February 27, 2022

Sunday, February 27, 2022: 8:16 a.m.

Timekeeping Adjustment Forms due by 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Monday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. is the deadline to submit and leaders to approve Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for all previous pay periods during the Kronos outage. After that time, any adjustments to previous pay periods during the Kronos outage will require SVP approval.

While we have strived to reduce timekeeping errors following the Kronos outage, we do commit to capturing and compensating for adjustments as quickly as possible.

  1. Do not submit an adjustment without first reviewing your paycheck in MOLI. Paychecks for the pay period ending Feb. 19 are now available in MOLI.
  2. You can now view your previously processed Timekeeping Adjustment Forms by clicking the View My Adjustments button in Connect Clock. This information is updated weekly. Review these, as well as your previous paychecks in MOLI, before submitting an adjustment. If you have already submitted an adjustment request please do not resubmit.
  3. In Connect Clock, employees can now view their accrual calculations for PTO, EIB and My Day for each pay period (through Feb. 19) during the outage by clicking the Outage Accrual Calculations button. All employees have this functionality and leaders are able to view their employees’ calculations as well. Please review this data carefully before submitting Timekeeping Adjustment Forms.
  4. When submitting the form, focus only on incremental (additional) amounts of hours to be paid for and not the total number of hours worked.
  5. If an employee is unable to submit an adjustment form, their leader can submit on their behalf.

If you have questions after reviewing your data and updated balance in Kronos (available tomorrow), and believe your accrual balance is incorrect, please send an email to payroll@texaschildrens.org.

Thank you for continued patience during the Kronos outage. For more information, visit our Connect Resources site.

Lovie Ross
Director, Financial Disbursements, Finance

Arlene Hillegeist
Director, Compensation, Human Resources

 

Monday, February 21, 2022: 9:47 a.m.

Timekeeping Adjustment Forms due by 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Monday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. is the deadline to submit and leaders to approve Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for all previous pay periods during the Kronos outage. After that time, any adjustments to previous pay periods during the Kronos outage will require SVP approval.

While we have strived to reduce timekeeping errors following the Kronos outage, we do commit to capturing and compensating for adjustments as quickly as possible.

  1. Do not submit an adjustment without first reviewing your paycheck in MOLI.
  2. You can now view your previously processed Timekeeping Adjustment Forms by clicking the View My Adjustments button in Connect Clock. This information is updated weekly. Review these, as well as your previous paychecks in MOLI, before submitting an adjustment. If you have already submitted an adjustment request please do not resubmit.
  3. When submitting the form, focus only on incremental (additional) amounts of hours to be paid for and not the total number of hours worked.
  4. If an employee is unable to submit an adjustment form, their leader can submit on their behalf.

Thank you for continued patience during the Kronos outage. For more information, visit our  Connect Resources site.

Lovie Ross
Director, Financial Disbursements, Finance

Arlene Hillegeist
Director, Compensation, Human Resources

 

Monday, February 21, 2022: 6:01 a.m.

KRONOS IS LIVE!

Texas Children’s Team Members,

We are happy to announce, Kronos is live. Please use Kronos to clock in/out and request time off. Below are two key reminders as we transition from Connect Clock.

  • TIME OFF. We are in the process of updating your PTO and EIB balances to reflect the use and accrual of these banks during the Kronos outage, and they will be available in Kronos on Feb. 28. Until that time, please refer to your most recent accrual balance in Connect Clock before submitting time off requests. If your leader approves your request and you do not have the hours available, you will not be paid for that time off, so please pay close attention to your available balances. If you requested time off for after Feb. 20, you will need to resubmit those requests in Kronos.
  • TIMEKEEPING. Please ensure your time is accurate in Connect Clock as leaders will need to review and approve your time by 10 a.m. Feb. 21 for the pay period ending Feb. 19. The deadline to submit and your leader to approve Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for all previous pay periods during the Kronos outage is Monday, Feb. 28. After that time, any adjustments to previous pay periods during the Kronos outage will require SVP approval.

To access a detailed FAQ document regarding the transition, please click here. For additional support, please contact your leader.

If you have any issues logging in to Kronos on computers, please contact the IS Helpdesk. If your Kronos clock does not work, please contact Payroll.

Thank you for your patience and partnership throughout the Kronos outage.

Josh Ashlock
Administrator on Call

Michelle Riley-Brown
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, February 20, 2022: 8:46 a.m.

KRONOS IS LIVE!

Texas Children’s Team Members,

We are happy to announce as of 12:01 a.m. today, Kronos is live. Please use Kronos to clock in/out and request time off. Below are two key reminders as we transition from Connect Clock.

  • TIME OFF. We are in the process of updating your PTO and EIB balances to reflect the use and accrual of these banks during the Kronos outage, and they will be available in Kronos on Feb. 28. Until that time, please refer to your most recent accrual balance in Connect Clock before submitting time off requests. If your leader approves your request and you do not have the hours available, you will not be paid for that time off, so please pay close attention to your available balances. If you requested time off for after Feb. 20, you will need to resubmit those requests in Kronos.
  • TIMEKEEPING. Please ensure your time is accurate in Connect Clock as leaders will need to review and approve your time by 10 a.m. Feb. 21 for the pay period ending Feb. 19. The deadline to submit and your leader to approve Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for all previous pay periods during the Kronos outage is Monday, Feb. 28. After that time, any adjustments to previous pay periods during the Kronos outage will require SVP approval.

To access a detailed FAQ document regarding the transition, please click here. For additional support, please contact your leader.

If you have any issues logging in to Kronos on computers, please contact the IS Helpdesk. If your Kronos clock does not work, please contact Payroll.

Thank you for your patience and partnership throughout the Kronos outage.

Mike Brown
Administrator on Call

Weldon Gage
EVP on Call

 

Friday, February 18, 2022: 9:21 a.m.

Kronos Go Live scheduled for Feb. 20

Texas Children’s Team Members,

We are going back in time! Mark your calendars, as Kronos and our regular timekeeping practices will begin at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 20.

To make this process as smooth as possible, we want to provide three key things you need to know as we prepare for the transition.

  • TIMELINE. Please continue to use Connect Clock to clock in/out through Saturday, Feb. 19. For any shifts beginning after 12:01 a.m. Feb. 20, use Kronos to clock in/out and request time off as you had before. Access to Kronos will be available on clocks, computers and the mobile app.

For employees working a shift that begins Feb. 19 and ends Feb. 20, please clock in using Connect Clock, but do not clock out using either system. Instead, inform your leader so they can add your clock out time in Connect Clock for the pay period ending Feb. 19 when they do their final review and approval. If you take a break after 12:01 a.m., you also should not clock in and out for that meal break in Kronos. Please inform your leader of your clock out/in times and they will enter the time in Connect Clock.

  • TIME OFF. When Kronos goes live, we will need some time to update your PTO and EIB balances to reflect the use and accrual of these banks during the Kronos outage. The updated balances will not be available and shown in Kronos until Feb. 28. Until that time, as no accrual balances will appear in Kronos, please refer to your most recent accrual balance in Connect Clock before submitting time off requests. If your leader approves your request and you do not have the hours available, you will not be paid for that time off, so please pay close attention to your available balances. If you requested time off for after Feb. 20, you will need to resubmit those requests in Kronos at go live.
  • TIMEKEEPING. Please ensure your time is accurate in Connect Clock as leaders will need to review and approve your time by 10 a.m. Feb. 21 for the pay period ending Feb. 19. The deadline to submit and your leader to approve Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for all previous pay periods during the Kronos outage is Monday, Feb. 28. After that time, any adjustments to previous pay periods during the Kronos outage will require SVP approval. Later today, you can access your list of paid off-cycle adjustments by clicking the View My Adjustments button in Connect Clock. Please see FAQ for more information.

To access a detailed FAQ document regarding the transition, please click here. For additional support, please contact your leader.

At go live, if you have any issues logging in to Kronos on computers, please contact the IS Helpdesk. If your Kronos clock does not work, please contact Payroll.

Thank you for your patience and partnership as we navigated timekeeping and payroll processes during the Kronos outage and as we transition back to our routine timekeeping practices.

Mike Brown
Administrator on Call

Weldon Gage
EVP on Call

 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022: 6:45 p.m.

Kronos Restoration Scheduled for Feb. 20

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Today, we are pleased to announce we are going back in time! Mark your calendars, as our transition back to Kronos and our regular timekeeping practices will begin at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. Although we have thoroughly tested the system, this date is still subject to change. If this occurs, we will update you in a subsequent global communication.

To make this process as smooth as possible, we want to provide three key things you need to know as we prepare for the transition.

  • TIMELINE. Please continue to use Connect Clock to clock in/out through Saturday, Feb. 19. For any shifts beginning after 12:01 a.m. Feb. 20, use Kronos to clock in/out and request time off as you had before. Both the Kronos clocks and Kronos on computers will be available for full use.

For employees working a shift that begins Feb. 19 and ends Feb. 20, please clock in using Connect Clock, but do not clock out using either system. Instead, inform your leader so they can add your clock out time in Connect Clock for the pay period ending Feb. 19 when they do their final review and approval.

  • TIME OFF. When Kronos goes live, we will need some time to update your PTO and EIB balances to reflect the use and accrual of these banks during the Kronos outage. The updated balances will not be available and shown in Kronos until Feb. 28. Until that time, please refer to your most recent accrual balance in Connect Clock before submitting time off requests. If your leader approves your request and you do not have the hours available, you will not be paid for that time off, so please pay close attention to your available balances. If you requested time off for after Feb. 20, you will need to resubmit those requests in Kronos at go live.
  • TIMEKEEPING. Please ensure your time is accurate in Connect Clock as leaders will need to review and approve your time by 10 a.m. Feb. 21 for the pay period ending Feb. 19. The deadline to submit and your leader to approve Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for all previous pay periods during the Kronos outage is Monday, Feb. 28. After that time, any adjustments to previous pay periods during the Kronos outage will require SVP approval.

To access a detailed FAQ document regarding the transition, please click here. For additional support, please contact your leader.

Thank you for your patience and partnership as we navigated timekeeping and payroll processes during the Kronos outage and as we transition back to our routine timekeeping practices.

Mike Brown
Administrator on Call

Weldon Gage
EVP on Call

 

Thursday, January 20, 2022: 8:30 a.m.

Accrual balances now available in Connect Clock

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Starting today, employees can now view their accrual balances in Connect Clock. These balances reflect accruals earned in accordance with the organization’s time off policy less any time off taken during the Kronos outage. Please review these balances carefully before submitting any time off requests to ensure you have enough hours available to take. If you request time off and do not have a sufficient balance, your leader will need to enter time as ANP (absent not paid).

