Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women opens a new community clinic location, bringing top tier women’s health care closer to patients who live in the Bay Area. Read more
November 16, 2021
Strengthening its commitment to the Austin community, Texas Children’s Pediatrics is thrilled to announce the opening of a new Community Health Center in Windsor Park. The new site joins 12 other Texas Children’s locations in Central Texas providing trusted, high-quality medical services to children and adolescents.
Texas Children’s Pediatrics Windsor Park will be named the Jodie Lee Jiles Community Health Center, to honor Jodie Lee Jiles’ extraordinary lifelong advocacy for underserved populations. Jiles, a member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents and director of business development at Transwestern, has served on the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees since 2002, and has been a Texas Children’s Emeritus Trustee since 2019. His passion for giving back and strong ties to Austin – as a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin – are a few of the many reasons Texas Children’s chose to dedicate the site in his honor.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored by this recognition from Texas Children’s,” said Jiles. “I am deeply moved by the organization’s mission and pleased that the new facility will provide quality health care to a traditionally underserved community.”
Regardless of a family’s financial situation the Jodie Lee Jiles Community Health Center will provide primary health care services to children from birth to age 18. The new location also offers the opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with board-certified pediatricians, Dr. Ana Avalos and Dr. Shauna Butler.
“We’re excited about the ability to serve even more families in the Austin community,” said Dan Gollins, president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care. “We hope the clinic will be a great representation of Mr. Jiles’ passion for reaching every child in the community, ensuring they have the resources needed for a healthy future.”
“My dream has always been that every child in America and especially in Texas has access to preventative care, primary care and hospitalization when necessary,” said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children’s Hospital. “I’m happy to say that this dream is coming true through the Jodie Lee Jiles Community Health Center and because of people like Jodie who never stop advocating for what is right. We are thrilled to name the Windsor Park facility in his honor.”
Texas Children’s Hospital is also constructing a $485 million top-tier, freestanding children and women’s hospital in North Austin, set to open in February 2024. Please stay tuned for available positions as our new hospital gets under development. To learn more visit our Austin Expansion site on Connect: https://texaschildrens.sharepoint.com/sites/Austin
November 2, 2021
Texas Children’s affirmed its Global Health partnership with the Republic of Botswana and praised our mutual commitment to children and families during a recent visit from President Mokgweetsi Masisi and a delegation of Botswanan leaders.
Texas Children’s, Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence Trust and Baylor College of Medicine operate through a public-private partnership with the government of Botswana. Launched in 2003, the Trust established the first pediatric HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence in Africa at Princess Marina Hospital in the capital city of Gaborone.
Today, it provides more than 7,500 children, adolescents and families with state-of-the-art pediatric HIV, oncology and blood disorder care and treatment at no cost. The program also builds the capacity of local health care workers through trainings in emergency medicine and critical care.
“We’ve accomplished so much more than I could have ever imagined,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, who hosted the Botswana delegation and extended a warm welcome upon their arrival in late September.
President Masisi and a delegation last traveled to Texas Children’s in 2018 – well before the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“We see this partnership growing from strength to strength and continuously benefiting the most vulnerable in Botswana,” said President Masisi regarding this visit. “Together we can improve the health care service delivery in Botswana and the region.”
Mr. Wallace noted that Texas Children’s was able to donate supplies and personal protective equipment to Botswana during the pandemic, and expressed excitement about expanding our partnership and work in the southern African nation for generations to come.
“We simply could not have asked for a better partner,” Mr. Wallace said. “From day one, you’ve trusted us to serve your country’s children and provide the same care we give to patients here at Texas Children’s. We do this because every child we serve in Botswana is a patient of Texas Children’s Hospital.”
Dr. Mogomotsi Matshaba, executive director of the Botswana Baylor Trust, visited Texas Children’s alongside President Masisi.
OB/GYN-in-Chief Dr. Michael Belfort, Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier, Pathologist-in-Chief Dr. James Versalovic and Co-Directors of Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development – Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi – also participated.
October 19, 2021
As our new Pediatrician-in-Chief, Dr. Catherine Gordon has her sights set on solidifying Texas Children’s position as a global leader in children’s health. Read more
October 13, 2021
Providing the best care to our Texas Children’s patients and their families starts with looking after and taking care of ourselves. For the month of October, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Well-being are sharing how the simple act of mindfulness can reduce the negative impact of stress and anxiety.
Practicing mindfulness throughout your work day
Mindfulness is not just about meditation or carving out long periods of relaxation – it’s about enhancing focus and awareness while you are in the midst of your workday and your daily life. As you practice removing distractions, your attention comes back to the present moment. This improves your concentration, your mood and your ability to cope with daily stressors.
