July 1, 2014

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Texas Children’s Heart Center is adding two new members to its Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team: pediatric and adult cardiologist, Dr. Peter Ermis, and pediatric and adult cardiologist, Dr. Wilson Lam. Texas Children’s Heart Center is ranked #2 nationally in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report.

“With the arrival of Drs. Ermis and Lam, the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team is now among the largest in the nation,” says Dr. Wayne Franklin, director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Texas Children’s and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. “The growth of our program further enables us to provide exceptional care to pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease in our community.”

Dr. Peter Ermis
Ermis, who also serves as assistant professor at Baylor, has clinical interests in determining quality improvement measurements in the care of adults with congenital heart disease, transitioning congenital heart disease patients from pediatric to adult congenital based care and stress echocardiography utilization in adults with congenital heart disease. His research interests include resource utilization in adults with congenital heart disease; transition and location of care for adults with congenital heart disease; pulmonary valve replacement in adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot; long-term follow-up in adults with repaired transposition of the great arteries; stress echocardiography utilization in adults with congenital heart disease; and mechanical support in adults with congenital heart disease.

Ermis is a member of the American Academy of Cardiology, American Academy of Pediatrics and the International Society on Adult Congenital Heart Disease. He is excited to become a part of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team and work with world class physicians and staff who strive for excellence in patient care, education and research. Ermis looks forward to providing valuable care to a unique group of adults that often fall between the realm of general pediatric and adult cardiology. He will primarily see patients at Texas Children’s Health Centers – The Woodlands as well as the hospital’s main location in the Texas Medical Center.

Ermis received an undergraduate degree at Rice University. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and went on to complete his residency and pediatric and adult cardiology fellowship at Baylor.

Dr. Wilson Lam
Lam, who also serves as assistant professor at Baylor, has clinical interests in adult congenital heart disease, primarily electrophysiology issues, complex arrhythmia ablation and lead extraction. His research interests include arrhythmias in adult congenital heart disease, medical education and established technology in novel areas.

Lam is a member of the American College of Cardiology, American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians. He is honored to be a part of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team which cares for unique patients with complex anatomies and challenging cardiovascular issues. Lam looks forward to joining and contributing to this state-of-the-art program for a medical specialty that is still relatively new nationwide. He will primarily see patients at Texas Children’s Health Centers – Sugar Land as well as the hospital’s main location in the Texas Medical Center.

Lam received an undergraduate degree from Rice University. He earned his medical degree and completed his residencies in combined internal medicine and pediatrics at Baylor with adult cardiovascular diseases and electrophysiology fellowships at Baylor, Texas Children’s and the Texas Heart Institute.

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program enables patients with congenital heart disease to receive seamless continuation of care from birth to adolescence to adulthood. The multidisciplinary team of experienced congenital heart disease specialists is equipped to treat the entire spectrum of medical and surgical problems throughout life, including health and wellness, family planning, and preventative medicine.

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This summer, the city of Houston is honored to host the 2014 Transplant Games of America. Running from Friday, July 11, to Tuesday, July 15, this biannual, Olympic-style event celebrates patient and family athletes who have been touched by the life-saving gift of organ transplantation. Participants from all over the country will journey to Houston to compete in a variety of sporting events from track and field to swimming, among many other events.

As a major sponsor of this event, Texas Children’s Hospital would like to extend the opportunity to its employees to volunteer. Anyone interested should register through the Transplant Games of America website. All times are tentative and are subject to change.

Visit http://www.teamtexastransplant.com/ for more information about the Transplant Games of America.

June 17, 2014

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Texas Children’s Health Plan is proud to announce a partnership with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Dentistry to open a dental clinic inside The Center for Children and Women (The Center).

Continuing the philosophy of coordinated care, “UTHealth Dentistry Greenspoint” will provide dental services for Texas Children’s Health Plan members and residents in the greater Greenspoint area of Houston.

“This is a perfect partnership,” said Tangula Taylor, director of operations at The Center for Children and Women. “This collaboration with UTHealth allowed us to expand our scope of services and provide enhanced comprehensive care to our patients. We look forward to fostering this collaborative partnership for many years to come.”

The clinic has three full-time staff members, and dental residents will work there on a rotation basis. In addition to providing great care for patients, the clinic will also serve as a clinical site for School of Dentistry students, offering them valuable clinical experience.

“We’re excited about this initiative,” said John Valenza, DDS, dean of the UTHealth School of Dentistry. “Partnering with The Center for Children and Women provides us the unique opportunity not only to serve the Greenspoint community, but also to provide unique learning experiences for our future dentists and dental hygienists. In addition to seeing pediatric patients, our students will have the opportunity to treat expectant mothers and other patients with special needs.”

The clinic offers a full range of dental services, including fillings, cleanings, X-rays and much more for children, expectant mothers and adults. Operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with plans to expand to evenings and Saturdays. Walk-in appointments are welcome. The clinic accepts multiple insurance plans, including Medicaid, CHIP and HMOs, as well as pay-for-service programs.

June 10, 2014

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Dr. Daniel Penny, chief of Cardiology at Texas Children’s Hospital and section head and professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, was recently presented the 2014 University College Cork (UCC) Medical School Medal. The award ceremony took place at Penny’s alma mater in Ireland on May 28.

The award, established in 2001, was created to honor those who have made exceptional contributions to medicine and society. Penny was chosen as this year’s recipient based on his sustained and excellent track record in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology; in leadership and expertise at an international level in academic medicine; in his support and inspiration for generations of medical students and trainees; and his work in establishing links between UCC and Texas Children’s.