Please review the details below.

  • Not updated in real time. The accruals do not represent real-time data and will only be updated after each pay period. The current data reflects accruals as of the previous pay period ending Jan. 8. Any time off approved since then will not be reflected until the beginning of the next pay period starting Jan. 23.
  • PTO sells. Since we are unable to process PTO sells at this time, employees are allowed to accrue over the maximum limits. This practice will be discontinued after Kronos is restored, following an opportunity to sell PTO.
  • Per diem and part-time employees. If you are in this group of employees, the banks may not be accurate as the resources are unavailable to confirm status or effective date. Please double check your manual sheets to ensure you’re following an accurate balance.
  • Balance inquiries. If you have any questions on your accrual balances, please contact timekeeping@texaschildrens.org.

Thank you for your patience and partnership during this Kronos outage.

Eric Allum
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Friday, January 14, 2022: 3:20 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Connect Clock Accessibility

Texas Children’s Team Members –

Earlier today, some of our Texas Children’s employees encountered issues with being able to access Connect Clock to perform their required timekeeping functions. At this time, Connect Clock is performing as usual; however, our IS team is still working to identify the root cause of the temporary outage.

In the meantime, if you were impacted by this issue, please support by taking the following actions:

  • Continue to use Connect Clock to complete all required timekeeping for today. Follow the sequence of clocking in and out for your shift and meal break.
  • Notify your leader of any incorrect punch times. To make this easy, employees can view their punch times in Connect Clock. To message your leader about a correction, please click the Envelope under “Get Help” next to the date with the error and detail the correct times in the email template that opens.
  • For Leaders, please correct any timekeeping errors as soon as possible to ensure hours are inputted correctly. Any day with missed punches or punch errors will be shown in red in Connect Clock.

In the event the issue returns, employees may also utilize our Manual Tracking Sheet to help with recording time. For other information about the Kronos outage, visit our Connect site.

Thank you for your patience in this matter. We will communicate updates as more information becomes available.

Jackie Ward
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, January 9, 2022: 8 a.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Approval deadline tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Texas Children’s Team Members,

With the close of our latest pay period over the weekend, leaders now have until 10 a.m. tomorrow to approve their employees’ time in Connect Clock. This includes clock in/out times, time off and any applicable pay programs. After this deadline, there will be no more opportunities to make changes prior to the issuance of this week’s paycheck, which will be taking place on our normal schedule.

For more information on this process, please see below.

  • Check your hours before the deadline. Using the View My Times feature within Connect Clock, review your punches for the current pay period. Please look over your times according to your manual tracking sheet, and if you identify an error, please work with your leader prior to the 10 a.m. Monday deadline to correct any discrepancies.
  • Adjustments due for previous pay periods. To ensure everyone is focused on reviewing and approving time for the current pay period, please submit any Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for the pay periods ending Dec. 11 and 25. If you are awaiting an adjustment to be processed, please do not resubmit another form.

Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we continue to work through solutions together.

Shannon Zerber
Administrator on Call

Weldon Gage
EVP on Call

 

Thursday, January 6, 2022: 4:05 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Connect Clock Enhancements and Reminders

Texas Children’s Team Members,

As we continue to navigate the Kronos outage, our priority remains compensating our employees on time and correcting any discrepancies as quickly as possible. To help achieve this goal, we have added functionality into Connect Clock to make it easier for you to track time, request time off and fix any errors.

  • View My Times screen. When you select View My Times, you will see a list of each day’s punches or single events (i.e., PTO). The list is color coded: green is approved, white is action needed and red indicates there is an issue (i.e., missed punch). Your leader will also have a similar view. Please click here for a screen shot.
  • Request time off. Both exempt and non-exempt employees now have the ability to request time off in Connect Clock and leaders can approve it. Please do not resubmit previously submitted time off to avoid duplicate entries in Connect Clock. Please click here for instructions.

Please note: If you currently enter time off in Clairvia, you will need to request time off in both Clairvia and Connect Clock until further notice.

  • Message your leader. To help reduce timekeeping errors, there is a new optional feature allowing you to send an email notification to your leader for a particular time entry. In the View My Times new screen, there is an envelope icon at the end of each line. If you click this button, it will send an email to your leader. Please add in specific detail on your email request, so they can better assist you.
  • Overpayments. Although Texas Children’s will not recoup overpayments for the pay period ending Dec. 11, as we now have the ability to track time through Connect Clock, we will work to recoup overpayments starting with the pay period ending Dec. 25. If you notice an overpayment in your paycheck, please submit a Timekeeping Adjustment Form. If the overpayment is due to inputting an incorrect pay code, please include a negative amount for the incorrect pay code and add the new pay code using a positive amount. If there was another cause for the overpayment, please indicate the overpayment amount as a negative number.
  • Adjustment deadline for previous pay periods. To ensure everyone is focused on reviewing and approving time in the current pay period, please submit any Timekeeping Adjustment Forms for the pay periods ending Dec. 11 and 25 by 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 10. If you are awaiting an adjustment to be processed, please do not resubmit another form.
  • PTO Sells. Due to the Kronos outage, we are currently unable to process PTO sells at this time. We will continue to review options and communicate once we have more information.
  • Need Help? For support during this event please call the Employee Support Center at 832-826-4700. The line will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to Noon. You may also email any time at hremployeesupportcenter@texaschildrens.org.

Thank you for your partnership and patience as we continue to navigate the Kronos outage. We will continue to update you on any future enhancements to make this process more efficient and accurate.

Shannon Zerber
Administrator on Call

Weldon Gage
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, January 2, 2022: 2:10 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Timekeeping Adjustment forms due by tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Tomorrow by 10 a.m. is the deadline to have any Timekeeping Adjustment Forms approved by your leader to be processed in time for our next off-cycle payroll distribution, taking place Jan 6 (when it appears in an account will be dependent on the employee’s bank). Please ensure you submit adjustments as soon as possible to give your leader time to review and approve.

While we have strived to reduce timekeeping errors following the loss of Kronos, we do commit to capturing and compensating for adjustments as quickly as possible.

  1. Do not submit an adjustment without first reviewing your paycheck in MOLI.
  2. When submitting the form, focus only on incremental (additional) amounts of hours to be paid for and not the total number of hours worked.
  3. If an employee is unable to submit an adjustment form, their leader can submit on their behalf.

Thank you for continued patience while we navigate this outage together. For more information, visit our Connect Resources site.

Jeff Wagner
Administrator on Call

Michelle Riley-Brown
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, December 26, 2021: 4:48 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Approval deadline tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Texas Children’s Team Members,

With the close of our latest pay period over the weekend, leaders now have until 10 a.m. tomorrow to approve their employees’ time in Connect Clock. This includes clock in/out times, time off and any applicable pay programs. After this deadline, there will be no more opportunities to make changes prior the issuance of this week’s paycheck, which will be taking place on our normal schedule.

For more information on this process, please see below.

  • Check your hours before the deadline. Last week, Texas Children’s IS team released a new View My Time feature within Connect Clock that allows employees to see their punches for the current pay period. Please use this new function to look over your times according to your manual tracking sheet, and if you identify an error, please work with your leader prior to the 10 a.m. Monday deadline to correct any discrepancies.
  • Holiday Pay. Thank you to all of our employees who worked over the recent holiday. Please note that due to the Kronos outage, our Payroll team will be adding holiday pay to your upcoming check through a different process. As a result, holiday pay will not appear on your time card in Connect Clock; however, the special pay will appear on your upcoming paycheck. In addition, the holiday pay code will be available on the adjustment form in the event any time needs to be corrected.
  • Adjustment Period for Upcoming Check. Although we are striving to minimize errors, this will be our first pay cycle using Connect Clock. As a result, some employees may require corrections to their checks. To capture and compensate for these adjustments as quickly as possible, Texas Children’s will be processing a special off-cycle pay distribution for Jan. 6, though when funds will be received is dependent on the employee’s banking institution.

In order to be included in this distribution, employees must submit any corrections via a Timekeeping Adjustment Form – and have it approved by their leader – no later than 10 a.m. on Jan. 3. Please review your pay slip in MOLI later this week prior to submitting an adjustment form for the most recent pay period.

Thank you for your agility and patience as we continue to work through solutions together. More information will be communicated as we head into the week.

Ketrese White
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Thursday, December 23, 2021: 5:11 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: New Connect Clock functionality

Texas Children’s Team Members,

As we continue to update our tools during the ongoing Kronos outage, our Information Services team has launched two new features today for Connect Clock. Please see updates below.

  • Connect Clock Best Practices. To ensure accurate timekeeping, please review this brief list of best practices for accessing Connect Clock and entering time (for leaders).
  • For non-exempt (hourly) employees: A new View My Time feature has been added, which allows employees to see their punches for the current pay period after verifying their identity. Please use this new function to look over your times according to your manual tracking sheet. If you identify an error, please work with your leader to correct any discrepancies.
  • For leaders: Managers now have the ability to delete punches. Please note that once time is approved, managers will not be able to make changes, so ensure accuracy of all punches for each day prior to approving. Time should also be inputted in standard time – not military time. Additionally, do not use leading zeros when entering time. For example, 08:30 should be entered as 8:30.

As of today, all hours from Dec. 12 – Dec. 17 should be entered into the Connect Clock system. As was previously our process, hours, time off, and special pay codes for the pay period must be reviewed and approved by leaders no later than 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27.

Thank you for your agility and patience as we continue to work through solutions together. More information will be communicated as we know more.

Ketrese White
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, December 19, 2021: 9:40 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Connect Clock User Guide and Guidance on Punches

Texas Children’s Team Members,

As we continue to navigate the timekeeping challenges from the Kronos outage, we wanted to provide you with a few updates related to Connect Clock, our new time tracking tool for hourly employees, as well as what to do with your manual tracking sheets. Please see below for additional guidance.

  • Connect Clock User Guide. To access a step-by-step user guide with visuals on where to find Connect Clock and how to use it, please click here.
  • Guidance on Punches for Meal Breaks. At this time, Connect Clock only allows for up to four punches per shift, including clocking in and out for meal breaks. If your shift requires multiple meal breaks, please track any additional meal breaks greater than 20 minutes on the manual tracker form and notify your leader. However, you are not required to clock out for any second meal breaks in Connect Clock at this time.
  • Manual Tracker Sheets. As a reminder, hourly employees are asked to please photocopy or take a picture of your timekeeping sheet (for personal records) and then submit the original to your leader. Additionally, while we validate our new timekeeping tools, please continue to track your time and time off manually using the tracking sheet to ensure all hours are being captured and accurately recorded.

