Now that the holidays are over and many of us are getting back into our daily routine, we asked Texas Children’s employees to share their New Year’s resolutions for 2018.
Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace is committed to meeting every employee at Texas Children’s, and one way he does that is during his new employee reception.
This past reception was filled with team spirit, Texas Children’s pride, and a high-energy atmosphere as the reception has been re-branded into a New Employee Pep Rally! During the Pep Rally, new employees had the opportunity to hear from and meet Wallace while celebrating Texas Children’s employees, staff and culture.
The pep rally style reception falls in line with Texas Children’s recently rebranded new employee orientation called Texas Children’s Hi.
More than 500 new employees were invited to attend the Pep Rally on November 27 and from the moment team members arrived, they shared their excitement to be with Texas Children’s! Red foam fingers, megaphones, and pom-poms helped fire up team spirit, while pictures of each Texas Children’s Hi class scrolled like a virtual “Yearbook” for all attendees to enjoy.
New employees, leaders, and assigned “buddies” mixed, mingled, and snapped selfies around the room. To close the event, team captain – Wallace – celebrated what our team had accomplished and what’s ahead as our one amazing team keeps growing!
Congratulations 2017 Armadillo Class!
We understand that the start of a new year brings new motivation to focus on your own health and well-being, and Texas Children’s is committed to supporting you in achieving your wellness goals. Since May 2015, more than 1,000 employees have taken advantage of our partnership with Weight Watchers. There are at-work lunchtime meetings at three Texas Children’s locations: Main Campus, The Woodlands, and Health Plan. Now, we are incredibly excited to highlight a new program, Weight Watchers Freestyle.
How does Weight Watchers Freestyle work?
WW Freestyle makes deciding what to eat much easier, freeing you to focus on what really matters in your weight-loss journey: nourishing your whole self and doing more of the things that you enjoy. The program is personalized based on your age, height, weight and gender to ensure you receive sufficient energy and nutrients.
The core of the program is based on the latest nutritional science and Weight Watchers has kept the SmartPoints system. Every food and drink is still on the menu. Now, more than 200 foods have a SmartPoints value of 0, including some surprises like chicken, fish, eggs, corn, beans and more! The best part is that zero-point foods don’t need to be tracked or measured, so you can spend less time counting and more time enjoying your food and your life.
WW Freestyle also introduces rollover points. For many people, Mondays are pretty different from Saturdays when it comes to eating. Rollovers give you flexibility to use fewer SmartPoints values one day and have up to four extra points rolled over into your bank for the days you need them the most.
For frequently asked questions about the Weight Watchers Freestyle program, click here.
As part of our partnership with Weight Watchers, Texas Children’s employees are eligible to receive the following:
50 percent off monthly at-work and community meetings pass
50 percent off monthly online pass
Ability to attend unlimited at-work or community meetings
Optional weekly, confidential weigh-ins to help you stay accountable
eTools to track points and activity, browse recipes and receive social support
24/7 online chat support
Ready to enroll?
Enroll in Weight Watchers between January 2-19, to receive a free Jumpstart Kit.
In the past several weeks, Texas Children’s has seen an increase in confirmed flu cases among both our patients and employees. In order to prevent the spread of infection and protect yourself and others from the flu, please remember to perform the following good health habits:
Stay home when you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
If you begin to feel sick with flu-like symptoms while at work, please call the Employee Medical Clinic at 832-824-2424.
When possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Wash your hands often.
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home and at work, especially when someone is ill.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
The single best way to prevent the flu or reducing the severity of the illness is getting vaccinated. Please contact Employee Health at 832-824-2150, option 2, for more information.
Flu Vaccine participation update
We are pleased to announce that Texas Children’s has achieved a 91 percent flu vaccination rate, with 11,712 employees receiving the vaccine to date. Although we are excited to reach this level of participation, we still want to encourage employees to get vaccinated. It is not too late!
If you elect to decline the flu vaccine this year, you are required to complete a 2017 Flu Declination Form. Prior to completing the declination form, review the Flu Vaccine Information Statement (VIS). The declination form can be found on the Employee Health and Wellness Portal. Follow these instructions:
Proceed and log in. If this is your first time logging into the portal, please click “Having trouble logging in” to reset your password.
Once you log in, click on the “Forms” tab, then select the 2017 – Flu Declination Form.
For a visual guide to logging onto the portal, click here.
As a reminder, staff who do not receive their flu vaccine should wear a surgical mask when providing direct patient care services for the duration of the flu season. See Required Influenza Vaccination Policy and Procedure for more details.
Thank you for getting your flu vaccine and following good health habits to prevent the spread of germs to your patients and colleagues.
