April 29, 2014

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After announcing the new quarterly, “Best of the West” recognition program, West Campus leaders received numerous nominations for worthy employees. The “Best of the West” program was designed specifically to recognize and honor those individuals at West Campus who excel in exhibiting the characteristics outlined in the Texas Children’s Hospital Guiding Principles.

Ruth Avila, a patient interpreter liaison, has been selected as the first ever “Best of the West” recipient. Ruth joined Texas Children’s in 2003, and she has been a part of the West Campus team since its inception. Ruth’s nomination describes her work as a volunteer co-facilitator for a support group of Spanish speaking families whose children are being cared for in the Hematology & Oncology Center at West Campus. She is described as always having a positive attitude that is contagious to those around her. Her nomination also describes her empathy and cultural sensitivity for our patients and their families. Below are some words shared about Ruth:

“Ruth is the perfect person to obtain the first “Best of the West” award as she is one of the first employees at West Campus and is known for her compassion and professional approach. She transferred to West Campus from the Main Campus and continues to maintain excellent relationships with Language Services at Main Campus which supports seamless care for our patients. Last year, Ruth completed oral and written examinations and achieved certification as a national medical interpreter, ahead of many of her peers. Ruth is an expert in all aspects of her profession including interpreting, translation of written documents, telephonic and video procedures. Ruth often tells me she loves her job and it certainly shows!”

Congratulations to Ruth. Take time to nominate the next Best of the West employee. (This link will only open internally)

connect anywhere

Texas Children’s is a big place with lots going on, and sometimes it’s tough to keep a pulse on it all. With that in mind, Texas Children’s Internal and Corporate Communications team has launched a new website – www.texaschildrensnews.org – to put all of the organization’s top news at employees’ fingertips.

Texaschildrensnews.org launched in February and already has had nearly 18,000 views.

“The best thing about this site is that we finally have created a place where staff and employees can access Texas Children’s news easily,” said Angela Hudson, assistant director of Internal and Corporate Communications.

The site was launched to complement the team’s weekly news cycle. The team updates the Connect intranet site every Tuesday with five to six top news stories, which rotate in the homepage photo carousel. On Wednesdays, the team emails the Connect News enewsletter to all staff and employees featuring the week’s new headlines.

“Connect News now links you directly to the new texaschildrensnews.org, and you can get there from a mobile phone, tablet or computer at home or work,” Hudson said. “This was really important to us – It’s important to provide this access to our audience. There’s no logging in, no passwords, no firewalls. Just hop on, take a quick read and stay informed.”

In addition to the new site, the team also will debut a refreshed design for the weekly Connect News enewsletter this week. Connect News first launched in summer 2012 and was significant in helping decrease the amount of global email traffic within the organization. The new, cleaner look complements the Connect site and the new external news site and will continue to be emailed weekly.

“We’re committed to telling and sharing the Texas Children’s story internally,” Hudson said. “After all, our ‘story’ revolves around our staff and employees and their amazing work. Our team’s goal is to get them information they want and need, when they need it, as easily as possible.”

Get Connect News sent to your home email
If you don’t have access to your Texas Children’s email on your phone or don’t typically have time to check your email at work, we can send the weekly Connect News enewsletter to a home email address. Just email us at connectnews@texaschildrens.org.

Watch the newest “Super Star” video featuring partner Lindsey Gurganious in Intensive Care West Tower. “Being given this award reminded me that no matter what your role is at Texas Children’s, you have a part in our patient’s and their family’s lives,” Lindsey said. Check out her video, and find out how you and your coworkers can nominate a Super Star to be featured in the “Super Star” section on Connect.

Texas Children’s Autism Center promoted awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at a recent bridge event. They provided information about ASD, early intervention services and community resources and were available to answer questions. Also several other non-profit organizations were present to promote awareness and available local services. Stickers for the May 2 Autism Awareness Blue Jeans Day were available for purchase. Contact Stacey Broton at Ext. 4-8385 for stickers.

