April 15, 2014

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Fifty two nurses sat in a Pavilion conference room attentive and ready to hear from their leader. As Chief Nursing Office Lori Armstrong greeted each table of new RNs, you could feel the excitement and anticipation in the room for “lunches with Lori” which this month was a graduate nurse welcome lunch for this special group.

“You are the largest new graduate nurse class Texas Children’s has ever had,” said Armstrong.

The comment was met with applause by the RNs who graduated nursing schools in December. They were among hundreds who applied for the latest batch of nursing positions that have been added since Armstrong and her nursing leadership team launched the reinvention of nursing in November. Since then, 212 new RNs have been hired filling vacancies as well as new full time employee positions that were added to combat the staffing needs throughout the organization. These grads are among the best and brightest according to Armstrong. Each was required to not only graduate from nursing school, but have a 3.5 grade point average or higher, complete the application with two letters of recommendation as well as write mission and vision statements. The rigorous new requirements and hiring process are meant to determine not only if the nurses are the right fit for the organization, but if we’re the right fit for them.

“Our culture is one where we would do anything for our patients,” Armstrong told the excited crowd. “Your first job is a time you will never forget and I’m so happy you chose to be here for that.”

The group shared their own excitement in their new positions.

“I’ve been at a lot of companies at different levels and I’ve yet to see this level of satisfaction at every level from janitors to staff, nurses and doctors,” said Aaron Clay, RN.

“I started at a Texas Children’s Pediatrics office, moved to hospital as I entered nursing school and now I’m a nurse so that’s growth,” said Jeanette Costilla, RN.

For the nursing department, the new hires are just a small step toward the bigger picture of reinventing the role of nurses across the organization with hopes of attracting nurses from top nursing schools across the U.S. Growing the educated nursing population is not just a priority at Texas Children’s, but across the nation. Evidence shows nurses that have at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing significantly impact morbidity rates and infection rates.

April 8, 2014

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Intense study focuses on critical needs of main campus core areas

At the beginning of this year, some pretty exciting things happened at Texas Children’s: a new system-wide mission statement announcement, celebration of the organization’s 60th birthday and the groundbreaking of the new Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. But something even bigger and more imperative was going on behind the scenes: CareFirst.

In January, Texas Children’s launched CareFirst, an intense study of the core areas throughout the main campus. It involves a rigorous, eight-month planning process to help evaluate the hospital’s critical needs and set the right course for the future.

CareFirst initially will center around the needs of three areas:

  • the Emergency Center
  • Critical Care
  • Operating Rooms/PACU.

View this video to see why these areas need our attention.

“In the past several years, we’ve grown our programs and our physical footprint in the community to provide care where there was growing need,” said President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “CareFirst is about focusing on the pressing needs at our main campus and reinvesting in the core clinical areas.”

In a video Wallace distributed last week, he documented a recent visit to the three core areas. In the videos, Dr. Paul Sirbaugh takes Wallace through the Emergency Center, which receives 50 percent of all 911 and EMS transports in Houston. In the Operating Rooms/PACU, Dr. David Wesson and Judy Swanson explain how some rooms barely accommodate the advanced technology required to take care of our patients. And in Critical Care, Dr. Lara Shekerdemian and Dr. Paul Checchia describe the balancing act involved in taking care of patients who now are surviving because of the care we provide and subsequently requiring longer hospital stays in our over-crowded ICUs.

CareFirst is such a high priority that Texas Children’s Board of Trustees, administrative leaders at all levels, physicians and many Texas Children’s employees have been engaged in the effort. The work teams are dedicating considerable time to CareFirst to move thoughtfully, but swiftly, and Wallace plans to unveil the findings and plans for the next stage of CareFirst at the beginning of fiscal year 2015.

“This will be one of the most difficult initiatives we have ever undertaken,” Wallace said. “Many areas will be impacted, and at times, this is going to challenge us. But I know it is the right thing to do for our patients and their families. It’s about ensuring that exceptional care continues to be first and foremost at Texas Children’s.

