April 11, 2017

One of the newest additions to Texas Children’s health system is Texas Children’s Specialty Care Bellaire.

The clinic at 6330 West Loop South opened April 3 and offers services in otolaryngology, orthopedics, X-ray and audiology.

“This is an exciting day for us as we have wanted to be in Bellaire for quite some time,” said Kara Abrameit, assistant director of ambulatory services at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. “Being here provides an opportunity to area children and their families to access health care that will make a difference in their lives.”

Six of the exam rooms at the clinic near Bissonnet Street are dedicated to otolaryngology services and the other six are for orthopedic care. There also are five rooms – two sound booths, an auditory brainstem response (ABR) room and a hearing aid fitting space – for audiology, a cast room and two radiology areas.

The radiology space can be used for patients at the specialty care location or for patients referred to the clinic for X-rays by other providers within the Texas Children’s system. Additional space in the office building where the clinic is housed is available for future expansion.

Chief Surgical Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus Dr. Allen Milewicz said the new clinic is a great example of how Texas Children’s continues to expand access to its high-level of pediatric care. “We will be able to deliver a level of convenience we weren’t able to previously provide,” Milewicz said. “It’s perfect for people living in this area and beyond.”

Staff at the clinic provide specialized clinical and diagnostic care.

“Everyone here has a passion for what they do and a desire to create a comfortable and caring atmosphere for our patients and their families,” said April Martin, manager of Texas Children’s Specialty Care Bellaire. “The new team has come together quickly with the goal of providing the highest quality of pediatric care.”

The Friends of the Baylor Faculty Wives Quilting Group visited with Dr. William Shearer, Terry Raburn, and Theresa Aldape to present quilts for newborns with perinatal exposure to HIV. The group formerly known as The Baylor Faculty Wives Quilting Group and now the daughters and granddaughters of the founding group are quilting beautiful quilts for the newborns seen at Texas Children’s Hospital. This group of quilters has been handcrafting colorful quilts and presenting them to Dr. Shearer for more than 25 years. Several of the quilts presented this year are in memory of Eileen Colquhoun who introduced her daughters to the quilt program and lovingly sewed many quilts herself throughout the years. Each quilt has “With Love and Comfort to You” written on the back panel, and it is signed with the first name of the quilter.

The quilting project known as the “Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt” emerged from a national project started in the mid-1980s, and it was presented across the country. When a loved one passed away due to the complications of AIDS, the family and friends would sew and dedicate a special quilt in their memory. The quilt panels were sewn together to show the increasing number of people who lost their battle to AIDS. Today, the quilt is the largest piece of community folk art in the world. People around the world continue to quilt blankets for newborns with HIV exposure and for children, adolescents, and adults living with HIV/AIDS.

This year the Friends of the Baylor Faculty Wives Quilting Group brought an array of beautifully handcrafted quilts for the newborns being tested for HIV, and seen in the Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology Department at Texas Children’s. We welcome the quilters every year and provide the quilts for newborns seen in the clinic or Clinical Research Center in the Abercrombie Building. The parents of newborns cherish their quilts, and we often see them with their treasured quilt blanket when they return for their appointments at Texas Children’s.

To quilt for newborns and children affected by HIV, please contact Theresa Aldape or call ext. 4-1385.

On Wednesday, April 19, Texas Children’s Green Team will host our annual Earth Day celebration. But it will be slightly different than last year. We will have four locations for employees to join in on the fun.

  • Texas Children’s Medical Center Campus (The Auxiliary Bridge) – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Texas Children’s West Campus – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Texas Children’s Health Plan (large conference room in basement of Chase building) – 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands – Tree planting event only

Dozens of vendors will be available to provide eco-friendly, cost-saving tips to employees including how to become more energy efficient, tips on eating green, as well as ways to reduce waste and recycle more to promote a cleaner, healthier planet. Earl the Bear will be greeting guests at West Campus and Captain Clean Up will be at the Main Campus event.

The Green Team will be handing out customized Green Team water bottles and seeded confetti packets at the Green Team tables – so be sure to get there early since supplies are limited. Also, there will be a trivia game to test your knowledge on tips to go green for a chance to win prizes and several informational handouts will be distributed to employees.

Safe disposal of expired medications
Pharmacy will be hosting the Medication Disposal and Medication Take Back Program at Main Campus and West Campus only. Please bring expired or unused medications for proper disposal at the event.

Tree planting events
10 a.m. – Vice President Matt Schaefer and other leaders will be present for the tree planting at West Campus.

There will be a tree planting event at The Woodlands. The time and location have yet to be determined.

Stay tuned to Connect for more details about Texas Children’s Earth Day celebrations. Also, if you’d like to reach out to the Green Team with your green ideas, email teamgreen@texaschildrens.org.

March 29, 2017

On March 24, country singer-songwriter, RaeLynn, celebrated the release of her debut album, WildHorse, at Texas Children’s Hospital. The day was filled with excitement as the Baytown native made her first donation from The RaeLynn Diabetes Fund to the hospital, which she credits for saving her life when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12.

Dr. Jake Kushner, chief of diabetes and endocrinology at Texas Children’s, accepted the gift on behalf of the hospital and thanked RaeLynn for her support of patients just like her.

