June 12, 2018

Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel just announced an exciting basketball game he will play right here in Houston – and you’re invited! On Saturday, June 16, Kimmel will face off against Senator Ted Cruz at Texas Southern University in a one-on-one charity basketball game benefiting Texas Children’s. Tough questions will be asked, ring ball will be played and Kimmel will interview Cruz live on the court.

Tickets to the event are free, but attendees are encouraged to donate to Texas Children’s.

Details can be found at www.kimmelvscruz.com. Support the hospital and show your spirit by wearing a Texas Children’s shirt to the game!

At Texas Children’s, taking care of our patients and their families begins with taking care of ourselves. In 2017, slips, trips and falls were the No. 1 cause of employee injuries across the organization, and Employee Health and Well-Being and Environmental Health and Safety are teaming up to raise awareness about these safety concerns and how they can be avoided.

There were a total of 184 slip, trip, and fall incidents among our employees last year, resulting in 892 days of restricted duty and 353 lost days of work. To address this important matter, Employee Health and Well-Being and Environmental Health want to help employees practice safe and simple behaviors to prevent slips, trips and falls.

WET FLOORS: Slippery floors are the No. 1 cause of slips and falls.

If you spill something or see a spill, please take responsibility by cleaning up the spill and/or reporting it to Facilities Services by calling ext. 4-5000.

Use caution around wet floor signs and encourage others to do the same.

Be especially cautious on rainy days, as water can be tracked into common areas.

STAIRS: While taking the stairs is great for your health and fitness and provides patients and their families’ priority access to the elevators, stairwells can be hazardous if you are not mindful. To prevent stairwell accidents:

  • Take your time when climbing or descending the stairs and never skip a step.
  • Firmly grasp the handrail at all times.
  • Stay focused and put down distractions such as your phone, food or beverages. As a reminder, food and drinks should not be consumed in common areas.

TRIPPING: To avoid tripping, please be mindful of your surroundings. Often the smallest misstep can cause the greatest injury.

Be alert; always watch where you walk. Keep your cell phones down and make eye contact with our patients and families as well as your colleagues.

Wear shoes with good traction.

If you notice a potential hazard, such as an electrical cord or box, please take the initiative to remove it.

Texas Children’s is proud to serve as a member of the Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety Initiative, with over 130 Children’s Hospitals working together to reduce patient and employee harm. Thank you for practicing these safe behaviors and taking responsibility to ensure we create a safe environment for your co-workers, patients and their families.

If you have any questions, please contact the Well-Being team at wellbeing@texaschildrens.org.

Chief of Plastic Surgery Dr. Edward Buchanan recently read “The Tale of Fenny Fox: The Mental Ninja Emerges” to patients in the library at Texas Children’s Hospital in the Medical Center. Buchanan and his brother Matthew Buchanan published the children’s book as the third installment in a series called the Mental Ninja Series.

The first two books of the series, “The Adventures of the Prickly Pear and the Happy Hoglet: Beginning the Journey of the Mental Ninja” and “Pit Bully: The Mental Ninja Awakens,” introduce readers to a world of characters focused on understanding themselves, their feeling and the control they have over their emotions.

In “The Tale of Fenny Fox: The Mental Ninja Emerges,” the journey continues, with the introduction to more characters and a message about the beauty of differences and the importance those differences play in people’s lives.

For more information about Buchanan’s book series, click here.

June 5, 2018

On May 18, B.I.G. Love Cancer Care teamed up with Kendra Scott to bring the Kendra Cares Program to Texas Children’s Hospital.

The program allows patients to experience the customizable Color Bar by Kendra Scott, a popular jewelry boutique, to pediatric hospitals across the country. The 2-hour event was held at the West campus location, where they provided refreshments and offered patients and their family members an opportunity to make a customized jewelry piece at no cost to them.

B.I.G Love Cancer Care Services is a non-profit, volunteer based organization committed to providing basic necessities and personalized care to cancer kids and their families.

To date, the program has donated over six thousand pieces of jewelry and has rapid national growth plans.

May 29, 2018

The Department of Emergency Management is presenting its 2nd Annual Emergency Management Corridor event:

  • Thursday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – West Campus – First-floor corridor near conference center

Emergency Management will be on hand to help you prepare for hurricane season by offering tips and resources, getting your emergency supplies ready, and making sure you know where to go and what to do during a disaster. There also will be opportunities to join the volunteer Decontamination Team, HAM Radio Club and/or Moulage Team.

Plan to stop by this event to learn safety tips to help you prepare yourself, your family and your patients for the 2018 hurricane season.

May 22, 2018

If your little one was born a performer, now is their chance to do it live at NRG Stadium! Texas Children’s Hospital is sponsoring an event that will give participants the opportunity to practice and perform with the Houston Texans cheerleaders on Saturday, August 18, during the pregame ceremonies of the Houston Texans vs San Francisco 49ers game.

There will be a mandatory uniform fitting on Saturday, June 16, at NRG Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. A mandatory rehearsal also will be held Sunday, August 5, at Houston Methodist Training Center where the children will learn their game day performance routine. Check-in begins at 1:30 p.m. and rehearsal will be from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Children ages 7-11 who love to dance and cheer are invited to participate. Registration is $199 per child and includes a Houston Texans Jr. Cheerleaders uniform, poms, Texans hair bow, post-performance dinner, online instructional video, video link to the game day performance and a one-of-a-kind Houston Texans experience!

Texas Children’s teams up with the Houston Texans to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives through camps, programs and events all year long. We are working alongside the Texans through community engagement and educational programs to emphasize Play 60, the National Football League’s campaign to encourage kids across the country to get off the sidelines and be active for an hour a day or more to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity.

The Houston Texans Jr. Cheer Program is just one of many of the exciting events we’ll take part in throughout the year. Visit texaschildrens.org/texans to read more about Texas Children’s ongoing partnership with the Houston Texans.

Click here to register for and to get more details about the event.

May 15, 2018

Almost 130 children, ages 8 to 12 years old, recently attended “Camp Pump It Up,” a camp for patients with cardiac disease and their siblings.

In existence for almost 20 years, the camp has grown allowing more children to experience a weekend away with other children with heart disease. For many the camp is their first time away from home due to medical concerns, which can be managed by the medical team at camp, but would be an issue at other camps without a specialized medical team.

“Having been the physician for many of them, it is very evident how much this weekend means both to the patients but also to their families,” said Dr. Heather Dickerson, camp director and Texas Children’s cardiologist. “What this camp does for these children has kept me coming back and supporting camp for all of these years.”

During the three-day camp, campers experience horseback riding, zip lining, canoeing, fishing and archery, among other activities, for the first time, giving them to the opportunity to forget for a short time about medicines, clinic visits, tests, surgeries and all else that is involved with having a chronic disease. Long-term friendships often are formed they find out they’re not alone and that there are other children with the same issues.

Staff attending the camp were from the following departments:

Cardiology
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Congenital Heart Surgery
Child Life
Social Work
Occupational and Physical Therapy
Respiratory Care
Perfusion
Biomedical Engineering
Pediatric Radiology
Residents, patients and friends of Texas Children’s
Baylor College of Medicine staff members