Event photos:

April 22, 2014

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Hospital photographers place first and fourth in national competition

Texas Children’s Hospital is hosting the 2013-2014 Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) Photo Exhibit, a biennial competition that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The national exhibit, which is on display on the fourth floor of Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women during the month of April, features photographs by Texas Children’s Hospital photographers Paul Kuntz and Allen Kramer. Visit childrenshospitals.net/photoexhibit to view the images.

Kuntz and Kramer received special recognition as their photos were selected as “top 5” photos, chosen from more than 250 photographs submitted by 56 children’s hospitals across the country and internationally. Kuntz placed first in this competition, the second time he has won this honor, and Kramer placed fourth and fifth. This marks the third competition in a row that Kuntz and Kramer have both placed in the top five. Additionally, there are four other images from the duo in the exhibit.

The CHA Photo Exhibit is comprised of 50 poignant and powerful images that portray the everyday heroes in children’s hospitals – brave patients, supportive families and compassionate health care providers.

Additionally, the exhibit’s presence at the hospital coincides with an international Arts & Health conference hosted by Texas Children’s, the Global Alliance for Arts & Health’s 2014 Annual International Conference, Enhancing Lives Through Arts & Health: 25th Anniversary Conference & Celebration. This exhibit truly embraces the goal of the conference which aims to bring much needed attention to the transformative impact the arts have on the healing process.

The CHA photo exhibition has been traveling around the country since last year and will be on display June 23-24 on Capitol Hill in Washington in conjunction with the Association’s Speak Now For Kids Family Advocacy Day event.

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The Spring 2014 graduates of the Texas Children’s Hospital Lean Six Sigma Green Belt program received their certifications at a ceremony on March 31. Since February 2009, the Department of Business Process Transformation has trained more than 150 employees including physicians, directors, managers and other informal leaders including front line staff members on the Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodology. More than 80 percent of the candidates trained in the program went on to complete the requirements for certification, with more students approaching their project close dates this summer.

The Texas Children’s certification recognizes candidates who provide statistically significant evidence that their process improvement project resulted in positive outcomes in quality, cost or cycle time metrics. Certified Green Belts at Texas Children’s include representation from inpatient/outpatient areas, ancillary departments, Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP), Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Baylor and Texas Children’s Physician Service Organization (TCPSO). The certification ceremonies are held annually each spring.

The Department of Business Process Transformation offers Lean Belt Training (a prerequisite for Green Belt) now available for enrollment through the Learning Academy.

Dr. Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI), will receive the 2014 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental biology at a ceremony held in Vancouver on May 5. The award, given annually, honors investigators whose research has profoundly advanced the science that underlies the understanding of birth defects.

Zoghbi’s best known for her pioneering work on Rett syndrome, a cause she first became passionate about after encountering children with the disease during her residency. She’s since been tireless in her efforts to find the genetic cause of the syndrome. In 1999, she was successful in identifying the Rett gene, providing a definitive genetic diagnoses for the condition and allowing a biological understanding and search for treatment.

“Dr. Zoghbi’s contributions to our understanding of several entirely different neurological disorders, including her finding of the genetic basis of Rett syndrome, have opened new areas of research,” says Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, senior vice president for Research and Global Programs at the March of Dimes. “Her work influences the entire field of autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders.”

Rett syndrome is a genetic neurological disease that affects young girls who are born with the disease and develop normally for one to two years until they show progressive loss of motor skills, speech and cognitive abilities. Males with the condition usually die in infancy.

Zoghbi will deliver the 19th annual March of Dimes Lecture titled “Rett Syndrome and MECP2 Disorders: From the Clinic to Genes and Neurobiology,” during the Pediatric Academy Societies annual meeting. She will receive the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology in a special award ceremony held during the meeting. Given annually, the March of Dimes Foundation created the prize in 1995 as a tribute to Dr. Jonas Salk, a pioneer in the development of the polio vaccine.
The March of Dimes Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.