February 27, 2018

With the opening of its first urgent care clinic in Austin just one week away and plans rapidly progressing to open its first specialty care location in October, Texas Children’s recently hosted two town hall meetings at main campus to share more details with interested employees about available positions and how they can apply, transfer and relocate to the capital city.

Additional town hall meetings on the Austin expansion will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Monday, March 19, in the conference center at West Campus and from noon to 1 p.m., Friday, March 23, in the conference center at The Woodlands. Health Center and Specialty Care Center employees can participate in the town halls from their local conference rooms via telemedicine.

“Our employees at Texas Children’s are our strength,” said David Wykes, director of Employee Relations and HR Community. “That’s why we really encourage the internal transfer option. You know the organization, and you know our great culture that we want to translate to Austin.”

Texas Children’s will launch its specialty care services in a two-floor, 51,000-square-foot facility in north-central Austin, with 400,000 pediatric lives located within a 30-minute drive. There will be 17 providers representing 11 medical and surgical sub-specialties to start, as well as x-ray, ultrasound and neurology, pulmonary and cardiology testing.

Nearly 40 specialty care positions will open throughout this fiscal year – from outpatient staff RNs, ambulatory service representatives and medical assistants, to certified ophthalmic technicians, radiology and ultrasound specialists, ECHO sonographers, a social worker, clinical dietician and more. A full list of available positions can be found in the Town Hall section on the new Austin page on the Careers website, along with answers to frequently asked questions and other resources. All job openings will be posted internally before being announced to external candidates, giving Texas Children’s employees the first opportunity to apply.

To be considered for internal transfer, employees must meet the eligibility requirements detailed in the Internal Transfer Policy and fulfill the minimum qualifications for their desired position. Relocation assistance will be offered to employees to provide additional support for their move to Austin, and those selected for transfer will enjoy the same benefits packages, compensation model and salary structure as they have at Texas Children’s locations in Houston and Harris County.

Vice President Ivett Shah told town hall attendees that employees interested in transferring to Austin must be flexible enough to handle the changes that will come as Texas Children’s continues to evolve and expand in the new market. Several additional urgent care clinics, specialty care locations, primary care practices and maternal-fetal medicine practices are slated to open across the city over the next five years.

“The demands of patients and families in Austin are different than those we have in Houston, so we have to look at new and creative ways of delivering care,” Shah said. “We want our employees, staff, physicians and patients in Austin to feel they are part of the Texas Children’s system. We want them to feel connected.”

For more information, visit the Austin careers page; attend the town hall meetings scheduled in March at The Woodlands and West Campus; or contact attend the town hall meetings scheduled in March at The Woodlands and West Campus; or contact Bobbie Jehle at 936-267-5823.

Texas Children’s Health Plan and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston have teamed up to provide free school year and summer memberships to active Health Plan members between the ages of 6 and 12.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston has 14 locations across the region and offers a range of after-school programs, including Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles, and Good Character and Citizenship.

“We are proud to be a partner of Texas Children’s Health Plan,” said Kevin Hattery, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, at a recent celebration of the partnership. “Both of our organizations serve Houston’s youth and families with valuable programs and resources that truly change lives.”

Dr. Heidi Schwarzwald, chief medical officer of pediatrics at Texas Children’s Health Plan, said the new relationship reaffirms our belief that community health and wellness is achievable when we take a holistic view of a child’s life and ensure medical, physical and emotional needs are met.

“We are excited for what this partnership will mean for our health plan members and the community at large,” Schwarzwald said.

Lou Fragoso, president of Texas Children’s Health Plan, echoed Schwarzwald’s comments adding that care happens beyond hospital walls, in homes, communities, and at organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston.

“By offering our members access to these clubs allows us to expand that holistic vision of care and helps create healthier communities,” Fragoso said.

February 20, 2018

Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace recently enjoyed an intimate surprise celebration in the building that bears his name. Last week, a few leaders, staff members and Texas Children’s ukulele choir joined him for the unveiling of a new plaque, which officially dedicates the building in his honor.

“Thank you so very much for this,” Wallace said to the choir and the small crowd. “I’m deeply honored by this special moment with all of you.”

As Wallace approached the bridge, he was surprised by a small crowd and the ukulele choir, which sang an original song that music therapists Marial Biard and Alex Brickley composed about Wallace’s legacy of leadership.

Acts of leadership create tidal waves of growth.
Pledging your life to accelerate healthcare.
You’re an exemplar of this oath.

Those are just a few lyrics from the ukulele choir’s song, The Texas Children’s Way. Brickley, who co-leads the choir with Biard, said The Texas Children’s Way is the lyrical epitome of Wallace’s vision for the hospital.