December 20, 2017
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers patients and their families at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands got to shake hands with an extra special visitor last week thanks to the centers’ clinical director Dr. Ricardo Flores.
Flores and Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa are close friends, both being from Puerto Rico and organizing joint relief efforts after their homeland was battered by two hurricanes earlier this year. As a favor to Flores and as the result of a genuine desire to brighten a child’s day, Correa stopped by Texas Children’s newest community hospital on December 15 and spent a few hours shaking hands, posing for pictures and signing autographs.
“This time of year should be a time of happiness for children,” Correa said. “Hopefully I can be a distraction for them, even if it’s for a short time.”
Several employees who saw the famous baseball player interact with the patients teared up and said Correa’s time at the hospital definitely made a difference.
“These kids have been through so much,” said Ashlee Krueger, a nurse with the Cancer Center. “It’s very touching to see them smile, laugh and have some fun.”
Flores said he is grateful to be able to arrange such an extraordinary visit for his patients, their families and some of the hospital’s employees.
“These children are the real champions,” he said. “They know what it means to fight and strive to stay strong each and every day.”
Click here to read more about Flores’ efforts in Puerto Rico.
From festive holiday decorations to trees decked out in ornaments and lights, it sure is beginning to look and feel a lot like the holidays at Texas Children’s.
Throughout the month of December, the Child Life Department and Volunteer Services collaborated with several organizations in the community to spread holiday cheer to patients and their families. From Texas Children’s Medical Center campus to Texas Children’s West Campus and The Woodlands campus, employees organized numerous fun activities for the kids that brought plenty of smiles and laughter to their faces.
Besides the annual tree lighting events to kick off the spirit of giving, children participated in holiday arts and crafts, built their own gingerbread houses and got their pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Bennet’s Bears and United Airlines surprised inpatients with a special delivery of stuffed teddy bears. Texas Children’s beloved therapy dog Elsa also joined in on the festivities at the hospital.
Santa Claus also made his way to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women to spread some holiday cheer – but he wasn’t the only one dressed up in red. Babies in the NICU were dressed in their own tiny Santa hats and booties.
The visit from Santa was hosted by the hospital’s Newborn Center Family Advisory Committee and First Memories Texas, a volunteer group that helps families with babies in the NICU and CVICU at Texas Children’s to make memories and tell their children’s stories through photography.
It’s been nearly four months since Hurricane Harvey stormed through Texas, displacing more than 1 million residents and damaging some 200,000 homes while taking more than 80 lives. The destruction stretched more than 300 miles, and it’s estimated that repairs and rebuilding will cost billions of dollars.
Immediately after the storm, many employees donated time and resources to help fellow team members get back on their feet. Employees donated over 2,500 hours from their “Harvey Days” and more than $200,000 to the Employee Financial Assistance Fund. More than 670 requests were received for support related to Harvey, and the fund has been a great source of relief for many.
“We are fortunate to be able to help members of our Texas Children’s family who are in need of assistance after the storm. Many employees and their families are still living in temporary housing and haven’t begun to realize the total amount of recovery costs ahead of them,” said Employee Assistance Program Manager Brent LoCaste-Wilken. “We also are very appreciative and proud of those who have already donated their time and money to help co-workers. This type of generosity illustrates our culture of unity and compassion.”
Almost $550,000 in financial aid and $73,850 in gift cards have been provided to employees thus far. But the road to full recovery will be long for many, and every bit of additional support helps.
A text-to-give option has been created to make giving as easy as possible. Text TEAMTCH to 50555 to give $10 to the Employee Financial Assistance Fund. When prompted, reply to confirm.*
For payroll deduction, log into MOLI and select Employee Giving, then click the EFAF button. For credit card and PayPal, click here.
*Charges will appear on your wireless bill or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder, and you must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Msg & Data rates may apply. Text STOP to 50555 to STOP. Text HELP to 50555 for HELP. Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy: mGive.org/P.
We understand that the start of a new year brings new motivation to focus on your own health and well-being, and Texas Children’s is committed to supporting you in achieving your wellness goals. Since May 2015, more than 1,000 employees have taken advantage of our partnership with Weight Watchers. There are at-work lunchtime meetings at three Texas Children’s locations: Main Campus, The Woodlands, and Health Plan. Now, we are incredibly excited to highlight a new program, Weight Watchers Freestyle.
In the past several weeks, Texas Children’s has seen an increase in confirmed flu cases among both our patients and employees. In order to prevent the spread of infection and protect yourself and others from the flu, please remember to perform the following good health habits:
It’s been nearly four months since Hurricane Harvey stormed through Texas, displacing more than 1 million residents and damaging some 200,000 homes while taking more than 80 lives. The destruction stretched more than 300 miles, and it’s estimated that repairs and rebuilding will cost billions of dollars.