December 7, 2021

The countdown clock is ticking. Texas Children’s Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Ward, DNP, RN, NE-BC, will host her second nursing town hall. Don’t miss out – the town hall will be hosted virtually via Microsoft Teams Live from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16.

Along with co-presenters, Jackie will provide updates on recruitment, retention and quality, and highlight her vision for nursing including her strategic plan that will build upon our nursing team’s past successes in advancing patient care, quality and safety outcomes through nursing excellence. The town hall will also include time for responses to pre-submitted questions. You can email your pre-submitted questions to info@voiceofnursing.org. Any unanswered questions will be responded to via email.

As always, patient care is our first priority, and we know not all nurses will be able to watch the livestream of the town hall. However, nurses can still participate by viewing the town hall on-demand. The link to the town hall recording will be available on Voice of Nursing after the event.

For more details and instructions on how to access the livestream, click here to view the flyer.

For adolescents living with HIV, there are not only physical challenges, but the disease takes both a mental and emotional toll on a daily basis. There is an ongoing need for specialized care and support for this growing population. The Texas Children’s Global Health Network was created by the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) to provide pediatric HIV care and treatment and is now one of the largest providers of these services in the world.

The Network has created and instituted a number of programs to support this special group. The peer support group, Teen Club, was created to empower HIV-positive adolescents to build positive relationships, improve their self-esteem and acquire life skills through peer mentorship, adult role-modeling and structured activities, ultimately leading to improved clinical and mental health outcomes, as well as a healthy transition into adulthood.

Teen Club events include large group games, drama/theatre activities, pool parties, safaris, sports and art sessions. Educational components – including topics on HIV education, disclosure, adherence, life skills, college preparation, personal finance management and goal-setting – are incorporated as well.

“I’m so proud to be part of this team helping these adolescents living with HIV around the world cope with this disease,” said Winner Elimwaria, adolescent program coordinator at Baylor Foundation Tanzania. “We want to do everything we can to help them adjust to life with HIV and feel normal, while providing both the psychosocial support needed and the necessary skills to help them thrive in daily life.”

While there are many Teen Clubs in existence two have recently seen incredible growth and success by providing programs tailored to their populations.

In Lesotho, an enclaved country surrounded entirely by South Africa, the Teen Club, founded in 2008, has been growing by leaps and bounds starting with 40 members to now more than 470 in the capital Maseru alone, with an additional 450 nationwide in the six satellite Teen Club sites. The club provides mentorship, development of life skills and leadership abilities while also focusing heavily on how to cope with HIV. When members age out of Teen Club, they can move on to Wise Ones Youth Group for ages 18-25, so they can transition into becoming responsible adults.

The Lesotho Teen Club not only benefits from the expertise of the Baylor Foundation staff members, it’s blessed to have volunteers give back to the program with their time and attention, many of who are now in the Wise Ones Youth Group.

In Tanzania, a country in East Africa, their Teen Club has created some specialized groups, including the Tanzanite Girls. In this group, adolescent girls have the opportunity to participate in sessions around life skills, self-awareness, gender-based violence and violence against children, puberty, hygiene, children’s rights and the consequences of early pregnancy. They also have programs to teach sewing and beading to help adolescents learn skills to generate income and support themselves. Benki Yetu (Our Bank) is a peer-led program where adolescents learn financial management skills.

Adolescents can join Baylor Foundation Tanzania’s peer educator program where they can help fellow adolescents with HIV through education, counseling and mentoring. In recent years, they have reached more than 600 adolescents with either educational sessions or counseling and more than 150 with reproductive health educational sessions.

The ongoing support from BIPAI and the surrounding communities will help the Texas Children’s Global Health Network continue to serve the needs of this special community. For more information, please visit https://www.texaschildrensglobalhealth.org/bipai.

Photos by Smiley N. Pool

December 3, 2021

Review the schedule, during which you will be able to receive a free individually packaged cake and beverages on a “grab-and-go” basis. Read more

December 2, 2021

As we enter the winter months, we are seeing a steady increase in respiratory infections across our areas, as well as elevated cases of flu occurring in both Texas and the broader United States. Although last year was a relatively mild year for flu, this year we do not have mandatory masking in the community nor the same levels of social distancing, meaning the transmission of this virus is expected to be much greater.

