March 7, 2017

Hundreds of children recently gathered with hospital staff on The Auxiliary Bridge of Texas Children’s Hospital and outside the main entrance of Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus to participate in one of the medical system’s most popular events – the annual teddy bear clinic.

During the clinic, children are given the opportunity to act out the roles of various health care staff such as doctors, nurses, therapists and technicians. Children pretend to perform a variety of tests, exams and therapies to diagnosis their Teddy bear’s symptoms and heal its body.

Hosted by Child Life to celebrate national Child Life Week, the event celebrates our patients and families and how the intimate world of play is used to encourage children’s learning and support children’s coping.

February 28, 2017

On February 23, Texas Children’s therapy dog, Elsa, celebrated her second birthday with a party thrown by patients and staff in The Zone at West Tower. To commemorate her special day, Elsa donned a colorful tutu, party hat and a birthday bandana. As you’ll see, she loved being the center of attention.

Elsa spent time greeting patients and guests, playing with her new toys, and after the children sang her a “Happy birthday” song, it didn’t take long for her to devour a dog-friendly peanut butter birthday cake.

The party also included an area where children decorated cookies and engaged in arts and crafts.

Texas Children’s wishes Elsa a very happy birthday!

At Texas Children’s, we are a community that cares for our patients, their families and each other, so as we get ready to celebrate National Nutrition Month® in March, it is important to remember that healthy eating is always in season.

To celebrate this year’s theme, Put Your Best Fork Forward, the Food and Nutrition Services department, in partnership with Employee Health and Well-Being, is sponsoring several events throughout the month of March. Whether you are planning meals to prepare at home or making selections when eating out, Put Your Best Fork Forward to help find your healthy eating choices. Throughout March, there will be several events and resources offered across the organization:

Celebrating National Nutrition Month Event

This event will teach you how to incorporate healthy fats into your diet, show you which foods have the most protein, provide healthy eating strategies, and much more. Our Texas Children’s health coach and registered dietitians will be present to answer your nutrition questions. We hope to see you there!

Thursday, March 16
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
West Campus, DOTS Kitchen corridor

Wednesday, March 22
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Main Campus, The Auxiliary Bridge

Well-Being Wednesdays
Join our Fresh Bistro chefs every Wednesday to enjoy a healthy meal while our registered dietitians and Well-Being Team provide nutritional facts and creative cooking tips.

  • Wednesday, March 8 – Taco Salad Bar with Chef Joseph
  • Wednesday, March 15 – Vietnamese Pho Station with Chef Kenya
  • Wednesday, March 22 – Gyro Station with Chef Dee
  • Wednesday, March 29 – Taco Salad Bar with Chef Lyle

Pavilion for Women, Fresh Bistro
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Healthy Plentiful Bowl Promotion at Fresh Bistro

Starting Monday, March 6, through Friday, March 31, if you purchase a minimum of five healthy plentiful bowls from the Wild Greens Salad Station, you will receive one at no cost. To learn more about the promotion, visit the Fresh Bistro at the Pavilion for Women.

Skinny Latte Challenge and Breakfast Meal Samples

Can you taste the difference between a regular latte and a skinny latte? Our registered dietitians will provide these latte options to see if you can tell difference. Enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card from Snap Kitchen.

Thursday, March 9
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Clinical Care Center Food Court and West Campus DOTS Kitchen corridor

Friday, March 24
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Meyer Building lobby
*Healthy breakfast samples will be provided!

Weekly Nutrition Tips

We are excited to announce that beginning March 1, you can receive year-round weekly nutrition and well-being tips by texting WellBeing to 882-02 (message and data rates may apply).

Check out the Texas Children’s Blog and Voice of Nursing Blog during the month of March for weekly tips about healthy eating and proper nutrition.

Resources to Support Your Nutrition

The Employee Health and Well-Being Team provides a variety of nutrition resources:
Snap Kitchen – 10 percent off purchases in store
Weight Watchers – 50 percent subsidy on membership
Health Coaching Program – no cost for Texas Children’s employees
Nutrition Consulting – no cost for Texas Children’s employees

#NationalNutritionMonth, #TexasChildrens

Use these hashtags and share pictures of your healthy meals, at work, home or while dining out, throughout the month of March. You can also submit your healthy meal photos to culture@texaschildrens.org to join our photo gallery on Connect.

For more information about proper nutrition and National Nutrition Month events at Texas Children’s, please visit the Well-being website on Connect or email wellbeing@texaschildrens.org.

As part of our commitment to our employees’ health and well-being, Texas Children’s is excited to announce the opening of an Employee Medical Clinic at West Campus.

When will clinical services be available?

Beginning Wednesday, March 1, employees at West Campus, as well as in nearby Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices, can access clinical services on the first and third Wednesday of each month. To provide convenient access, the medical clinic will share office space with the Employee Health Clinic located on the second floor of West Campus. Hours of operations will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. While scheduled appointments are preferred, walk-in patients will be worked into the schedule based on availability.

