growth, from the very first hospital building – named after her father and our founder, James S. Abercrombie – to where we are today is something I will forever be grateful for. She was very close with her mother and father and I know that Texas Children’s meant the world to her.”

As a pillar in the community and a generous philanthropist, Josephine served on Texas Children’s Board of Trustees for 45 years. For more than four decades she staunchly supported Texas Children’s through her advocacy and heartfelt, steadfast contributions.

Notably, Josephine’s love for horses which began as a child carried through in her work alongside her father as he helped create and establish the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show.

Wallace remembers, “In addition to her incredible talent and records held through horse shows and competitions, one of the most unique – and one of my favorite things about Josephine – was her love and passion for boxing. Many people don’t know that side of her, but she was an expert at developing champions in the ring as a boxing promoter and founded the Houston Boxing Association. Looking back, her investment in the sport and the athletes she took under her wing spoke volumes about who she was as a person – Josephine was a dedicated and unwavering fighter.”

Josephine fought for what she believed in and what she knew was right, according to Wallace, who said he has no doubt that these qualities were instilled in her by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Abercrombie. After their passing, Josephine continued to live by their mission of living to help others.

“I remain eternally grateful for her impact and support, and I am comforted in knowing that her spirit and her family’s legacy will live on throughout the halls of Texas Children’s,” added Wallace.

Josephine will be deeply missed by everyone at Texas Children’s, while her inspiration to fight for tomorrow will continue. Bless you and thank you, Josephine!