If you have not done so already, please get your free flu shot as soon as possible. It is effective. It is accessible. And it is expected of all team members who are able to receive one.

In previous years, Texas Children’s achieved a flu vaccination rate above 90 percent. As of right now, we still have a long way to go to reach that important goal, so please take a moment to learn more by visiting texaschildrensbenefits.org/flu.

Call to Action

To make getting your flu vaccine as easy as possible, Texas Children’s offers these convenient options.

  • On-Site Events: We’re adding more convenient events through December. To review our updated event schedule, click here.
  • Rounding. This month, our nursing leadership will be rounding in the units with flu carts to make the shots more accessible to our bedside staff.
  • Texas Children’s Pediatrics: Team members may receive the flu vaccine during their child’s on-site appointment through any Texas Children’s Pediatrics location.
  • Submitting Proof. Team members who receive their flu vaccine outside of Texas Children’s are required to submit an attestation and proof of vaccination by December 17, via texaschildrensbenefits.org/flu. They may also show proof of vaccination to Employee Health to receive a 21/22 flu badge sticker.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the rate of flu vaccine compliance is a key indicator of the quality and safety of a health care environment, and is one of the measures they use in assessing and ranking our hospitals. To help us maintain this high standard of care, please get this important vaccine.

If you have any questions, please contact Employee Health at 832-824-2150, option 5.

On Friday, December 3, Texas Children’s is excited to issue P3 payouts to all eligible employees within the Hospital, Texas Children’s Health Plan, The Centers, Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care.

If you have not already, you will receive an email regarding the specific payout for your area of the business.

Setting and striving for our annual P3 goals is vital in maintaining and exceeding the high standards we set for ourselves to ensure we deliver excellence on every level. The rewards represent an important acknowledgement of everything our teams accomplished through the year, whether elevating our patient experience, maintaining safe care operations and many others.

Next year, we will align our incentive program payout opportunities across the Texas Children’s system while also offering all employees the opportunity to take advantage of other system-wide incentives, including our 1-2-3 Retention program.

Thank you to all of our teams for the tremendous work you did over the course of Fiscal Year 2021. In both times of challenge and success, you helped to move our mission forward and your efforts are incredibly appreciated.

Thank you for everything you do as we build our bright future Tomorrow, Together.

November 23, 2021

The holiday season is in full swing and, with the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales about to take place, we want to help make your digital shopping experience as safe as possible.

Whether purchasing online or checking orders through your email, remember scammers can come in many forms, whether that’s through phishing emails, social media sites or even mobile apps. To learn how to identify these cybercriminals and protect yourself, watch a special holiday cybersecurity training video below.

As always, if you feel you’ve received a suspicious email within your Texas Children’s email address, click the Phish Alert button in Outlook to delete the email from your inbox and forward it to our Security Operations Center team for instant analysis.

Click Here to learn how to use the Phish Alert Button.
Click Here to learn what to report with the Phish Alert Button.

For other tips on how to stay safe this shopping season, click here.

It was a year ago when a lifelong Texas Children’s Hospital cardiology patient stepped off the elevator and saw the Adult Congenital Heart Program sign and was overcome with emotion. While receiving excellent care at Texas Children’s, the pediatric setting wasn’t ideal for her needs. Her worries were over now that there was a facility built with patients like her in mind.

“This is an incredible milestone we’ve reached with our clinic,” said Dr. Peter Ermis, Cardiology at Texas Children’s. “We knew opening during a pandemic was a risk, but this clinic was desperately needed and our hard-working team made it happen for our patients.”

Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Adult Congenital Heart Program outpatient clinic was designed with its patients in mind. While Texas Children’s has the finest Adult Congenital Heart (ACH) cardiology and cardiac surgery experts in the world, the service offering and existing clinic weren’t exactly suited to adult patients. The adult clinic offers comprehensive services, including nutrition, physical therapy, social work, psychology and psychiatry.

“The goal was to provide the right services our patients need and the best care possible,” Ermis continued. “None of this would be possible without the relentless dedication of our team. They have risen to every challenge and their passion for providing the absolute best care for ACH patients has made this a success.”

The team was confident if they built this facility, the patients would come, and they have, from all over the country and the world. They have no plans of stopping now as their sights are set to continue to grow and meet the unique needs of their patients.

Congratulations on this important milestone!