“We wanted to make sure we used Texas Children’s core values in the lyrics,” Brickley said. “We knew we wanted to incorporate those because that’s what Mark Wallace said leadership is about and that’s what Texas Children’s stands for.”

The choir includes employees of all professions and allows them a break during the day to step away from work, relax, and learn music. The choir performs for our patients and is often requested for employee events.

The newly unveiled plaque hangs at the end of The Auxiliary Bridge near the third-floor entrance to Wallace Tower. Previously, Texas Children’s 16-floor clinical building had been the Clinical Care Tower. In March, Texas Children’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the building Mark A. Wallace Tower in honor of our long-time President and CEO.

Wallace took the reins of Texas Children’s Hospital in 1989, and under his leadership, Texas Children’s has become the largest and most comprehensive pediatric and women’s health care organization in the nation. Although obviously surprised by the small celebration, Wallace immediately offered a few words of aspiration and a promise.

“Even though we’ve done a lot in these last several years together, the best is yet to come,” Wallace said.

Special thanks to the ukulele choir members who performed at Mr. Wallace’s plaque unveiling:
Saharay Alamos-Almeida
Marial Biard
Alix Brickley
Ashby Gleditsch
Amanda Harris
Caley Johns
David Kolacny
Nick Ryan Magdoza
Danh K Nguyen
Halle Nick
Hannah Nilsen
Ashley Wood

February 13, 2018

Transplant teams with Texas Children’s Hospital performed 112 solid organ transplants in 2017, the most in the history of Texas Children’s Transplant Services.

The liver and the kidney transplant programs were the busiest with 42 liver transplants and 32 kidney transplants completed last year. The heart program completed 28 transplants in 2017 and the lung program finished with 10, including one transplant in a patient under the age of one. There were only three such transplants in the United States last year.

“I’m very proud to be working with a team so dedicated to providing the best possible outcomes for our patients,” said Dr. John Goss, medical director of Transplant Services. “This milestone demonstrates that Texas Children’s continues to earn its reputation as one of the best pediatric transplant programs in the country, and is a testament to the skill and commitment of our multidisciplinary team.”

Since its inception, Texas Children’s Transplant Services has grown at a steady pace and is now one of the largest pediatric transplant programs in the nation. Along the way, the transplant teams have hit many milestones: performing 98 solid organ transplants in 2014, completing four kidney transplants over the course of 18 hours in 2016, and in 2017, performing 112 transplants, a record number for the team, boosting its total number of transplants to more than 1,500.

One of the recipients of last year’s 112 transplants was 4-month-old Carter Kraft. Born on June 10, 2017, at a hospital in his home state of Florida, Carter immediately cried loudly, but nurses noticed fluid on his lungs. After a nerve-racking few weeks waiting for answers as to what was causing breathing issues for their son, Carter’s parents, Jennifer and Matt Kraft, were told their son had a rare genetic disorder called ABCA3 Surfactant Protein Deficiency, which prevented his lungs from being able to absorb oxygen. The only treatment for the disorder is a double lung transplant.

Carter was transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital on August 16 because our transplant teams have the depth of skill and unique qualifications to treat patients from newborns to young adults in need of a heart, kidney, liver and lung transplant. In particular, the hospital’s Lung Transplant Program offers a median wait time of less than four months and is one of only two institutions performing 10 or more pediatric lung transplants each year.

Carter spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) before undergoing a procedure to repair a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) of his heart. Then, on October 27, Carter underwent the double lung transplant he needed with Dr. Jeff Heinle, interim chief of congenital heart surgery at Texas Children’s.

Now, 12 weeks post-transplant, Carter is doing well and his family is looking forward to returning home to Florida soon.

“We are so pleased that we were able to help Carter and that he is doing so well,” Heinle said. “We are fortunate to work at Texas Children’s Hospital where we have the resources to provide this kind of specialized care to complex, challenging patients.”

For more information on Texas Children’s Transplant Services, click here. To watch a story on KHOU-TV Channel 11’s about Texas Children’s Transplant Services milestone, click here.

February 6, 2018

Texas Children’s Transplant Team recently received a glowing review from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recertification evaluation team during an unannounced four-day visit to survey the program for recertification.

This was the first recertification survey for the entire transplant program, which was initially certified for kidney transplants in 1987 and lung, heart and liver transplants in 2012. The recertification period is every four to six years.

During the team’s recent survey, surveyors reviewed patient medical records, interviewed patient families, staff nurses, and the transplant multidisciplinary team to ascertain continued compliance with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Transplant regulation. They also reviewed more than 50 medical records, and conducted a review of the team’s Transplant Quality program and its integration into the Texas Children’s Hospital Quality Program. The team finished the survey with only one deficiency found in documentation in a medical record.