For additional information, please reference this FAQ, which will be continuously updated as we learn more about this situation.

Need Help? As an employee resource during this event, Texas Children’s has initiated an Employee Support Center, which can be reached by calling 832-826-4700. The line will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may also email any time at hremployeesupportcenter@texaschildrens.org.

Thank you for your efforts. We wish you a good holiday week, and we will be in touch as we have more information about our response.

Janet Winebar
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, December 19, 2021: 8 a.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Timekeeping Adjustment Form due tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Texas Children’s Team Members,

As a reminder, tomorrow at 10 a.m. is the deadline to submit a Timekeeping Adjustment form to report any underpayments in your most recent paycheck prior to a special off-cycle pay run Texas Children’s will be making on Dec. 22. Any forms received after this time will be processed as quickly as possible, along with any other adjustments that must be made as a result of the Kronos outage.

  • Please note that this form requires leader approval.
  • Leaders are asked to monitor their email to review and approve submissions prior to the deadline. To better inform the approval of adjustment requests, access this dashboard to view the hours of direct reports in accordance to our payroll system.
  • When submitting adjustments, please reference hours paid on the Dec. 16 paycheck, which is available in MOLI.
  • Focus only on incremental (additional) amounts of hours to be paid for and not the total number of hours worked.
  • If an employee is unable to submit an adjustment form, their leader can submit on their behalf.

Texas Children’s commits to paying our employees on time and to review and correct any underpayments as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience while we navigate this situation together.

Questions? For additional information, please reference this FAQ, which will be continuously updated as we learn more about this situation.

Need Help? As an employee resource during this event, Texas Children’s has initiated an Employee Support Center, which can be reached by calling 832-826-4700. The line will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may also email any time at hremployeesupportcenter@texaschildrens.org.

Thank you for your efforts.

Janet Winebar
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Friday, December 17, 2021: 5:40 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: Introducing Connect Clock for Hourly Employees

Texas Children’s Team Members,

In response to the Kronos outage, our IS team has worked diligently to launch Connect Clock, a timekeeping tool available on the Connect homepage for all hourly employees. This time clock is available today for employees beginning their shifts at 6 p.m. or after. If you began a shift before this time, please use the manual tracker sheet to clock out and begin using Connect Clock on your next shift. We will transition to this new process over the next 24 hours to give our team members time to adjust. Please do not clock in or out with the Kronos time clocks as they are not currently functioning.

  • How to Use Connect Clock. At the start of your shift, log in to a Texas Children’s computer or Texas Children’s network using your username and password and follow these instructions.
    1. Go to the Connect homepage and click the banner titled “Connect Clock”
    2. Follow the steps to verify your identity and to clock in or out (including for meal breaks)
    3. When using a shared computer, log out once you are finished so other employees can log in using their credentials
  • Manager Timekeeping Tool. Our team is developing an online manager timekeeping tool where leaders can review time, enter pay codes and other functions. It’s expected to launch in the next few days, and we will provide more information soon.
  • Manual Tracker Sheets. Along with the manager timekeeping tool, there will be a solution for entering time that has already been captured by the manual tracking sheets for this pay period. For now, hourly employees are asked to please photocopy or take a picture of your timekeeping sheet (for personal records) and then submit the original to your leader, who is being asked to aggregate all tracking sheets for their teams. More information on this timekeeping process for manual tracking sheets will be coming as soon as possible. Additionally, while we validate our new timekeeping tools, please continue to track your time and time off manually using the tracking sheet to ensure all hours are being captured and accurately recorded.

For additional information, please reference this FAQ, which will be continuously updated as we learn more about this situation. As always, please also consult your leader on any guidance related to this incident.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this incident. More information will be communicated throughout this event.

Janet Winebar
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Thursday, December 16, 2021: 8:30 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update: New Timekeeping Adjustment Form

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Throughout the week, our teams have been working hard to respond to the Kronos outage, and we truly appreciate your patience while we do everything we can to ensure that pay is on time and accurate, and to correct underpayments as quickly as possible. Please see below for updates on a new Timekeeping Adjustment Form, which must be submitted to correct any missed hours from the most recent paycheck.

  • **New** Timekeeping Adjustment Form. As communicated yesterday evening, if an employee sees a discrepancy in their most recent paycheck, we ask that you please submit a new Timekeeping Adjustment form by 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 20 (please note that this form requires leader approval).

If you previously submitted a Timekeeping Adjustment, we ask that you resubmit using this new form. We again apologize for any inconvenience. This new form has been updated to better accommodate the types of adjustments our employees will need to submit during this event and will help expedite the process moving forward.

When submitting any adjustments, please reference hours paid on the Dec. 16 paycheck, which is available in MOLI. Additionally, adjustment forms should focus only on incremental (additional) amounts of hours an employee needs to be paid for, and not the total number of hours worked. If are unable to submit an adjustment form, please work with your leader to have a form submitted on your behalf.

Once approved, Texas Children’s will process a special pay cycle for Wednesday, Dec. 22, although when the funds appear in the employee’s account will be determined by their bank. In order for your adjustment to be included in this pay cycle, a new adjustment form must be submitted to and approved by your leader before 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 20. Forms received after this time will be processed in the next pay cycle the following week.

When tracking hours for the CURRENT pay period, employees and leaders should continue using the manual spreadsheet until further notice.

  • Pay codes. Given the number of pay code options Texas Children’s uses, the adjustment form does not currently capture all pay programs. However, if an employee simply needs to report additional hours worked, these hours should be coded as “Reg.” From there, our payroll team will calculate any overtime that needs to be paid. If an employee needs to apply a specific pay code for their hours – and that code is not listed on the form – we ask that they reference this document to identify codes that have a similar pay structure and are available within the form.
  • Employee Support Center. To answer and help resolve questions during this incident, Texas Children’s has initiated an Employee Support Center, which can be reached by calling 832-826-4700. The line will be open Monday through Friday beginning Dec. 14 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may also email any time at hremployeesupportcenter@texaschildrens.org.

For additional information, please reference this FAQ, which will be continuously updated as we learn more about this situation. As always, please also consult your leader on any guidance related to this incident.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this incident. More information will be communicated throughout this event.

Janet Winebar
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021: 6:45 p.m.

Kronos Outage Update

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Thank you for everyone’s patience and partnership as we work through the impacts of the ongoing Kronos outage. To update on Monday’s global message, please see below for the latest information related to this event.

  • Data Breach. One question our employees have asked is what information from Texas Children’s may have potentially been accessed as a result of this breach. Although the investigation into this event is still ongoing, we can confirm that Texas Children’s shares limited information through Kronos, which does not include social security numbers, employee banking information or pay rates. We will continue to work closely with Kronos to learn more about this breach.
  • **New** Timekeeping Adjustment Form. As communicated Monday, Texas Children’s will reference the pay period ending Nov. 13 to populate hours worked for the coming paycheck. Although we selected this time period to best represent a normal work week, and did our best to limit underpayments, we understand some employees will be underpaid. If you see a discrepancy in your upcoming paycheck, you will be asked to submit a Timekeeping Adjustment form by 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 20 (please note that this form requires leader approval).

Following previous communications, our payroll team received multiple submissions of our Timekeeping Adjustment Form, many of which were cancellation requests for previous submissions that had been made prior to payroll being completed. As a result, we are quickly working to make enhancements to our existing Timekeeping Adjustment Form to better accommodate the adjustments being requested. This new form is currently being built and will be made available as quickly as possible.

Please note that if you previously submitted a Timekeeping Adjustment form, you will be asked to resubmit using the new form. We apologize for any inconvenience as we work through the best way to manage these submissions. We remain committed to getting any underpayments resolved as quickly as possible. When submitting any adjustments, please reference hours paid on this Thursday’s paycheck, which is currently available in MOLI. Additionally, adjustment forms should focus only on incremental (additional) amounts of hours an employee needs to be paid for, and not the total number of hours worked.

Once approved, Texas Children’s will process a special pay cycle for Wednesday, Dec. 22, although when the funds appear in the employee’s account will be determined by their bank. In order for your adjustment to be included in this pay cycle, a new adjustment form must be submitted to and approved by your leader before 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 20.

  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If you have been negatively impacted by this event, the EAP is also available to you. Please click here to visit the page on Connect to learn more.
  • Employee Support Center. To answer and help resolve questions during this incident, Texas Children’s has initiated an Employee Support Center, which can be reached by calling 832-826-4700. The line will be open Monday through Friday beginning Dec. 14 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information, please reference this FAQ, which will be continuously updated as we learn more about this situation. As always, please also consult your leader on any guidance related to this incident.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this incident. More information will be communicated throughout this event.

Janet Winebar
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Monday, December 13, 2021: 9:24 p.m.

Kronos Update: Downtime Procedure

Texas Children’s Team Members,

Throughout the day, we have been working diligently to respond to the Kronos outage, which has impacted Texas Children’s and many other organizations nationwide. At this time, we do not know when Kronos services will be restored and Texas Children’s will remain disconnected from their systems until we are confident this breach has been safely resolved.

In the meantime, thank you for your partnership in following our downtime procedures and tracking your time manually. Please see below for the latest information on our plans for our current payroll cycle, as well as what employees should do now to ensure proper timekeeping.

  • Current Payroll. Given the current pay period recently ended – and timecards were scheduled to be approved this morning – Texas Children’s was unable to access any time captured in Kronos for the pay period ending Dec. 11, including both worked time and paid time off.

To ensure our team members continue to be compensated during this pay cycle, we will be paying employees for hours worked during the pay period ending Nov. 13, including any overtime, shift differential or special pay worked during that period. To calculate pay, we will reference rates as of Dec. 11.

While we understand some employees will be compensated for more or less than what they actually worked this last pay period, we determined this was the best option to get as close as possible to what employees can expect. If an employee is underpaid for the pay period ending Dec. 11, the employee is asked to submit a Timekeeping Adjustment Form by 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 20. Upon receiving this form, Texas Children’s will process a special pay cycle for Wednesday, Dec. 22, although when the funds appear in the employee’s account will be determined by their bank.

For additional information and other scenarios, please reference this FAQ, which will be continuously updated as we learn more about this situation.