What services can I receive?

Dr. Irene M. Lomeda, from our clinic in the Texas Medical Center, will be the physician on-site. In addition to primary and urgent care services, the following services will also be offered:

  • Annual physicals/well-woman/well-men exams
  • Rapid strep, flu, glucose, urinalysis, and pregnancy testing
  • Chronic disease management for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease
  • Phone consultations (for established patients) for treatment of non-emergency medical issues
  • Vaccinations (meningococcal, papilloma virus, pneumococcal and shingles)
  • Travel medicine (limited)
  • Health Coaching program

Employees enrolled in Texas Children’s medical insurance plans will have a $10 co-pay per visit. Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us; your information will be secure via confidential electronic medical records, which is hosted externally.

To learn more about the services offered at the new Employee Medical Clinic at West Campus, please click here.

February 21, 2017

More than 600 employees and staff with 12,480 combined years of Texas Children’s service and expertise were honored last week at the organization’s 29th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration.

Held on February 14 at the Bayou Event Center, Valentine’s Day provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the heart of Texas Children’s past, present and future and recognize our long-time honorees and award recipients for their continued passion and commitment to the mission of Texas Children’s.

“There is a lot of love and dedication in this room today,” said Human Resources Senior Vice President Linda Aldred. “There is more history here today than we can probably imagine when we think about the stories and the milestones we have accomplished together.”

Inside a large ballroom decked out in lavish decor, students from Houston’s Parker Elementary Chorus serenaded the crowd before the awards presentation got underway.

After lunch, each honoree was led down a red carpet and onto a stage where President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline and Texas Children’s Board of Trustee member Michael Linn shook their hands and thanked them for their 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 and 45 years of service at Texas Children’s.

In addition to long-time honorees, the ceremony recognized recipients of the Best of the West, Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership, Smiles and Super Star awards.

“All of you have been such a powerful part of Texas Children’s growth and development,” Wallace said. “Because of your infinite passion for the mission of Texas Children’s, we are able to reach more children and women beyond the Texas Medical Center and even beyond the great state of Texas.”

Christina Atiba, a nurse in the Pulmonary Adolescent Endocrine Unit, has worked at Texas Children’s for 25 years and loves her job. While she enjoys taking care of children, she admires the organization’s commitment to advancing the educational and professional development opportunities for employees.

“The hospital has a developmental plan for every employee, and the sky is the limit at Texas Children’s,” Atiba said. “You can be whatever you want to be and they support you every way they can.”

The annual event was a day to celebrate accomplishments and honor those who have done so much to carry out the values and the mission of Texas Children’s to ensure we meet the health care needs of our patients and their families.

“We will always be grateful for your commitment and hard work, and we will always recognize you,” Aldred said. “We will always celebrate you in everything we have achieved together.”

Congratulations to all of our honorees!

Click here for a copy of the event’s program, including a complete list of honorees. Click here to watch the photo gallery.

Want to be part of the largest USATriathlon sanctioned kids triathlon in the world? Sign up to volunteer for the 2017 Houston Texans Kids Triathlon.

Presented by Texas Children’s Hospital, the event will be Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 at NRG Stadium. Drawing more than 3,000 participants ages 6 to 15, the event aims to help build a generation of healthy, active responsible children.

Volunteers are needed for everything from course set-up and clean-up to registration, expo and race-day assistance. Click here to learn more and to sign up to be a 2017 Houston Texans Kids Triathlon volunteer.

February 14, 2017

Texas Children’s therapy dog Elsa is almost two years old and she sure knows how to warm patients’ hearts on Valentine’s Day.

Wearing a bright red heart-shaped necklace, Elsa and her handler, Sarah Herbek, were busy making their rounds on the inpatient floors of West Tower bringing plenty of smiles to children’s faces.

“Knock, knock, Elsa is here delivering Valentine’s,” Herbek said as she and Elsa visited 6-year-old Texas Children’s patient Abigail Arias in her hospital room.

“She is so beautiful,” Abigail said, as Elsa surprised her with a pink heart-shaped Valentine’s Day card while Abigail’s parents, grandparents and brother looked on with excitement.

Making these special deliveries to patient families was enjoyable for Elsa too. With every card delivery, she received a reward – whether it was a hug, a pet on the head, a tummy rub or a few treats from her handler.

Christian Edmonds is grateful to Texas Children’s for allowing a therapy dog to visit patients, like his 7-year-old daughter Isabel, who is an oncology patient here. Having Elsa drop by made her day extra special.

“Isabel really likes dogs and having someone bring Elsa to visit her, really helped to break up the monotony of being in a hospital room all day,” Edmonds said. “This was very special to Isabel.”

The cards that Elsa delivered were made by Girl Scout troops and schools from elementary to college levels. Several Texas Children’s departments – The Central Business Office and Social Workers – made several as well.