April 15, 2022

In a show of support for the millions of Ukrainians who have fled their country and been displaced during the ongoing conflict with Russia, Texas Children’s is launching a week-long Ukraine Donation Drive to collect and ship items directly to the refugees who need them.

The donation effort is a unique opportunity for our team members and members of the community to put our compassion into tangible action, even though we are thousands of miles away from the warzone.

“Texas Children’s stands with the people of Ukraine,” President and CEO Mark A. Wallace said in a global email announcing the donation drive. “We will continue to pray for the refugees who are victims of this senseless tragedy. But along with our prayers, Texas Children’s promises to take bold action and tangibly assist in any way we can.”

Here’s how you can help:

  • Drop an item at a donation box at a Texas Children’s location, or donate funds to purchase items to send to Ukrainian refugees.

From April 18-23, donation boxes will be set up at employee entrances and break areas at multiple hospital, practice and clinic locations. Take a look at this list of the most requested items – including personal, dental, feminine and hygiene products – and drop off your donation at one of the boxes listed below.

To make a monetary donation, visit texaschildrens.org/UkraineDonations. All donated funds will be used to purchase items to send to Ukrainian refugees.

  • Drop by a community donation drive and spread the word to your friends and neighbors.

We’re inviting members of the community to join Texas Children’s in this effort by bringing items to a drive-through donation station at our hospital campuses in the Houston area. Volunteers will collect donations right from donors’ vehicles, then sort and prepare the items for shipping.

    • Medical Center: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday April 18 – Saturday, April 23
    • West Campus: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday April 18 – Saturday, April 23
    • The Woodlands: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday April 18 – Saturday, April 23

Patients with scheduled appointments at Texas Children’s Pediatric and Urgent Care locations in the Houston and Austin areas during the week of April 18 can also drop off small items or donations while they’re in the office.

  • Show your support with a bracelet or button bearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

This is your chance to wear your heart on your sleeve! Starting Monday, April 18, pick up a blue and gold bracelet or pin at no cost at all hospital gift shops and patient screening stations.

  • Volunteer your time. If you have personal time to spare and a desire to serve, consider these two volunteer opportunities.
    • Community Donation Drives (Open to Texas Children’s employees only in accordance with our Employee Volunteers Policy)

Click here to sign up to help with tasks like greeting donors at the drive-through stations and sorting items. We ask that you register for shifts that do not conflict with your scheduled work hours.

Hourly employees who are interested in volunteering during any portion of a scheduled work shift must submit a PTO request to cover the time spent volunteering. Please note, all team members must obtain leadership approval before registering for a volunteer shift, and approval will be based on operational needs. For questions on volunteering, email volunteerservices@texaschildrens.org.

  • Medical Bridges Partnership (Open to all groups and individuals)

Texas Children’s is proud to partner with Medical Bridges, a local non-profit organization specializing in the distribution of donations worldwide, to help sort and package the donations we collect and prepare them for shipping to Ukraine.

Volunteer slots will be open beginning the week of April 25, with both morning and afternoon shifts available. Volunteers will need to show their vaccination cards upon arrival and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. To sign up, contact Bonnie Oggero at Medical Bridges at 713-748-8131 or boggero@medicalbridges.org.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the Ukraine Donation Drive, click here.

For more information on how Texas Children’s is supporting Ukraine, visit texaschildrens.org/Ukraine.

April 12, 2022

For the first time in 33 years, three major religious holidays have all fallen in April: Passover, observed in Judaism; Easter, observed in Christianity; and Ramadan, observed in Islam.

Read on to learn how two Texas Children’s providers are observing this very holy month for millions of Muslims around the world, and send a note to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team via e-mail about your observances and celebrations for this special time of year.

Are you’re sitting down to a seder? Giving up your vices for the Lenten season? Gathering family and friends for an iftar feast? Tell us about your favorite traditions and your story and photos could be featured on the DEI website.

 

March 16, 2022

As you’ve seen since we began on our journey to Tomorrow, Together, building a bright future at Texas Children’s starts with listening to the thoughts and perspectives of our One Amazing Team. We know your feedback makes us better, and we’re excited to advance our commitment with another special effort to find out what’s on your mind.

Beginning Wednesday, March 16, Texas Children’s is designating 2-3 p.m. every Wednesday as protected time for culture rounding. Our executives will visit 32 areas across the organization to directly gather your thoughts on quality, safety and experience to identify and address opportunities for improvement.

Culture rounding is an evidence-based best practice that will enable our leaders to more closely engage with our teams, our patients, our members and their families, while also cultivating relationships and driving quality, safety and experience as organizational priorities.