  • Merit increases. All merit increases set to take effect prior to Dec. 11 will be used to calculate pay amounts for the upcoming check.
  • New employees. For new employees that did not work during the pay period ending Nov. 13, we will pay standard hours based on their start date.
  • Timekeeping for hourly employees. As a reminder, until further notice, we ask that all our non-exempt (hourly) employees transition to managing their time manually using the tracker form. Please record all time that you have worked starting Saturday, Dec. 11 at 12 a.m. Salaried employees will be compensated according to their standard hours and should only use this form for tracking time off.
  • PTO/EIB hours. For any PTO or EIB hours not already submitted into Kronos, please input these hours manually using the tracker form and then submit to your leader for review at the end of your final shift before Saturday, Dec. 25.
  • Benefits. Given our benefits programs work on a separate system – and not Kronos – we do not anticipate impacts to benefits deductions. We will communicate any changes as we learn more.
  • Employee Support Center. To answer and help resolve employee questions, Texas Children’s has initiated an Employee Support Center, which can be reached by calling 832-826-4700. The line will be open Monday through Friday beginning Dec. 14 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More information will be communicated as it becomes available. To sign up for emergency text alerts, please follow these instructions.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this incident. We continue to appreciate your resiliency and everything you do as One Amazing Team.

Shannon Zerber
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Monday, December 13, 2021: 3:16 p.m.

Incident Command Initiated for Kronos Outage

Texas Children’s Team Members,

To follow-up on the global communication from Information Services yesterday, Texas Children’s is currently being affected by a Kronos outage that began late Saturday and is impacting many organizations nationwide.

As of this morning, we have learned that this incident is due to a ransomware attack on Kronos’ systems. Texas Children’s was able to disable our connection with their systems yesterday, and we will remain disconnected until we are confident this breach has been safely resolved by Kronos and services fully restored.

Additional communications about this incident – as well as a full set of FAQ – will be distributed shortly. In the meantime, please know the following:

Updates

  • Incident Command. Effective immediately, Texas Children’s has stood up its Incident Command for this Kronos outage and will also be enabling its processes for manual timekeeping.
  • Payroll. As you are aware, this week is a pay week for Texas Children’s. We are working through our process, but please be assured that we will pay our workforce on time.
  • Tracking time. Effective immediately, for hourly employees who clock in and out, please use the updated manual tracker – available for download here – to track your time. Although our time clocks are currently functioning, given the duration of this event we will need to transition to a manual process for monitoring time immediately. Please record all time that you have worked since the beginning of this pay period, which began at 12 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12. For salaried employees, please use this tracker to monitor any paid time off; however, you are not required to use this tracker for hours worked.
  • Communication. More information on this event will be communicated as it becomes available. In the meantime, stay tuned for more information through Connect, email and your leader. To sign up for emergency text alerts, please follow these instructions.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this incident. We continue to appreciate your resiliency and everything you do as One Amazing Team.

Shannon Zerber
Administrator on Call

Mark Mullarkey
EVP on Call

 

Sunday, December 12, 2021: 3:33 p.m.

Kronos Outage Reported

The Kronos website and mobile app are currently unavailable. This issue also impacts multiple non-Texas Children’s Kronos customers. Information Services, Payroll and the vendor are engaged and actively investigating the issue.

While Kronos web is unavailable
During the outage:

  • Kronos timeclocks will be available for clocking in and out.
  • Kronos timeclocks will be available for functions like requesting time off and editing a missed punch.
  • Desktop and mobile app users should manually record hours worked and provide this information to your leader and/or timekeeper.
  • Please utilize this linked manual timekeeping template to record time during the outage.

Leader responsibilities
Leaders are responsible for:

  • Communicating the process for manually tracking time during the outage to employees
  • Ensuring employees’ time is accurately captured

Questions?
If you have questions, please contact the IS Service Desk at ext. 4-3512 (external 832-824-3512).

July 4, 2018

Inclement weather No. 1:  Weather conditions are improving

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the weather as the Greater Houston area experienced heavy rainfall today.

More than six inches of rain fell across the Houston area. Rainfall levels are gradually subsiding, however street-level flooding and slick roads still remain a concern.

We urge employees to exercise caution when navigating roadways and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work.  Please plan for additional travel time and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website. You can also go to the Houston TranStar website to get the latest traffic reports on road conditions.

Please continue to be safe in this weather, and reach out to your leaders with regard to one-to-one hand offs and staffing coordination measures.

Michelle Riley-Brown
Executive Vice President

Trudy Leidich
Administrator on call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

April 4, 2018

Texas Children’s Security Services was informed of an alleged armed robbery in Garage 21 at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women on Saturday, March 31, and immediately communicated the information that we had to all physicians and employees to allow individuals to take additional safety precautions.

After a thorough investigation of the alleged incident, authorities have concluded that the report was falsely made. There was no robbery and no weapon.

At Texas Children’s, the safety and security of our patients, families, employees, providers, volunteers and visitors is of the highest priority. Although this report was not accurate, please continue to be vigilant about your safety. As always, Texas Children’s Security officers are available to escort employees to their cars. For escorts, call the Service Response Center at ext. 4-5400 or ask an officer for assistance. Please be aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 or the Texas Medical Center Police Department at 713-795-0000.

We regret any undue concern caused by the communication informing individuals of the alleged robbery.

Sara Montenegro
Administrator-On-Call

March 31, 2018

 

Texas Children’s Security Services has been informed that an armed robbery of a Texas Children’s employee occurred Saturday, March 31, on the B4 level of Garage 21 at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

No one was injured, however authorities with the Texas Medical Center, which owns and manages the garage, and the Houston Police Department were notified and are investigating the incident.

At Texas Children’s, the safety and security of our patients, families, employees, providers, volunteers and visitors is of the highest priority. We have increased our security presence in all of our garages and, as always, Texas Children’s Security officers are available to escort employees to their cars. For escorts, call the Service Response Center at 4-5400 or ask an officer for assistance.

Everyone is advised to be extra vigilant, be aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity by calling 911 or the Texas Medical Center Police Department at 713-795-0000.

August 24, 2017

Final Hurricane Harvey update: Sunday, 7 a.m.

Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical depression and had moved out of the Houston area as of the end of last week. Many of our streets have dried and become passable, and businesses are reopening. We, too, resumed operations across the Texas Children’s system at 7 a.m. today.

We do understand that high water remains throughout some areas, and that there is still a lot of damage that resulted from the storm. We ask that you please continue to be careful as you drive throughout the city and travel to work this week. We know it will take time for some things to completely return to normal, so it’s important that we work together to start moving forward for our patients. By the same token, please make sure you’re talking with your leader if you have a situation that needs additional support, because your welfare is very important to us as well.

As we resume our business operations, we want you to know how very thankful we are for all of you. This was an unprecedented storm that tested the efficiency of our planning and our facilities and the tenacity and dedication of our people. To say we passed the “test” is an understatement. Whether you helped prepare, rode the storm out at the hospital, relieved co-workers, prayed for our Texas Children’s family or encouraged someone here to push through, it all mattered. We bound together for each other and our patients, and we proved, again, that Texas Children’s isn’t just an amazing place for patients to receive care, this is an amazing organization where people become family.

Below, we’re sharing a final video captured during ride-out, because it speaks to the incredible spirit here at Texas Children’s. Thank you for your dedication and for being one truly amazing team!

Click here for the video

Sarah Maytum
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey update no. 16: Thursday, 4:05 p.m.

We are so very fortunate to have started another dry, sunny day in the Houston area, and Texas Children’s was thankfully able to resume normal operations in limited locations today. As we continue bringing our workforce and services back online, we know many of you have questions, which we’ve answered in the FAQs below.

  • Are we still in full activation of our emergency response? No, our emergency response was downgraded to partial activation at noon today.
  • When should I return to work? If your location has not yet resumed normal operations, please speak with your leader about whether you are needed at your work location in order to perform the services we are able to provide at this time. Normal operations will resume across the system at 7 a.m. Sunday, September 3. Labor Day schedules will remain unchanged.
  • Are there still sleeping accommodations available? We have closed the sleeping areas at Wallace Tower, West Campus and The Woodlands. Employees who are needed for our limited operations but are unable to return home from their shifts are allowed to continue sheltering at their Texas Children’s location through Saturday night. However, they only will be paid for the time they are working. If you need sleeping accommodations, please contact your leader. We also encourage employees needing long-term shelter to contact the Employee Assistance Program.
  • What are the emergency pay practices at this point?
    • All non-exempt employees will continue to receive emergency pay until 7 a.m. Sunday only if they are needed to conduct our limited operations during this time.
    • All exempt AND non-exempt employees who are not needed for limited operations can use Harvey day(s), PTO or may take unpaid time off.
    • Emergency pay does not apply to employees of Texas Children’s Health Plan, The Centers, Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care.
    • For more details about emergency pay practices, click here.
  • Have shuttle services resumed? As of today, Fannin Direct, Feigin Center Direct and Circulator shuttles have resumed normal hours of operation. There will be no McGovern shuttle service until Friday, September 1. There may not be as many shuttles as usual in operation, so please be patient as our shuttle employees return to work.
  • Are the Texas Children’s garages all accessible? The gates in TMC Garages 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10 and 15 (McGovern Commons) were raised during the storm for easier access. The garages have now resumed normal operations. All medical center employees need to return to their normal parking locations. If you are currently parked in one of these garages, please press the intercom at the exit for assistance from the TMC Call Center. Employees at the West Campus and The Woodlands have returned to normal designated parking areas as well.
  • How can I help Texas Children’s employees who have been impacted by the storm and flooding? What if I need help? We now have a Hurricane Harvey Relief webpage for Texas Children’s employees. This website is for employees who need help and for those who want to provide help. There is also information on the site about our Employee Financial Assistance Fund for employees to donate or request financial assistance.
  • Which of our outpatient facilities are open as of today?
    • Six Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations are open today until 6 p.m.
    • More than half of Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations are now open. All location openings are being updated here on the Texas Children’s Pediatrics Facebook page. At this time, any established Texas Children’s Pediatrics patient can be seen at any open location.
    • Texas Children’s Health Plan opened its Bellaire office today and is operating normally. The Tyler office is also operating normally. The Beaumont office remains closed.
    • The Centers for Children & Women Greenspoint and Southwest are seeing pediatric and OB walk-in patients from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Sunday. The Center will be closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday and will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 5.
    • Texas Children’s Health Centers, Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics and Texas Children’s Autism Center and Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics on Stadium Drive will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 5.
    • Texas Children’s West Campus’ Cancer Center and Radiology have limited schedules today. West Campus’ Outpatient Clinics will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 5.
    • Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands opened limited outpatient clinics today for urgent needs and resumed  surgical cases. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, September 5.

If you still have questions that have not been answered above, please reach out to your leader for additional clarification.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our patients, families and to each other. The past fews days have been a reminder of just how strong we are as an organization.