“I am truly honored to receive this year’s UCC Medical School Medal,” said Penny. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to have worked, and continue to work, in hospitals throughout my career which are leading the way in improving the health and well-being of children and families across the globe.”

Penny was born in Cork, Ireland, where he completed his medical degree at University College Cork, The National University of Ireland. He trained and practiced at top pediatric institutions, such as The Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, where he served as chief of Cardiology before joining Texas Children’s. Penny also is a founding director of the Australia and New Zealand Children’s Heart Research Centre, a collaborative network for multicenter research across Australia and New Zealand. His research bridges cardiac physiology and clinical studies of congenital heart disease. In 2010 he was awarded his involvement in developing a Cardiovascular Institute in Hue City, Central Vietnam, for which he received the “For People’s Health” Award from the Vietnamese government.

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FFirst, it was the construction of Texas Children’s new pediatric community hospital in The Woodlands slated to open in 2017. Now, a new David Clinic will be built at The Woodlands campus, which means children affected by immune deficiencies will receive world class care and diagnosis in their own community.

On June 4, David Elementary School presented Texas Children’s with a donation of more than $38,000 raised by students and families that will be used to construct the new facility.

The facility will serve as an extension of the already established David Center at Texas Children’s main campus, which provides care and research for primary immune deficiencies, which are inborn diseases of the immune system that make children susceptible to auto immunity and infectious diseases.

“With the growing city of Houston and Texas Children’s Hospital facilities, it makes sense to put an extension of the David Center in David’s own community and in our new hospital in The Woodlands to increase awareness and provide greater access to patient care and treatment,” said Dr. Jordan Orange, chief of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology at Texas Children’s.

The David Clinic and the David Center are named in honor of David Vetter, the Texas Children’s Hospital patient from the 1970s known as the “Bubble Boy,” who suffered from Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), which required him to live in a plastic bubble to protect him from germs and bacteria.

“This rare illness that David succumbed to affects about 1 in 50,000 babies,” said Dr. Orange. “Due to remarkable advances in immunology research and treatment, this immune deficiency is almost 100 percent curable if identified within the first three months of life.”

Since December 2012, every baby born in Texas is screened for SCID to ensure prompt diagnosis and best outcomes.

Besides the generous gift from David Elementary School, which is also named after Vetter, the school hosted David’s Dream Run last month. This annual event has raised more than $350,000 since its inception and all proceeds support The David Center and its research. All funds from the run through 2016 will support construction of the David Clinic in The Woodlands.

To learn more about David, visit the artifacts exhibit on the third floor of the Feigin Center in the Allergy and Immunology department. The David Center Wall on the ninth floor of the Clinical Care Center features a collection of photos highlighting David’s long-term association with Texas Children’s.

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On 14 West Tower, there is a new four-bed unit designated solely for diabetes patients who visit our hospital’s inpatient units. It’s a small area that’s going to make a big difference, maybe even help save lives.

The plans for the unit began as part of Delivering On the Vision (DOTV), the hospital wide effort to impact patient care and outcomes. DOTV created a Care Process Team to combat Diabetic Ketoacidosis or DKA. DKA is a life-threatening condition that diabetics encounter which could affect morbidity and mortality. The team discussed the work processes and potential areas of focus for quality improvement, deciding that a diabetes center of excellence was vital in improving our patient care and outcomes for diabetic patients.

“The dedicated Diabetes Care Unit allows for highly specialized care by a cohesive, expert team in a location where care is brought to the patient,” said Rhonda Wolfe, who is leading the Care Process Team along with Dr. Rona Sonabend. “The impact of a highly trained, expert team will mean improved quality, decreased length of stay, better preparation for discharge and ultimately better outcomes for our patients and families.”

Bedside nurses received advanced training to enhance their expertise with this patient population. This team is able to provide focused, expert care, involving all disciplines and providing a care model that is accessible, regardless of time of day or day of the week.

The team continues to receive ongoing training and will prepare for higher acuity patient admissions to the Diabetes Care Unit this coming fall.

June 3, 2014

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The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is known around the world as perhaps the most prestigious medical publication. The peer-reviewed medical journal publishes research, editorials, review articles and case reports and is a window into the world of medicine. So when the work of three Texas Children’s advanced practice nurses was selected to be published in the journal, they were thrilled about their findings being shared with medical professionals around the world.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Amy McCay, director of Advanced Practice Providers Elizabeth “Charley” Elliott, and Nurse Scientist Marlene Walden produced an instructional video on Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter PICC placement in neonates with information on what the complications can be. “Being recognized as a nurse published in a medical journal elevates the science of nursing,” Elliot said. “The selection involves a rigorous process that evaluates manuscripts for scientific accuracy and importance.”

The three learned so much from their investigation that they wanted to share their findings in a publication that would be seen around the globe. They submitted an instructional video on PICC placement in the neonatal patient population and a written overview of the process. The nurses hoped that sharing the knowledge they gained would help other nurses learn the best method for this procedure and how to avoid complications.

“The video is innovative and offers clinicians an opportunity to see into the procedure,” Elliott said. “It brings the process together for those who need visuals and brings the work to a whole new level.”

The journal receives more than 5,000 submissions a year and only about five percent are actually selected and published. All submissions are reviewed by panels of experts that review the current literature and determine if what is being submitted is relevant to current practice and represents evidence.

For the nurses, the process of submission started in 2011 when they began to determine the patients who would be involved in the video, the information that would be presented and how to best present this procedure.

Once submitted, a panel of experts reviews for content, relevance, and best evidence available before they will consent to publish in the journal. Most of the articles published are submitted by physicians and researchers, so the nurses were honored to be selected.

As Elliot puts it, “To have a nurse published in a medical journal is big and validating.”