“The transplant team did amazing,” said Executive Vice President Mark Mullarkey. “The reviewers were so complimentary. It was obvious that the hard work that has occurred in transplant with quality and structure has resulted in something our surveyors felt was fantastic.”

Medical Director of Transplant Services Dr. John Goss said he is proud of his team and the hard work they put into providing the best possible care for some of Texas Children’s most delicate patients.

“Your efforts are significant and make such a difference in the lives of so many,” Goss said.

“Congratulations on a job well done. I know you will continue to strive for the best.”

January 30, 2018

On January 22 to 24, four appraisers from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) evaluated Texas Children’s for Magnet® re-designation. The Magnet® appraisers had very busy schedules during the site visit and were kept on track by the Texas Children’s staff nurse escorts. The appraisers visited and held sessions with a variety of the Texas Children’s patient care areas including the Medical Center Campus, West Campus, The Woodlands campus, health centers and maternal fetal medicine clinics. The appraisers will write a summary of their site visit and send to the Magnet® commission for review and final approval of re-designation.

Since 2003, Texas Children’s has been a Magnet-designated organization. Every four years, the hospital applies for Magnet® re-designation, which is the highest and most prestigious recognition provided by the ANCC, and reflects Texas Children’s commitment to providing excellence through quality, safety and outcomes that positively influence patient and family-centered care.

“This successful site visit was a true team effort, and we are well on our way to Magnet® re-designation,” said Texas Children’s Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre. “We will learn the status of our official re-designation in a couple of months, and we have every confidence we will be receiving good news.”

What Magnet® appraisers noted

The appraisers remarked that our nurses’ teamwork, collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, dedication to the care of their patients and supportive practice environment were apparent throughout the organization.

Texas Children’s nursing excellence was seen throughout the organization. Here are some of the appraisers’ positive feedback:

  • Nurses are proud to work for Texas Children’s
  • Nursing Shared Governance – bi-directional communication
  • Family Centered Care – staff live it; patients/families know it
  • Continuity of care across all setting and facilities
  • Response to Harvey
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration was seen throughout the organization
  • Legacy Tower – input provided by staff on design and workflow, staff participation in simulation
  • Great leaders cascades down throughout the organization

“We are very proud of our nursing and interdisciplinary team members and are grateful for their participation in making the Magnet® site visit very successful,” said Texas Children’s Magnet® Program Director Emily Weber. “During the site visit, our nurses and entire health care team shared their accomplishments, highlighted our great partnership, exceptional care delivery and collaboration to enhance patient outcomes.”

January 23, 2018

Texas Children’s Hospital is proud to announce the opening of its ninth Texas Children’s Urgent Care clinic. Located at 12620 Woodforest Blvd., Suite 160, Texas Children’s Urgent Care East offers high-quality, efficient and affordable pediatric care at a convenient location.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care East is open Monday through Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. The clinic is staffed by board certified pediatricians who diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments, illnesses and conditions, including: asthma, strep throat, fever, minor burns, influenza, ear infections, allergic reactions and more. Procedures provided include: antibiotic injections, breathing treatments, fracture care and splinting, IV (intravenous) fluids, lab services, laceration repair and X-rays onsite.

Oftentimes, families turn to an emergency center after hours, on weekends or perhaps even during the day, when a significant event occurs with their child. Though the emergency center is the right place for some incidents or ailments, the majority of the time minor illnesses can and should be treated at a pediatric urgent care facility.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care accepts major insurance plans and has self-pay rates, which are less than emergency center charges, and there are no hospital fees. A complete list of insurance plans is available on the website. Texas Children’s Urgent Care specializes in after-hours care, but does not replace the need for children to have a general pediatrician. Routine physical exams and vaccinations are services that should be obtained from a general pediatrician, and these services are not available at Texas Children’s Urgent Care.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care has eight additional convenient locations:

  • Cinco Ranch, 9727 Spring Green Blvd., Suite 900 Katy, TX 77494, 281-789-6300
  • Memorial, 12850 Memorial Drive, Suite 210 Houston, TX 77024, 832-827-4000 Memorial
  • The Woodlands, 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, Suite C300 The Woodlands, TX 77381, 281-417-0870
  • Main Campus, 6621 Fannin, Suite 2240 Houston, TX 77030, 832-824-2000
  • Pearland, 2701 Pearland Parkway, Suite 190, Pearland, TX 77581, 281-485-6400
  • The Vintage, 10420 Louetta Road, Suite 104, Houston, TX 77070, 281-251-0269
  • Fairfield, 28070 Highway 290, Suite 100, Cypress, TX 77433, 281-758-4770
  • The Heights, 2200 Yale Street, Houston, TX, 77008, 713-861-6104

For more information about Texas Children’s Urgent Care, click here.