Sarah Maytum
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey update no. 15: Wednesday, 6:22 p.m.

In our commitment to keep employees up to date with changes as they occur, we have the following new information related to our hospital locations since the global alert was sent out earlier today.  Please note the information that applies specifically to your entities.

Texas Children’s Hospital (Medical Center Campus, West Campus, The Woodlands)

Hospital transition from full activation to partial activation – As we continue to pull together for our employees’ well-being, we have established pay practices for partial activation of emergency management activities beginning 7 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 until 7 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 3. At 7 a.m. on Sunday, normal operations will resume for the entire system.

We recognize the extent of this catastrophic event. For those of you who are unable to return home, we will continue to offer sleep accommodations for employees who are needed at work through Sunday night. Please speak with your leader about whether you are needed at your work location in order to perform the limited services we are able provide. Please also let your leader know if you need accommodations after Sunday night and/or help from the employee assistance program.

We realize you might have questions about emergency pay, so some key points are outlined below.

Non-exempt Employees

  • All non-exempt employees will continue to receive emergency pay if they are needed to conduct our limited operations during this time. Please speak with your leader about whether you are needed at your work location in order to perform the limited services we are able provide.
  • Employees who are not needed for limited operations can use Harvey day(s), PTO or may take unpaid time off.
  • Employees who are needed for our limited operations and who are unable to return home from their shifts are allowed to continue sheltering at their Texas Children’s location; however, they will be paid only for the time they are working.
  • Normal operations will begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3, and Labor Day schedules will remain unchanged.

Exempt Employees

  • Please speak with your leader about whether you are needed at your work location in order to perform the limited services we are able provide.
  • Employees who are not needed for limited operations can use Harvey day(s) or PTO.
  • Employees who are needed for our limited operations and unable to return home from their shifts are allowed to continue sheltering at their Texas Children’s location.
  • Employees should check with their leaders regarding their duties during the partial activation period.

Please note that emergency pay does not apply to employees of Texas Children’s Health Plan, The Centers, Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care.

Additional Operational Information

  • Medical Center Campus:
  • Thursday, Aug. 31, will be utilized to prepare the Wallace Tower for outpatient visits.  Surgeries for current inpatients will begin Thursday as well.
  • Surgery clinic operations will resume on Friday, Sept. 1.
  • Normal surgery schedule for outpatient and inpatient will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
  • The Woodlands Campus: Surgery clinic appointments and outpatient surgeries will resume Thursday, Aug. 31.
  • West Campus: Because of I-10 road closures still in place, medical and clinical leaders continue to evaluate the process for resuming services.

Shuttle Services at Medical Center Campus

Today, shuttle service to the Feigin Center will run until 9 p.m. Beginning tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 31, the Fannin Direct, Feigin Center Direct and Circulator shuttles will have normal hours of operation. There will be no McGovern shuttle service until Friday, Sept. 1. There may not be as many shuttles as usual in operation.  Please be patient as our shuttle employees return to work.

TMC Garages

The gates in TMC Garages 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 10 and 15 (McGovern Commons) have been raised due to the weather event. TMC is resuming normal operations for their garages in the morning. All employees need to return to their normal parking locations by 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 31. For any assistance after the exit gates have been lowered, please press the intercom at the exit device for assistance from the TMC Call Center.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care

On Thursday, Aug. 31, 27 TCP practices and six urgent care locations will be open. All six urgent care locations will have extended hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Click here to visit the TCP/UC website and https://www.facebook.com/texaschildrenspediatrics/ for more information about which locations will be open.

Texas Children’s Health Plan and The Centers

  • Starting Thursday, August 31, TCHP will open its Bellaire office to employees as an option. Remember to plug in all electronic devices including printers and computers.
  • We will maintain regular operations for the remainder of the week.
  • The Beaumont office remains closed.
  • The Tyler office is operating business as usual, and the office is open.
  • The Center for Children & Women Greenspoint and Southwest will see pediatric and OB walk-in patients from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, August 31 through Sunday, September 3.
  • Please stay in touch with your leader regarding your status so we can account for every employee.

The Texas Children’s family has responded with extraordinary commitment and compassion during this challenging time. We are One Amazing Team.

Sarah Maytum
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

 

Hurricane Harvey update no. 14: Wednesday, 12:54

Please note there may be some details below that do not apply to staff and employees in some parts of our system (i.e., Texas Children’s Health Plan, Texas Children’s Pediatrics). Additional communications will be provided to these employees as needed.

After several days of substantial rainfall in our area, the heaviest rain from Harvey has now pushed into Louisiana where the system made a secondary landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The Greater Houston area can expect mostly sunshine today with minimal rain.

We are preparing to open clinics at Main Campus, West Campus, The Woodlands on Tuesday, Sept. 5. We plan to use Friday, Sept. 1, as a preparation day to help transition hospitals. All Texas Children’s Health Centers are closed today and Thursday. The Community Maternal-Fetal Medicine and OB/GYN clinics at the Pavilion for Women and in Pearland are also closed until Tuesday, Sept. 5. Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices and Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations remain closed through Thursday, and leadership continues to assess all locations and develop plans for opening. The Centers for Children and Women are closed today but will be open for walk-in pediatric patients beginning Thursday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Centers’ pharmacies will also be open during these times.

Although there may be more impacts from this storm in the immediate days ahead, we know that with faith, strength and kindness, our city will get through this together. Click here to watch a new video that highlights the continued amazing work going on at the hospital and the impressive support from our community and partners.

Texas Children’s leadership team is actively meeting several times a day and will continue to assess the situation and provide updates.

“Harvey” My Days – As many of you know, Mark Wallace recently announced “Harvey” days – 24 hours for full-time employees and 12 hours for part-time employees – added to your time off bank under “My Days.” While you may not see the Harvey days immediately in your accruals, these extra days will appear sometime this pay period, and you may use them for any time beginning August 27. They will expire on December 31 and do not roll over. Your supervisor must approve the time off, and you may use Clarvia or Kronos to enter and track your days using special pay codes. If you are on or going to be on Leave of Absence or FMLA, the same allocation may be used. If you have any additional questions, please talk with your leader.

Location damage assessments – For insurance purposes, all damage assessments and reports need to be coordinated through the Logistics team at the Medical Center. 832-824-0130. It is very important that we not begin any repairs until damages have been properly documented.

Emotional support services – If you feel you need additional emotional support, please call the page operator at 4-2099, and they will page someone on the TANDEM team to assist. Click here for information from EAP on how we can best support each other during this time. We are all in this together, and we are here for you.

Evacuation zones – Click here to review evacuation zones. The end of evacuation declarations will be on a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis and quite variable over the next few days.

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Sarah Maytum
Administrator on Call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management
Hurricane Harvey update no. 13: Tuesday, 3:22 p.m.

After another night of showers, we are anticipating moderate rainfall throughout the Greater Houston area. Harvey is currently located south of Galveston Bay with the latest forecast showing the system moving northeast and making a secondary landfall near Lake Charles on Wednesday

All hospital campuses remain operational and have done well throughout the hurricane and flooding. Texas Children’s Health Plan operations are up and running, and all Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices and Urgent Care locations are closed. Outpatient activities are being reassessed daily.

We are assessing all of our community sites now and as soon as we can get staff safely to available locations, we will try to get some of these sites open.

Because of advisories regarding impassable roadways, power outages and water releases, our staff is being asked to not report to work unless they have discussed with and had it approved by their supervisor. However, the worst of the storm seems to be behind us allowing more of our staff to come in and relieve their colleagues who have been working tirelessly throughout this weather event. We want to thank everyone for their continued dedication and support.

In recognition of the length of the storm and the impact it has had on so many, we have done the following to help make things a little easier on our employees.

Meals: In recognition of all of the hard work being done throughout our hospitals, we are providing a free dinner to all of our on-site employees tonight. For details, please visit your campus-specific page below. In addition, Texas Children’s is discounting all food and beverages at all three hospital cafeterias by 25 percent now until further notice. Discount is applied at the register.

Badge Purchases: We have increased the monthly maximum purchase limits using your badge to $500 for full-time employees and $250 for part-time employees. If you have not signed up for badge purchases, you can do so through MOLI (instructions here).This benefit applies to all employees. Once employees sign up for this service, the change will occur overnight.

Telemedicine visit available: Blue Cross Blue Shield’s telemedicine partner MDLIVE is offering free virtual visits from Aug. 24-Sept. 8 for individuals impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Individuals may call MDLIVE’s dedicated hotline at 888-959-9516 and provide the code “Harvey” to schedule up to one free virtual visit. All individuals (existing and non-existing members) in the coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana are eligible for this service. Please go to MDLIVE’s website at www.mdlive.com for more information.

Federal aid/Insurance claims: If you’ve had damage to your home and need to apply for federal aid, please visit DisasterAssistance.gov or you may call 1-800-621-3362 seven days a week, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., CST. As well, many of you have been asking about a deadline to file claims by this Thursday relating to a new law that is set to become effective, referred to as HB 1774. More information about this law, can be found here.

We will continue to add any new updates, including off-shift staff activities, to the individual campus pages below.

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Closures

Outpatient closures on Tuesday and Wednesday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics 

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes. For information on shelters, evacuation maps, etc. please refer to your local county websites.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Sarah Maytum
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey update no. 12: Monday, 7:39 p.m.

Tropical Storm Harvey has drifted back over the Gulf of Mexico and will work its way up the Texas coastline over the next few days, bringing more rainfall to our already flooded community.

Because of advisories regarding impassable roadways, power outages and water releases, our staff is being asked to not report to work unless they have discussed with and had it approved by their supervisor.

All hospital campuses remain operational and have done well throughout the hurricane and flooding. Texas Children’s Health Plan operations are up and running, and all Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices and Urgent Care locations are closed. Outpatient activities are being reassessed daily.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read Mark Wallace’s message below about all that is being done to care for our patients and families during this unprecedented weather event. We’re so proud of the way our employees have to joined together as One Amazing Team!

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Closures
Outpatient closures on Monday and Tuesday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes. For information on shelters, evacuation maps, etc. please refer to your local county websites.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Sarah Maytum
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

 

Hurricane Harvey update no. 11: Monday, 1:19 p.m.

Although Harvey will move out into the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon, it is expected to make a second landfall as a Tropical Storm near Galveston Tuesday afternoon. Rain in Houston and beyond will continue for the next three to four days, enhancing existing flooding across the area.

Based on today’s advisories regarding impassable roadways, our staff is being asked to not report to work unless they have been cleared to do so by a supervisor. If you are cleared to come in, please prepare to stay for a few days by bringing plenty of clothes, food and linens.