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Everyone hears that proper nutrition plays a significant role in your overall health though it’s not often as easy as it sounds. A healthy meal is the best start to achieving your optimal health and wellness goals but where do you start?

Texas Children’s is dedicated to supporting you as you strive to meet your health and wellness goals. Employee Health and Wellness is sponsoring an upcoming nutrition program, MyPlate Challenge, so gather your co-workers and join together or start planning goals of your own to make Texas Children’s a healthier campus all around.

Don’t eliminate, just add! It’s a refreshing and positive way to shift the way we look at food and have fun with your coworkers along the way.

Follow these simple weekly themes and eat at least the recommended amount of a particular food group four days a week or more. It’s about being consistent, not perfect!

Week Number
Dates
Weekly Theme
Week 1
April 21-27
Fruit
Week 2
April 28- May 4
Whole Grains
Week 3
May 5-11
Lean Protein
Week 4
May 12-18
Vegetables
Week 5
May 19-26
Dairy
Week 6
May 27-June 1
Eat Well
 

Throughout the program, participants will receive an incredible amount of nutrition information and support through such things as Motivational Monday emails, interactive discussion boards, and online resources. In addition, all participants will receive a Texas Children’s MyPlate mouse pad and have the opportunity to earn bonus points toward a drawing for one of ten Fitbits.

The challenge begins Monday, April 21.

Click here to join the challenge! (This link will only open internally)

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On March 27, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to delay the implementation of the ICD-10 coding system for hospitals and providers – which was to replace the current ICD-9 coding system – by one year. Originally, all hospitals and providers were to have implemented ICD-10 by October 2014. The new deadline for implementing ICD-10 is October 2015.

The Senate passed the legislation on April 1, and the bill was signed into law April 2. The law is called the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 and is effective immediately.

How Does This Affect Texas Children’s?

The hospital has been working on its education plan for providers for more than a year. The education component will move forward as planned.

Providers still can access the education modules that explain how the new coding system will affect their specialties, beginning this month.

What does change is the deadline to complete the education courses. That deadline has been extended to July 2015.

In the meantime, the hospital will continue to train its billing staff on the ICD-10 system, and will continue to make system upgrades to the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR). Those upgrades ensure that our EHR is compatible with the ICD-10 system.

By continuing with our efforts to make the switch to ICD-10, the transition will be that much easier come next October.

March 25, 2014

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Out West is a story of tremendous growth. Over the past three years, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus has been serving one of the fastest growing pediatric populations and as the population grows, so has the community hospital. To meet the needs of the community, the hospital has expanded its services already and continues to look at the patients to determine what programs, services and initiatives may make the most impact in West Houston.

More than 400,000 patients have taken advantage of the Texas Children’s brand of care provided through West Campus since it opened its doors in 2010. The campus which sits on 55 acres, houses 19 subspecialty outpatient clinics, inpatient hospital services and the only 24/7 dedicated pediatric emergency center in the West Houston area.

Most recently, West Campus opened a new eight-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, allowing the hospital to accommodate patients with higher acuity. Because of the increasing demand for emergency care, the hospital also doubled the number of beds in the emergency center which is staffed by board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians. In addition, a 28,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art sports medicine clinic was built, which houses a 3,000-square foot gym, two x-ray rooms, three casting bay sand 16 exam rooms for seamless, patient-centered service. The new space houses advanced technologies, including robotic dynamometry for isokinetic testing, motion recording and analysis to enhance rehabilitation.

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus has been successful for many reasons, including the dedicated staff. There are currently more than 500+ passionate, hard-working team members who care for patients each day. The team of nurses, child life specialists, imaging technologists, therapists, renowned physicians, and many others are specially trained to diagnose, treat and care for children.

The success story is in part due to the support of the West Houston community. From the beginning, leaders and staff have cultivated these relationships, ensuring that patient families know about the care that is being provided in their own backyard.

Don’t expect the growth to stop any time soon. As leaders and West Campus employees continue to assess the needs of patients, families and the community, they will determine what programs, services and initiatives are most beneficial in the community setting.