“We are honored to have this emphasis on Type 1 diabetes, which is a special source of passion for us at Texas Children’s Hospital,” Kushner said. “For those of us who have spent our lives dedicated to the children who have Type 1 diabetes, it’s also very important to us to see adults who are living with the disease, too.”

Because of RaeLynn’s special contributions to the city of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner was on hand to proclaim March 24 “RaeLynn Day.”

“On behalf of the city of Houston, we are so proud of you and know that your best days are ahead of you,” Turner said. “I’m always thrilled to support the amazing talent that comes from the city of Houston.”

Following the proclamation, patients joined RaeLynn in the hospital’s Kids’ Own Studio to listen to songs off of her album and smile for photos.

“The care that this hospital gave me at such a young age and the confidence it gave me to just be really comfortable with my diabetes is just absolutely incredible,” RaeLynn said. “I’m so honored to be able to stand here today and give from my diabetes fund on a day that is so special to me.”

More about RaeLynn

RaeLynn’s breakthrough came after appearing on NBC’s hit show, The Voice, in 2012. Since then, her career as soared with her current single “Love Triangle” reaching sales milestones and the music video racking up more than 5 million views. Recently nominated for the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards fan-voted THE FRESHEST! – BEST NEW ARTIST COUNTRY and selected as a 2017 “Country Artist to Watch” by Pandora Radio, Napster and Billboard, RaeLynn has tallied 104 million plus cumulative career streams.

She is poised to follow in the early success of her Top 10, GOLD-certified song “God Made Girls” that has racked up more than 925,000 track equivalent sales and has been streamed more than 48 million times. The track was nominated in 2016 for Radio Disney’s Favorite Country Song, earned her recognition as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country and was the highest charting debut single by a solo female in 2014. The music video has accumulated more than 28 million views and earned her a pair of CMT Music Award nominations for Female Video of the Year and Breakthrough Video of the Year in 2015.

More about Texas Children’s Diabetes and Endocrine Care Center

The Texas Children’s Diabetes and Endocrine Care Center is a leader in the research and treatment of children with diabetes and endocrine disorders. The center provides diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of endocrine dysfunctions, including:

  • congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  • growth hormone deficiency
  • hypo/hyperthyroidism
  • hyper/hypocalcemia
  • precocious puberty

We also treat and educate both established and newly diagnosed diabetes patients and their families in self-management of all aspects of types 1 and 2 diabetes.

It’s time to lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement! Texas Children’s and the Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run are hosting the inaugural family fun run event this year in The Woodlands. Registration is open but spots are filling up fast. So, sign up today to guarantee a spot for you and your family.

The Family Fun Run event at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands will be on Saturday, April 29. The event will offer a 1-mile course and will be in celebration of the April 11 grand opening of the new hospital. Post-race activities will follow until 11 a.m.

Registration for the The Woodlands Family Fun Run will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 17 or whenever we reach our maximum event capacity of 1,500 runners. Click here to register.

Participants – including those who need walkers and wheelchairs – are welcome. There will not be prizes given to top finishers as all participants will receive an award for taking part in an event designed to educate and encourage Houston-area families to adopt active, healthy lifestyles.

Additional information, including training guides, a video from last year’s event and volunteer opportunities can be found here.

Good luck and happy running!

March 21, 2017

The Auxiliary Gift Shop recently opened its new location on the first floor of the Pavilion for Women.

The gift shop replaces the Pavilion Express gift shop near the Fresh Bistro and is conveniently located for patients, families, employees and volunteers just off the main lobby of the Pavilion for Women.

The shop features a variety of gifts, fresh flowers, candy, snacks and drinks. Its hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The nursing team on 14 West Tower (WT) has reached an impressive milestone – 500 days and counting without a Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI). Training, practice, diligence, team work and a collaborative focus on safety contributed to this team accomplishment.

Several new patient safety procedures were implemented to achieve this goal. Twice a year, each nurse on the unit completed return demonstration on a sterile dressing change and a sterile cap change during Critical Competency sessions, and thereafter got checked off on these skills at least once per quarter.

The unit recently started a new system in which all nurses are divided into three groups. Each group is assigned to a specific time of the year. During their assigned time, they work with central line champions to verify their central line maintenance techniques are up to par and are given real time live feedback. These observations ensure that each nurse performs these specialized skills in the safest and most evidence-based manner.

“We care for many patients on 14 WT who have central lines,” said Karen Santos, nightshift patient care manager on 14 WT. “Our team has been greatly involved and highly motivated to learn and diligently follow all of the correct steps and processes it takes to care for central lines.”

The Unit Quality Practice Council members also have been involved in these efforts to prevent CLABSIs by engaging all staff members on the importance of proper care of central lines. The unit has six nurses who volunteered to become central line champions. They attend monthly meetings to learn more about central line care, share any new knowledge and information with the rest of the team, complete monthly observations of central line care and access, help with annual check-offs, and act as safety advocates for our patients with central lines.

The 14 WT team takes pride in keeping our patients healthy, safe, and free of central line infections. The unit’s leadership team recognized this 500-day milestone with an early morning breakfast celebration to show how proud and appreciative they are of each and every nurse who helped bring this goal to fruition.

The countdown of success is constantly on display to remind 14 WT team members to keep patient safety on the forefront of their minds. Safety is our priority!