All hospital campuses remain fully operational and have done well throughout the hurricane. Texas Children’s Health Plan operations are up and running at all locations, and all Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices and Urgent Care locations are closed. Outpatient activities are being reassessed daily.

Be sure to read Mark Wallace’s message about all that is being done to care for our patients and families during this unprecedented weather event.

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Closures
Outpatient closures on Monday and Tuesday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

A Message from President and CEO Mark A. Wallace: Hurricane Harvey Update: Monday, 8:49 a.m.

Texas Children’s Family,

In the past 48 hours I have seen many heartbreaking images from around our city, but just as compelling have been the scenes of resilience and kindness in our community. There has been no greater demonstration of that spirit than what is occurring right now at Texas Children’s.

Every single person – whether they are in patient care or in support functions – is pulling together and getting us through some incredible challenges right now. I know this is not easy. But you know what? We are at our best when things are not easy. We are strong, compassionate and resourceful, and I’ve never seen any situation that surpassed our determination and our unity.

You are the very best that our city has to offer, and we are blessed that you are here, supporting each other, our patients and their families. By the same token, I know that many of you cannot be at work. And like me, you are eager to get back to Texas Children’s, our patients and colleagues. We know your hearts are here, but the best thing we can continue to do is to stay connected to our colleagues as much as possible, and to keep everyone in our prayers.

I so appreciate everyone’s commitment and dedication, and I can think of no other organization in the world that could handle what we are facing with the leadership, tenacity and determination that you all are showing.

One of our colleagues – Wally Crow in Marketing/PR – has been at the medical center campus since the storm began and has captured some of that Texas Children’s spirit. I want you to see it and celebrate it. I want you to see how amazing you really are. And I want our colleagues who are supporting our efforts from home or elsewhere to see how our amazing team is responding.

Thank you Wally for this incredible video. This fills my heart with so much pride. This is the spirit of Texas Children’s.

Click here for the video.

Stay strong and safe,

Mark A. Wallace

Hurricane Harvey update no. 10: Sunday, 7:53 p.m.

Hurricane Harvey continues to impact our local and surrounding communities and the forecast shows that it will do so for several more days. Based on tonight’s advisories regarding impassable roadways, our staff at our hospitals will stay in place. If you are at home, please do not try to come in. A decision about future operational activity will be made Monday morning.

We understand that the situation is mentally and physically demanding, and we sincerely appreciate your dedication and all that you are doing to care for our patients, their families and each other. Remember, taking care of yourself is a priority, which includes taking any necessary medication, eating and getting as much rest as possible.

We want to thank our many partners for being onsite with us and enabling us to continue to offer our staff, patients and families the support and care they need during this trying time. Some of these partners include, Cotton, Fisk Electric, Humphrey’s, Morrison Healthcare and W. S. Bellows Construction.

With respect to Texas Children’s facilities, we have teams of individuals continually assessing each location to identify, prioritize and address all building issues. Please continue to contact our Logistics Team at ext. 4-5000 if you notice any facilities’ issues.

Payroll
Payroll has been automatically approved. Emergency pay and punch corrections will be added/corrected during the next pay period. We appreciate your patience.

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Closures
Outpatient closures on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus outpatient activities
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed Saturday and Sunday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed Saturday.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed Saturday.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey update no. 9: Sunday, 12:19 p.m.

Hurricane Harvey has had a significant impact on our local and broader community. Texas Children’s wants to thank you for all you are doing for our patients, families and colleagues. We also know how difficult it is to be away from your loved ones during this time and we encourage you to stay in contact with them for updates. If you feel you need additional emotional support, please call the page operator at ext. 4-2099 and they will page someone on the TANDEM team to assist. Click here for information from EAP on how we can best support each other during this time. We are all in this together and we are here for you.

With respect to Texas Children’s facilities, we have teams of individuals continually assessing each location to identify, prioritize and address building issues such as water leaks, equipment outages, supply needs, etc. We recognize there are currently a number of different areas with water leaks throughout our campuses. Facilities is assessing and prioritizing their response based on issues that impact patient care or Information Services. If you see a leak or any other facility-related issue, please report it to ext. 4-5000.

Please note, there have been numerous tornado warnings issued near West Campus, The Woodlands and in the Medical Center area. Only one was actually spotted. If you see a tornado, please call our command center at ext. 4-1179.

Payroll
To ensure timely payroll for the previous pay period in our current circumstances, payroll will automatically approve this week’s payroll and will put all emergency pay and punch corrections on future pay periods.

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Social media
We encourage you to remain conscious of what you are sharing on your social media accounts as there is heightened attention on the amazing work we do every day from the public and media. As a reminder, per the social media policy (4166), taking photos of patients and/or their families is prohibited. Feel free to follow Texas Children’s social media channels and share these updates.

Closures
Outpatient closures on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus outpatient activities
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed Saturday and Sunday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed Saturday.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed Saturday.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey update no. 8: Sunday, 7:17 a.m.

As we continue to closely monitor weather conditions, we want to be sure to keep you as updated as possible. Over the past 24 hours, rainfall totals throughout the Houston area have ranged from 10 to 22 inches resulting in widespread flooding. Today, an additional 10 to 15 inches of widespread rain is expected with further heavy rain chances over the next few days.

The National Weather Service has issued additional flash flood warnings. METRO suspended service and the City of Houston has advised residents not to travel. Earlier this morning, the hospital deployed flood gates in West Tower, Wallace Tower and Feigin Tower to do everything we can to prevent flooding in our facilities.

For your safety, our staff at our hospitals should remain. If you at home, please do not try to come in. A comprehensive update will be provided later this morning.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey update no. 7: Saturday, 7:23 p.m.

Weather Update
Today, Hurricane Harvey produced 5-8 inches in the Houston area and projections for tonight are for strong storms. We will likely see times of clearing with heavy rain again Sunday and Monday mornings, and tornados remain possible. The storm is predicted to move back to the south before moving north again toward an area west of Houston Sunday through Wednesday.

Payroll
The payroll team is working closely with HR and wants to remind leaders to ensure timecards are accurate and approved by 10 a.m. Monday. For more information on emergency pay practices, click here. For Kronos clock-in information click here.

Please click the links below for updates on your specific area of the system.

Texas Medical Center Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tmc-hurricane-updates/

West Campus
http://texaschildrensnews.org/west-hurricane-updates/

The Woodlands
http://texaschildrensnews.org/the-woodlands-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tcp-uc-hurricane-updates/

Texas Children’s Health Plan
http://texaschildrensnews.org/tchp-hurricane-updates/

Social media
We encourage you to remain conscious of what you are sharing on your social media accounts as there is heightened attention on the amazing work we do every day from the public and media. As a reminder, per the social media policy (4166), taking photos of patients and/or their families is prohibited. Feel free to follow Texas Children’s social media channels and share these updates.

Closures
Outpatient closures on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus outpatient activities
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed Saturday and Sunday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed Saturday.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed Saturday.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Finally, please watch the news, and use your best judgment. We rely on you to stay informed and use good judgment in these situations to help keep yourself safe and to help us take the best possible care of our patients and their families. Thank you for your commitment!

We will continue to communicate additional updates.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

A Message from President and CEO Mark A. Wallace: Hurricane Harvey: Saturday, 3:51 p.m.

Texas Children’s Family,

I know the past couple of days have been filled with uneasiness as Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, barreled down the coast, making its way to Houston. Because of the nature of the storm, the weather will continue to be unpredictable. More rain and the potential for widespread flooding is expected. We have not yet weathered this event.

As is the case every day at Texas Children’s, I am grateful for the care you provide our patients, their families and each other, but especially during this time when it means many of you are away from your homes and loved ones. I truly appreciate the commitment as we continue to come together as a team to deliver the highest possible care to those who need us most.

For those who helped prepare our organization for this storm, thank you. Your efforts have been invaluable to the team who arrived this morning. Our organization’s reach is bigger than ever, and will continue to grow, which means we are truly learning how to navigate these types of events together in ways we never have before. Leaders are meeting throughout the day and night to continue to assess the situation across the organization.

Please stay in touch with your leaders and team members, and remember that we are all doing the best we can. It never ceases to amaze me what we are able to accomplish together because, as you know, we are One Amazing Team!

Stay strong and safe,

Mark A. Wallace

Hurricane Harvey update no. 6: Saturday, 11:09 a.m.

Please note there may be some details below that do not apply to staff and employees in some parts of our system (i.e., Texas Children’s Health Plan, Texas Children’s Pediatrics). Additional communications will be provided to these employees as needed.

Weather update
Hurricane Harvey made landfall last night and as of 10 a.m. Saturday morning, remains a Category 1 Hurricane with the center of the storm near Victoria. We are forecasted to receive between 2-3 inches of rain per hour and 4-6 inches widespread today. While winds will gradually decrease this afternoon, isolated showers with weak tornados are possible. The storm will begin to move southeast today and tomorrow, offshore around Rockport and back onshore around Matagorda Bay on Tuesday. It is forecasted to continue northward Wednesday and Thursday, but West of Houston. The Houston area will remain on the wet side of the storm.

Staffing
All essential staff arrived at the hospital Saturday morning and are taking care of our patients and their families. If additional staff is needed, you will be contacted by your leader.

Food services and gift shops
For patients and employees currently at Texas Children’s Hospital or Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, food services hours have been extended and will be available at the Pavilion for Women Bistro from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Gift shops on the 3rd floor of West Tower and 1st floor of Pavilion for Women will be open until 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Social media
As we come together as a team to ride out Hurricane Harvey, it’s important to remain focused on the care and safety of each other, our patients and their families. We know social media is a valuable tool you will utilize throughout the storm to update your family and friends. We encourage you to remain conscious of what you are sharing on your social media accounts as there is heightened attention on the amazing work we do every day from the public and media. As a reminder, per the social media policy (4166), taking photos of patients and/or their families is prohibited. For those of you at our hospitals, we would further discourage sharing any photos of your areas or the facilities during the storm. Feel free to follow Texas Children’s social media channels and share these updates.

Closures
Outpatient closures on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
Texas Children’s Health Centers
Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

The Centers for Children and Women
All locations are closed Saturday and Sunday.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care
All locations are closed Saturday.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics
All locations are closed Saturday.

We will continue to monitor closures and communicate any changes.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Finally, please watch the news, and use your best judgment. We rely on you to stay informed and use good judgment in these situations to help keep yourself safe and to help us take the best possible care of our patients and their families. Thank you for your commitment!

We will continue to communicate additional updates this afternoon.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Hurricane Harvey Update No. 5: Friday, 6:27 p.m.