March 18, 2014

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A new, on-site ReadyCam© broadcast studio has opened at Texas Children’s which will allow doctors, nurses, scientists, researchers and patient families to appear live on broadcast news programs. Experts from the hospital will be able to report and comment on breaking health care news and stream webcasts directly from Texas Children’s main campus, while reaching news outlets throughout the country.

“We are really excited to have this studio,” said Christy Brunton, director of public relations at Texas Children’s. “It’s going to allow us to give the public direct access to our experts, allowing them to comment on the stories that our patients need to hear and understand.”

The broadcast studio located in the Clinical Care Center will allow the hospital to easily transmit high quality audio and video to any news outlet. The launch of the studio corresponded to a coordinated satellite news feed and press conference featuring Dr. Jennifer Arnold, neonatologist at Texas Children’s Newborn Center and director of Texas Children’s Simulation Center, who discussed her recent cancer diagnosis, unique care and current prognosis. An interview with Arnold was made available via satellite. A number of local and regional news stations utilized the footage to report on Arnold’s story.

Those interested in learning more about the press conference and announcement from Arnold can read about it in the Houston Chronicle article and KHOU television segment.

This successful first use of the ReadyCam© broadcast studio is only one example of ways the studio can be utilized. Brunton anticipates it will be a valuable resource during a health care crisis or emergency, when media outlets will need access to top experts for commentary. It also will be an easy way to share inspirational patient stories.

“For the past several years it has been a key goal of ours to make it easier for the media to access our experts,” said Brunton. “We have some of the best kept secrets right here at our hospital and this gives us the chance to showcase our physicians and nurses.”

In addition to promoting the good work taking place at Texas Children’s, and to allow our experts to be valuable resources to the media, the ReadyCam© may be used to stream live video to conferences, depending on the technical capabilities of the conference. To take a virtual tour of the new broadcast studio, click here.

Anyone who is available to comment on breaking news, has an incredible patient story, or is interested in learning more about using the studio, should contact the PR department by calling Ext. 4-2099 and paging the media person on call.

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We see it all the time on the news. Heartbreaking stories of tragedy when a suspect with a history of mental illness turns an ordinary day into a devastating scene. People are often left wondering what more could have been done to prevent the incident. It’s a widespread issue that’s now being tackled nationally.

Mental Health First Aid is a program that trains community members to spot and assist people who are having mental health issues or facing a mental health crisis. Texas Children’s is offering a free course for anyone interested in taking action!

“We decided to offer the class here because there were an increasing number of encounters with patients or patient families with mental illnesses,” said Brent LoCaste-Wilken, Employee Assistance Program Manager. “It was disrupting patient care or interaction with the staff.”

LoCaste-Wilken said mental health is not just a problem at Texas Children’s but the crises families often face in this setting can accentuate mental health issues. He said the class is not just for clinical staff but it can be useful for everyone.

Course participants will learn to identify mental disorders and rather than be afraid, actually help the person through the crisis and get the appropriate help. Dr. Brett Perkison, medical director of Employee Health and Wellness, said he found the course to be critical in helping recognize signs of mental distress.

“We all encounter friends and colleagues who are in a state of mind where they need help,” said Perkison. “This class helps one recognize those symptoms early. It is also useful to help take the stigma out of mental health and treat it appropriately.”

“It removes the stigma than can prevent people from giving help,” said LoCaste-Wilken.

Similar to a first aid course, the class will help identify dangers and train you in steps that can be done to help in a situation.

“It goes beyond patient care,” said LoCaste-Wilken. “It could help employees in situations with co-workers or even outside of work with friends, neighbors or anyone in the community.”

Each participant who completes the course and passes the competency is certified as a Mental Health First Aider by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Class information:
Mental Health First Aid – click to register on Connect

1 day course (8 hours)
Friday, April 4 – 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Pavilion Conference Center fourth floor, Room B (F.0475.50)

2 day course (4 hours each day)
Monday, May 5 – 8 a.m. to noon – Pavilion Conference Center fourth floor, Room B (F.0475.50)
Monday, May 12 – 8 a.m. to noon – Pavilion Conference Center fourth floor, Room B (F.0475.50)