Try taking control of your own mindfulness by trying these three easy, in-the-moment mindfulness activities and see what they do for you. You can also download the Three Ways to Be Mindful Throughout the Day flyer here.
Washing your hands
Check in with your thoughts every time you wash or sanitize your hands. As you wash your hands, feel the water or sanitizer on your hands. Think about your thoughts – are you in the present moment, or is your mind on the past or the future? Check out this video for more on hand-washing as a mindfulness practice.
Opening a door
Before you enter a room, touch the door knob and focus on taking a deep breath and focusing your mind on a positive thought, such as “I enter this room fully present.” Walk into the room with a calm perspective and leave your old thoughts outside the door.
Taking a break
Taking breaks throughout the day can help you avoid burnout, renew your perspective and refresh your creativity. This can be a long break, like lunch, or a short 5-minute walk away from your work area. Change up your scenery, take some deep breaths and refocus your intentions.
Additional mindfulness tools and resources
Watch on-demand mindfulness videos, such as mindfulness guided meditation and unwinding before bed on Texas Children’s Well-Being website.
Log into Netflix and watch the interactive “Unwind Your Mind” video series from Headspace.
Download the Insight Timer app that helps you to practice mindfulness at any time.
Take a look at the Managing Stress Toolkit from Cigna. There are also guided mindfulness and meditations.
Register to take a Healthstream course (hosted by EAP):
Authentic Happiness – First Friday of every month
Building Resilient Staff – Second Friday of every month
Mental Health First Aid – Third Friday of every month
Stress Management – Last Friday of every month
August 11, 2021
As announced by President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, Texas Children’s is requiring all members of our workforce to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 – including all full-time, part-time and per diem employees and medical staff, contractors, on-site vendors and volunteers.
The decision to require the COVID-19 vaccine aligns with recommendations from the American Hospital Association, Children’s Hospital Association and hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide, including our partners at Baylor College of Medicine and neighboring institutions in the Texas Medical Center.
Under the COVID-19 vaccine requirement
Unvaccinated workforce members must receive at least one vaccine dose by 5 p.m. on September 21, 2021 and a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine by 5 p.m. on October 19, 2021.
Exemptions are available for certain religious beliefs or medical conditions that may preclude a person from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. To apply for an exemption, please complete the Exemption Request form, as well as a signed Medical Exemption Provider Statement for those submitting a medical exemption. All requests are subject to verification and approval. The deadline for submitting an exemption request for the first dose is 5 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2021, and 5 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2021 for the second dose.
Workforce members may receive their COVID-19 vaccine through Texas Children’s or any provider, pharmacy or facility of their choice. To schedule your vaccine appointment through Texas Children’s, please click here.
For more information about the vaccines, our requirement policy, how to submit proof of vaccination and what to do if you have been vaccinated but do not have a Vaccination Record Card, please reference our Information Guide.
The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have to fight the pandemic and finally bring this international public health crisis to an end, particularly given the vulnerability of Texas Children’s patient population and their inability to receive the vaccine themselves.
“I look forward to all of us at Texas Children’s taking initiative, being vaccinated and remaining the reason families from all over the world choose us to care for children and women. “I am profoundly grateful for your leadership and commitment to Texas Children’s and appreciate your dedication as we usher in the next season together. Leadership is never easy, but we have always done the right thing – and this will be no exception.”
– Mark A. Wallace
July 26, 2021
Texas Children’s has just announced a phased, multi-year expansion plan for the Pavilion for Women that will allow us to continue providing the highest-quality care possible as one of the preeminent women’s health care destinations in the country.
“This expansion plan will not only allow us to increase our delivery volume by about 30 percent, but will also allow us have more space for specialized clinics and specific programs that will cater to women at every stage of life,” said Dr. Michael Belfort, OB/GYN-in-Chief.
Since its opening in 2012, the Pavilion has consistently fulfilled its vision to deliver exceptional care to mothers and their babies and now exceeded delivery capacity with unmatched clinical outcomes. In addition to Texas Children’s Fetal Center – a national leader in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormalities in unborn and newborn infants – the facility is home to a level IV neonatal intensive care unit.
The new expansion includes transforming the former Baylor Clinic at 6620 Main Street in the Medical Center into part of Texas Children’s campus and renaming it Main Tower, providing Texas Children’s with an additional 190,000 square feet of usable space. There will be three phases of the project, with Phase 1 expected to be completed in spring 2022 and full completion expected in 2024.
“Patients come from all across the country and the globe to access our world-renowned medical experts and the full continuum of care we offer mothers and babies,” Belfort said. “We are looking forward to increasing our capacity to offer the best care to every woman and child, from the healthiest to the sickest.”
To read more about the expansion planned for Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, click here.