 Please note there may be some details below that do not apply to staff and employees in some parts of our system (i.e., Texas Children’s Health Plan, Texas Children’s Pediatrics). Additional communications will be provided to these employees as needed.

Weather update

Tropical Storm Harvey has been upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane. We will continue to have rain throughout the evening. There are no significant flood concerns, but some high water may occur in vulnerable areas. Please continue to monitor the weather situation in your area. Below are important updates.

Ride-out Activation

Due to the projection and severity of the storm, the decision has been made to call full activation for ride out beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday.

From that time forward, we will keep enough staff in house to provide 24-hour coverage for our inpatient operations and emergency services. That means the shift arriving at 7 a.m. should come in expecting to stay in house after their shift, potentially for several days. For most areas, it also means that personnel who are ending their shifts at 7 a.m. will need to stay in house and provide relief by going back on duty Saturday evening. As weather permits over the days that follow, we will call for fresh relief teams to come in for 1:1 replacement.

If you have any questions about how ride out procedures will work for your areas (or what your individual role assignment is), please contact your leader at your specific campus/work location.

Pay practices

Special pay practices will begin for non-exempt employees beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday for employees who have been assigned in a “ride-out” team. Click here for the details of our Emergency Pay Practices.

Food services

Food services will be available only at the Pavilion for Women Bistro from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Ride-out employees are strongly urged to bring a 3-4 day supply of non-perishable foods.

Sleeping accommodations

Sleeping accommodations will be available in Wallace Tower and Legacy Tower. Ride-out employees should report to the 3rd floor of Wallace Tower to receive a sleeping room assignment. For West and The Woodlands campuses, please check in with your leaders for sleep accommodations.

Flood doors and parking

Additional parking is available at Fannin Tower from the Main St. entrance starting at 6 p.m. and will continue to be available through next week. Employees will need to show their Texas Children’s ID badge to enter the garage. We will continue to monitor water levels and will implement plans to close flood doors and garages as necessary.

Dependent care

We strongly urge you to make arrangements for your children and elderly dependents with a responsible adult as there are no onsite dependent care options available at Texas Children’s at this time.

Closures

Outpatient closures on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:

Texas Children’s Health Centers

Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center campus

Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus

Texas Children’s OBGYN/Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics

 

Limited openings of Texas Children’s Pediatrics

The following Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices will be open half day Saturday:

Houston Pediatrics
Cohan/Masharani
Memorial

  • All other Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices not listed above are closed.
  • The Centers for Children and Women will be closed on Saturday and Sunday. The Centers will be open Monday unless otherwise announced.
  • Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations will continue normal operations until notified otherwise.

We will decide over the weekend if any closures should extend beyond Monday.

Helpful links

All past Harvey global emails

Emergency Pay Practices

Employee Assistance Program

Recommended list for at-work disaster bag

MOLI instructions to receive Emergency Management communications

Texas Children’s updates on social media and websites

Emergency Management Connect site

National Weather Service

School closures

Finally, please watch the news, and use your best judgement. We rely on you to stay informed and use good judgment in these situations to help keep yourself safe and to help us take the best possible care of our patients and their families. Thank you for your commitment.

We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants throughout the next several days.

Tropical Storm Harvey Update No. 4: Friday, 1:46 p.m.

 Please note there may be some details below that do not apply to staff and employees in some parts of our system (i.e., Texas Children’s Health Plan, Texas Children’s Pediatrics). Additional communications will be provided to these employees as needed.

Tropical Storm Harvey is continuing to develop. The Greater Houston area will continue to have rain throughout today. There are no significant flood concerns today, but some high water may occur in vulnerable areas. Please continue to monitor the weather situation in your area. Below are important updates.

Closures. We are continuing normal operations today, but we are closing all clinics and canceling all outpatient procedures at the three Texas Children’s Hospital campuses on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, including the Texas Medical Center campus, West Campus and The Woodlands. We are also closing Texas Children’s Health Centers, The Centers for Children and Women and the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We will decide over the weekend if the closures should extend beyond Monday.

A limited number of Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices are open half day on Saturday. Please check the Texas Children’s Pediatrics Facebook page for specific information. All Texas Children’s Urgent Care locations will continue normal operations until notified otherwise.

A note about renal patients: Renal patients are being contacted directly by the clinic. They may also check the Rena D social media pages for updates: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rena.dee.35) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/renadeeamb).

Ride out labor pool. Leaders are currently determining who will be needed for the labor pool if ride-out is activated. Please contact your leader if you have questions about your role.

Shutting down workstations. As you leave the office today in non-clinical areas, ensure your computer and monitor are moved away from the windows of your office and powered down completely.

1:1 Handoffs. 1-to-1 replacement will begin this evening at the hospital campuses. Please plan for additional travel time, identify alternate routes, ensure your personal at-work disaster bag is ready, and have your personal plans in place.

Public transportation. If you are planning to travel to work by Metro bus or rail, ensure you have an alternate means of transportation, as service may be limited this weekend. Also, be certain to fill up your gas tank in case fuel is limited in the next few days.

Flood doors, garages entrances and parking. Additional parking will be available at Fannin Tower from the Main St. entrance beginning at 6 p.m. this evening through next week. We will continue to monitor water levels and will implement plans to close flood doors and garages as necessary.

Child care and elder care. We do understand there are many school closures and we strongly urge you to make arrangements for your children and elderly dependents with a responsible adult as there are no onsite dependent care options available at Texas Children’s at this time.

At-work disaster bag. Your at-work disaster bag should be ready to go with at least three days of essential supplies. Click here for a recommended list of what to bring.

Emergency communications for employees. Make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications, which will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Update your personal information in MOLI. Instructions here.

All emergency Weather Alert emails also will be posted on our external news site, accessible from any device: www.texaschildrensnews.org.

More information, including the latest weather, traffic, and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Texas Children’s updates for the community. You also can follow real-time updates from Texas Children’s. Click here for a list of our social media channels and websites.

Finally, please watch the news, and use your good judgement. We rely on you staying informed and using good judgment in these situations to help keep yourself safe and help us take the best possible care of our patients and their families. Thank you for your commitment.

We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants throughout the next several days.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Tropical Storm Harvey Update No. 3: Prepare now, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. 

Harvey is rapidly intensifying into the third hurricane of the season and may possibly become a Category 3 when it reaches landfall along Texas’ coast. As a result, the Greater Houston area is expected to receive very heavy rainfall, storm-surge flooding and high winds beginning on Saturday and into early next week.

We are continuing normal operations, but we are following the weather closely and will make decisions about outpatient care and elective activities over the weekend. However, it is very important that we as an organization make preparations now for our families and for our patients and their families. Please make every effort to secure your loved ones and help us ensure the safety of the patients and families depending on our care and leadership.

Specifically, please be mindful of the following as you prepare:

1:1 Handoffs. 1-to-1 replacement will begin Friday evening. Please plan for additional travel time, identify alternate routes, ensure your personal at-work disaster bag is ready, and have your personal plans in place.

Public transportation. If you are planning to travel to work by Metro bus or rail, ensure you have an alternate means of transportation, as service may be limited this weekend. Also, be certain to fill up your gas tank in case fuel is limited in the next few days.

Flood doors, garages entrances and parking. At this point, there has been no decision to close the flood doors or the garage entrances. We will continue to monitor the weather and make decisions regarding the garages as appropriate.

Child care and elder care. We do understand there are many school closures during severe weather events. However, we strongly urge you to make arrangements for your children with a responsible adult rather than bringing them to work. This is very important to ensure the safest care for both our patients and for your children, as we will have limited staff and volunteers on hand.

At-work disaster bag. Your at-work disaster bag should be ready to go with at least three days of essential supplies. Click here for a recommended list of what to bring.

Emergency communications for employees. Make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications, which will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Update your personal information in MOLI. Instructions here.

All emergency Weather Alert emails also will be posted on our external news site, accessible from any device: http://texaschildrensnews.org/.

More information, including the latest weather, traffic, and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Texas Children’s updates for the community. You also can follow real-time updates from Texas Children’s via:

It’s important that we all remain calm, positive and mindful of our obligation to be here to provide uninterrupted care for our patients and their families. By the same token, we also want you to be safe. We rely on your judgment in these situations to balance the need for your presence here with our desire to ensure you are not putting yourself in harm’s way.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Tropical Storm Harvey Update No. 2: Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are continuing to closely monitor Tropical Storm Harvey, which is expected to make landfall as a hurricane late Friday. Tropical storm warnings are in effect from north of Matagorda to High Island, including Houston and Galveston. A hurricane warning has been issued for a portion of the Texas coast, from north of Port Mansfield to Matagorda, including the city of Corpus Christi.

At this point, the Greater Houston area is expecting a potential threat of heavy rainfall, increased winds and severe storms beginning Friday morning through possibly Tuesday morning, depending on how the storm tracks after landfall.

Texas Children’s Emergency Management team is urging employees to pay attention to local media reports concerning weather conditions, as the Houston area may receive significant rainfall with subsequent flooding in the next few days.

Staff members should be prepared for 1-to-1 replacement if travel conditions are unsafe in and around our Texas Children’s locations throughout Greater Houston. Please plan for additional travel time, identify alternate routes, ensure your personal emergency preparedness bags are ready, and have your personal plans in place.

In addition, make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Please make sure your personal information is updated in MOLI with your current mobile phone number so that you receive all messages in a timely manner. Here are the instructions for updating your information in MOLI.

More information, including the latest weather, traffic, and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will continue to communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

Wayne Chan
Emergency Management

Inclement weather expected this weekend: Wednesday, 3:38 p.m.

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring Tropical Depression Harvey. A hurricane watch has been issued for a portion of the Texas coast, from north of Port Mansfield to San Luis Pass, including Corpus Christi and Victoria. At this point, the Greater Houston area is expecting a potential threat of heavy rainfall and severe storms beginning Friday morning through mid-day Monday.

Texas Children’s Emergency Management team is urging employees to pay attention to local media reports concerning weather conditions, as the Houston area may receive significant rainfall with subsequent flooding in the next few days.

Staff members should be prepared for 1-to-1 replacement if travel conditions are unsafe in and around our Texas Children’s locations throughout Greater Houston. Please plan for additional travel time, identify alternate routes, ensure your personal emergency preparedness bags are ready, and have your personal plans in place.

In addition, make sure you stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. Please make sure your personal information is updated in MOLI with your current mobile phone number so that you receive all messages in a timely manner. Here are the instructions for updating your information in MOLI.