Assistant Vice Presidents Tarra Kerr and Paige Schulz are leading the effort and plan to build on the success of an initial culture rounds pilot completed at the Medical Center campus in February. The initial pilot included four teams of two executives and a scribe who rounded weekly on a single unit for a total of four weeks. “We’ve already been able to act on the feedback that was shared, and we’re hoping for similar results in this next phase of the project,” said Kerr.

We’re listening

For the second pilot beginning this week, 16 teams will make rounds for a total of 12 weeks, ultimately covering 32 different areas. Each team will be assigned to visit 1-2 care locations for the duration of the pilot period, which will allow for relationships to form and provide an opportunity to actively track how any identified issues are resolved.

Our executives are looking forward to rounding on your teams and hearing your insights about making Texas Children’s even stronger for our Tomorrow, Together.

For more information on executive culture rounds and quality, safety and patient experience, contact Quality Specialist Kandice Bledsaw via e-mail.

March 10, 2022

“Commit for life” with Texas Children’s and the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center by participating in a blood drive at the Feigin Center on March 16. Check out the flyer and scan the QR code below to schedule your appointment.

Texas Children’s joins the global celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 by saluting our women team members, and honoring the many ways you drive our mission forward – breaking boundaries and achieving milestones every step of the way.

According to the most recent demographic data, women comprise 83% of our One Amazing Team! That includes:

  • 75% of our leadership positions,
  • 64% of our physicians, and
  • 34% of our Board of Trustees.

To take a closer look at how our team breaks down by multiple dimensions of diversity, check out “Texas Children’s By the Numbers” on the Learning Resources page of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) website.

#BreakTheBias

The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias in a call for all to join the movement for a gender equal world.

Bias is defined as a positive or negative inclination towards a person, group or community that can lead to stereotyping. And whether that bias is deliberate or unconscious, it can impede progress.

As part of expanding our DEI commitment, Texas Children’s continued its inclusive leadership journey in 2021 with leaders assessing and reflecting on their own unconscious bias. This was followed by a 6-hour interactive workshop on ways to confront and challenge bias by acting with courage and creating connection.

Visit the DEI website for more resources to watch, read, listen to and explore – including a free test to help you learn and discover areas of conscious and unconscious bias in your own mind, and ways to confront and challenge that bias as we move forward into tomorrow, together.

Your turn!

Do you have a woman colleague, mentor or loved one whose social, economic, cultural or political achievements have inspired you? We’d love to hear about it. Share your story with DEI via e-mail.

Be on the lookout, Texas Children’s team members – an executive could be visiting your area soon to hear directly from you about how to build on our culture of quality, safety and experience.

In February, an initial Culture Rounds pilot took place at the Medical Center Campus on 9 West Tower (WT). This pilot proved successful and generated a wealth of feedback that led to the expansion of Culture Rounds, now including additional units and departments across the organization. The second pilot will begin on March 16.

Culture rounding is an evidence-based best practice enabling leaders to more closely engage with our employees, patients and their families while cultivating relationships and driving the prioritization of quality, safety and experience. Executives want to gather your thoughts to identify and address opportunities for improvement.

Assistant Vice Presidents Tarra Kerr and Paige Schulz are leading the effort, which aligns with the goal to listen to and learn from our team members’ voices as we build Texas Children’s tomorrow, together. In an additional show of commitment, Texas Children’s is also designating 2-3 p.m. every Wednesday as protected time for culture rounding.

“Hearing what’s on the minds of our employees and our patients can only make Texas Children’s better, and that’s our main objective in making the Executive Culture Rounds,” said Kerr. “We’ve already been able to act on feedback received in our first pilot and we look forward to hearing more every week about what we can do to make Texas Children’s an even better place to work and receive care.”

For the pilot program at 9WT, four teams rounded on the unit weekly for a total of four weeks. Each team consisted of two executives and one scribe who partnered with our team members and patient families to make a positive impact on safety, quality and experience.

For the second pilot that starts this month, 16 teams will make rounds for a total of 12 weeks, ultimately covering 32 different areas. Each team will be assigned to visit 1-2 care locations for the duration of the pilot period, which will allow for relationships to form and provide an opportunity to actively track the resolution of any identified issues.

For more information on executive culture rounds and quality, safety and patient experience, contact Quality Specialist Kandice Bledsaw via e-mail.

March 3, 2022

March is a month for recognizing and celebrating women at home and around the world; reveling in the triumph of good over evil and the advent of Spring; and supporting people with developmental disabilities in achieving independence and full integration into their communities. Click here to learn more.

Is there a cultural observance this month that has special meaning to you? We want to hear about it! Send a note to Texas Children’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team via e-mail.

You can also learn more about Texas Children’s DEI commitment on our website, which features a plethora of resources and engaging team member stories to watch, read and explore.