More information, including the latest weather, traffic, and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

Cris Daskevich
Administrator on-call

James Mitchell
Emergency Management

February 19, 2017
globalalert640
Sunday, February 19, 2017: 6:26 p.m.

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the weather as the Greater Houston area is expecting a potential threat of heavy rainfall overnight.

Rain is forecasted to begin around 2 a.m. Monday morning and reach the Texas Medical Center by 4 a.m.  Heavy downpour is expected to continue until 9 a.m. Some areas may receive up to 4 to 6 inches of rain, which subsequently could cause street flooding.

We urge employees to exercise caution when navigating roadways and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Please plan for additional travel time and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

As for clinical staff, there may be the possibility for one-to-one switch-outs on Monday morning if some staff are having trouble arriving to work due to treacherous road conditions.

We  urge staff in our outpatient operations, Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Health Centers and The Centers for Women and Children to be prepared to reach out to patients regarding potential scheduling changes.

At this time, we are planning for normal operations. We will keep you posted should this status change.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

Ivett Shah
Administrator on call

James Mitchell
Emergency Management

April 20, 2016

 

121213globalAlertfinal354

 

Weather alert no. 9: Inclement weather expected this morning

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the weather as the Greater Houston area is expecting a potential threat of heavy rainfall this morning between 9 a.m. and noon with further rainfall possible through mid-afternoon.

Rain is forecasted to begin around 9 a.m. in northwestern Harris County and reach the Medical Center by 11 a.m.

Since this line of storms is expected to remain rather progressive, the threat for heavy rainfall is expected to be much more localized than what was observed early Monday. Widespread rainfall amounts of around ½ inch to 1 inch can be expected with some localized amounts of 2-3 inches possible.

Given the significant soil saturation, even moderate rainfall may cause additional street flooding.

We urge employees to exercise caution when navigating roadways and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Please plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to weather conditions.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

Severe weather update no. 8: Official CARLA DEACTIVATION at 7 p.m.

Texas Children’s Hospital is formally discontinuing the CARLA activation at this time. Inpatient leadership will continue to ensure 1:1 staffing handoffs during shift changes. Nursing operations sub-command center will remain open through 7 p.m. this evening. Emergency pay practices will continue until 11 p.m. this evening.

The PFW 4th floor sleeping area will be staffed for those who would like to register until 8 p.m. Security will monitor the area for those sleeping throughout the night, and the area will close at 7 a.m.

We anticipate the weather will continue to improve later this evening. However, the Department of Emergency Management will continue to monitor the situation closely tonight and throughout the week.

Dependent care support
Texas Children’s Hospital has partnered with Bright Horizons® to enhance our Back-Up Care Advantage Program® with Crisis Care Assist.™ Available immediately, this program extends care options for employees whose dependent care arrangements may be impacted by the flooding in the Houston area. Click here for more details.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

If you need to contact the Administrator on call, please do so through the page operator. The incident command center will officially close at 7 p.m. this evening.

Please continue to be safe in this weather, and reach out to your leaders if you have additional questions. Thank you all for your flexibility and resilience during this unexpected emergency weather event.

Severe weather update no. 7: Normal operations to resume (Monday, 3:33 p.m.)

New information

Severe weather is moving out of the Houston area. However, 1 to 3 inches of rain are expected over the next 48 hours with heavier rainfall possible in isolated areas.

We anticipate the weather will continue to improve significantly by later this evening, and we will continue to monitor closely and keep you well informed when we officially discontinue the CARLA.

Texas Medical Center shuttle services are back up and running, and Garages 11, 12 and 16 in the TMC are expected to reopen at 4 p.m. today. However, Metro will not resume normal service until 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Sleeping arrangements:

Sleeping arrangements are provided on the 4th floor of the Pavilion for Women. Should you require accommodations, please call Ext. 4-0150.

Food options:
The Coffee Corner in the Pavilion for Women will offer normal hours and serve food until 12 a.m. The CCC food court will offer extended hours of operation until 8 p.m. tonight.

Thanks to all of you for your great leadership. We appreciate your efforts to be here to care for our patients and their families. Pulling together at these times is critical to those entrusted in our care.

Previous information

Pay practices, parking reimbursement and financial assistance

Shuttle Service

  • Normal shuttle service is running from Garage 19 and Meyer. Service from Nabisco/NRI is also running.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

Please continue to be safe in this weather, and reach out to your leaders if you have additional questions. Thank you all for your support.

Severe weather update no. 6: Pay practices, parking reimbursements and financial assistance (Monday, 12:05 p.m.)

We appreciate your efforts to be here to care for our patients and their families. It’s important to us, as your leaders, to provide you with programs and services to help you during difficult times as well. Below, we’ve outlined how we will handle pay practices and time off. In addition, we’ve provided information about acquiring financial assistance.

Emergency pay

  • An organization-wide CARLA was activated at 10 a.m. today. Emergency pay practices will be applied retroactively to 7 a.m.
  • All non-exempt employees working as of 7 a.m. will receive an Emergency differential of $5 per hour for hours worked during the CARLA. This differential will be in addition to their regular pay, including any applicable differentials and overtime.
  • Exempt employees who are working during the CARLA will be paid their regular salary.

Employees sleeping on campus

  • Non-exempt employees who are required to stay at the hospital or in designated sleeping areas during their time-off shift will be paid at their regular hourly rate for this time with overtime being calculated in accordance with FLSA guidelines (over 40 hours). No differentials will be paid during this period.
  • A maximum of 8 hours within a 24-hour period will be classified as sleep time and/or time required to be on campus but not working. Any hours in excess of 8 hours in a 24-hour period will be classified as time worked with all standard differentials applying.
  • Exempt employees will not receive additional pay for sleeping on campus.

PTO and PTU

  • Employees calling in due to road conditions will be coded as PTO.  If the employee does not have PTO, then it is unpaid time.
  • Employees calling in due to childcare limitations resulting from school closures also will be coded as PTO.  If the employee does not have PTO, then it is unpaid time.
  • Employees who called in due to illness will be coded as PTU.

Department and Clinic Closures or Employees Sent Home

  • Employees who are part of a department or clinic closure will be coded as PTO.
  • Regarding employees asked to go home after arriving for their normal shift:
    • Non-exempt employees should use their PTO accruals.  If the employee does not have PTO, then it is unpaid time. Non-exempt employees will not be charged PTO in periods of less than one (1) hour.
    • Exempt employees will be paid regular salary for their entire shift.

Parking reimbursement

  • Employees who had to park in a location for which their parking card does not provide access will be reimbursed. This includes Metro bus riders who pulled tokens.
  • Night shift employees who would normally leave the garage by 7 a.m., but had to pay because they were asked to remain on shift longer will be reimbursed.
  • You must have a parking receipt to receive reimbursement. Payments will be reimbursed through eBer. Requests must be submitted and approved by May 7.

Employee Financial Assistance Fund

  • We recognize that some of our employees and their families have suffered losses due to the weather event. Please remember that the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) may be able to help.
  • To learn more about EAP services, please visit the EAP websiteor contact the EAP at 832-824-3327 or eap@texaschildrens.org.

Severe weather update no. 5: Shuttles back in service (Monday, 11:25 a.m.)

  • Shuttle services are back in operation. Normal shuttle service has resumed from Garage 19 and Meyer. Service from Nabisco/NRI is also running.
  • We will continue to monitor the weather and bayous/bridges and report any changes.

Severe weather update no. 4: CARLA activated (Monday, 10:27 a.m.)

Texas Children’s Leadership is announcing a CARLA activation.

As such, all employees must be ready and available to arrive onsite when it is safe to do so. Your specific requirements should be discussed with your immediate supervisor.

Further information regarding Emergency Pay Practices will be forthcoming, along with other Human Resource information at approximately 12 p.m. today.

Food options are available on site in the Medical Center and West Campus at this time.

Severe weather alert no. 3: Shuttle services suspended at Meyer (Monday, 8:21 a.m.)

Shuttle services at the Meyer Building are now suspended until further notice. Security SUV’s are being sent to the Meyer shuttle stop to pick up employees heading to the Texas Medical Center.

Parking is open at the Pavilion garage only.

We will keep you posted on other further developments throughout the day.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

Inclement weather causes cancellations of outpatient services (Monday, 7:23 a.m.)

All Texas Children’s Pediatric clinics, subspecialty clinics and diagnostic/therapeutic services at Main, West and the Health Centers along with the Texas Children’s Health Plan Centers and TCP Practices are closed.

  • Public transportation – Metro operations have been suspended until further notice.
  • Parking garages – All parking garages in the Texas Medical Center are closed, BUT the parking garages at Meyer are open. Shuttle services are running but may be delayed.

Inpatient staff are conducting 1 to 1 hand offs to ensure safe staffing levels.

All administrative support staff should consult with their leaders regarding their need to report to work.

We urge employees to exercise caution when navigating roadways and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Please plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

Inclement weather expected through Tuesday (Sunday, 10:10 p.m.)

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the weather, as the Greater Houston area is expecting heavy rainfall and severe storms.
We anticipate rainfall will intensify throughout the Houston area between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday. Widespread rainfall of 4-6 inches is expected, with isolated areas receiving up to 10 inches of rain. Rain is expected to continue through Tuesday morning.

We urge employees to exercise caution when navigating roadways and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Please plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

For more information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, go to the Emergency Management Connect site and the National Weather Service website.

Summary information

Weather

  • Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the weather, as the Greater Houston area is experiencing heavy rainfall and severe storms. Additional, widespread rainfall of 4-6 inches is expected throughout the day, with isolated areas receiving up to 10 inches of rain. Cumulative rain totals are exceeding 12” in many areas, causing widespread flooding.

CARLA activation

  • Texas Children’s leadership announced a CARLA activation at 10 a.m. today. As such, all employees must be ready and available to arrive onsite when it is safe to do so. Your specific requirements should be discussed with your immediate supervisor.
  • Further information regarding Emergency Pay Practices will be forthcoming, along with other Human Resource information at approximately 12 p.m. today.

Outpatient closures and Inpatient staffing

  • All Texas Children’s Pediatric clinics, subspecialty clinics and diagnostic/therapeutic services at Main, West and the Health Centers along with the Texas Children’s Health Plan Centers and TCP Practices are closed.
    Inpatient staff are conducting 1-to-1 hand-offs to ensure safe staffing levels.

Food options

  • Food options are available on-site in the Medical Center and West Campus at this time.

Parking

  • Public transportation – Metro operations have been suspended until further notice.
  • Parking garages – All parking garages in the Texas Medical Center are closed, BUT the parking garages at Meyer are open. Shuttle services are running but may be delayed.