As we celebrate Nurses Week and the World Health Organization’s declaration of 2020 as the Year of the Nurse, Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre highlights the important role of the nursing profession and shares a special video spotlighting several of our nursing heroes and the countless ways they are making a difference. Read more
Effective May 1, any member of the Texas Children’s workforce (employees, Baylor faculty or staff members) are permitted to travel anywhere within the state of Texas via ground transportation and will not be subject to a 14 day quarantine upon return, provided the workforce member is asymptomatic.
However, if the in-state travel is 150 miles or greater from your normal work location, you will still be required to complete this Travel Declaration Form to ensure you are asymptomatic upon return.
We will continue to ask that all workforce members refrain from traveling by airplane, or to any location outside of Texas at this time. Those who do will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return, and will need to use PTO for the duration of their quarantine period or take an unpaid leave.
Lastly, given that the pandemic will remain a fluid situation for the foreseeable future, we advise all employees that these travel restrictions could change quickly if areas of the state encounter a sudden surge in activity. Should that happen while an employee is visiting an impacted location, he or she will be required to self-quarantine upon return, and will need to use PTO or take unpaid leave.
If you must travel, please click here for guidance and additional information about how to protect yourself and others during your trip.
Lauren Salinas, a clinical specialist in the cardiac intensive care unit, shares how her experience participating in an intubation simulation is helping her and other nurses prepare for what to expect when caring for potential COVID-19 patients during high-risk procedures. Read more
From delivering much needed meals and supplies to sharing heartfelt messages that inspire others, the compassionate support and solidarity from the community during the COVID-19 pandemic is easily palpable. Local communities and businesses are showing their appreciation to the entire medical community for their hard work and sacrifice during these challenging times – and the commitment from our frontline employees and staff at Texas Children’s has not gone unnoticed.
On April 10, H-E-B delivered 600 meals to frontline staff at Texas Children’s Hospital. For the next five weeks, a total of 3,000 H-E-B meals will serve our employees directly engaged in COVID-19 efforts. Katarra Watkins is one of those employees benefiting from H-E-B’s generous gift. As a member of the Environmental Services team, Watkins cleans and sanitizes the hospital every day to ensure a safe, healing environment for our patients, their families, and our health care teams.
“This is a blessing,” Watkins said. “I am so thankful to H-E-B for everything they are doing for us. It means so much to me and my co-workers.”
“We are grateful for the generous outpouring of support that H-E-B is providing to our staff while they deliver high quality care to our patients during this difficult time,” said Texas Children’s Assistant Vice President Trent Johnson. “Like Texas Children’s, H-E-B is standing strong and has kept its doors open to ensure that our community has access to essential services during this time of need.”
H-E-B plans to deliver 75,000 meals to hospitals across Texas to show their support for health care workers who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re all extremely grateful for the dedication of our health care workers who are saving lives and making personal sacrifices for others,” said Winell Herron, H-E-B Group vice president of public affairs, diversity and environmental affairs. “We want to express some well-deserved appreciation and hope these meals will provide a bit of comfort during these trying times.”
This is not the first time H-E-B has partnered with Texas Children’s. Since 2014, H-E-B has been our exclusive sponsor for our annual Family Fun Run and post-race Family Fun Zone events at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and The Woodlands. H-E-B has also partnered with Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans to promote healthy eating messaging for children including this year’s Dishing with Texas Children’s video series. Click here to watch an episode.
Greetings One Amazing Team! I send positive vibes your way from my remote work location. My sincerest hopes are that everyone is protecting themselves and those they love.
I write to you today as one of the many employees assigned to work from home in our effort to social distance during COVID-19. My last day in the office was March 12 — and wow, how the world has changed since then.
Texas Children’s employees are now working in a variety of locations, on a variety of shifts to help meet the needs of the organization. For those of you who continue to work onsite, I say ‘thank you’ for what you do to care for patients and their families. For those of you who are working from home, this post is for you and it comes with an encouraging word.
Work productivity doesn’t have to suffer just because you are working at home. I’ve identified my top five tips for remote work success and I would love to hear yours. Let’s get started!
5. Take care of your physical, mental and spiritual health.
I know this one sounds like common sense. However, with everyone on a different routine, grocery store runs requiring masks, kids going crazy and the dogs barking all day, it can be easy to end up an unhealthy person. Sleeping too little, eating too much, consuming a lot of news and forgetting to stay grounded can lead to a lack of productivity.
I learned early in this process that even though I didn’t have to make the commute to the office or my daughter’s school, I still needed a bedtime for myself, an early wake-up time, a quick walk around the park and some mid-day prayer.
I now eat fruits and vegetables, drink water and make my own health a daily priority. If you missed it, make sure to read the recent Connect story on managing stress and anxiety during this pandemic.
4. Create a workspace
Based on my own research and personal experience, I do believe that a dedicated workspace is key to productivity. For some employees this is a home office and for others it’s the dining room table. Regardless, having one location for all things work-related will increase your focus. My workspace includes:
– A tabletop with enough space to spread out
– A comfortable chair that supports my back
– Nearby outlets to charge my laptop, cell phone and anything else that might require charging.
What does your work space look like? I’d love to hear.
3. Run the day. Don’t let the day run you.
Creating a schedule for yourself is a must! My most productive days have taken place when I planned ahead, accounted for every hour of my time and set concrete goals for what I would accomplish. Without having goals and a plan, it is so easy to get distracted by the city’s daily press conference, my daughter’s school work, a run to the grocery store, and a million other things.
2. Make sure you have the necessary tools, technology and equipment.
Now more than ever, the right amount of internet capacity is key. Check out the story that ran in Connect last week tilted “What it takes to work from home.” In that story, we talked about all of the ways you must prepare yourself technologically.
In addition to Internet capacity, ask yourself the following questions:
– Do I now need a mouse, a printer, an extra screen or some other piece of equipment to get my work done?
– Do I have all of the supplies and materials necessary to perform at my highest level?
– Can I effectively work from home?
When we are working in the office, we often take for granted all of the ways that our workspace has been optimized for productivity. We should try to replicate that space as much as possible. If you have any needs that you aren’t able to meet, reach out to your manager for assistance.
1. Give yourself some grace
How many times have you heard that these are unprecedented times? That means that no one has done this before. Work hard, work smart and be the best employee you can be. But at the same time, give yourself some grace. Staying productive at work is a must, but if the day doesn’t go perfectly it really will be okay. Breathe. Take the good days with the not so good ones — and above all, stay safe.
Hayes on The Health Plan is written by Texas Children’s Health Plan employee Erika Hayes. Erika is also a member of the Corporate Communications team. If you have tips and tricks that have worked for you while working from home, please send Erika an email at eehayes1@texaschildrens.org . She will share employees’ ideas on our @oneamazingteam Instagram page.
Kicking off National Pediatric Transplant Week, Texas Children’s lung transplant patient Parson Blue Herrington was featured this Sunday on NBC’s “Little Big Shots.” The little girl shared her dream of becoming a UPS driver and received a surprise video message from Dr. George Mallory and two other members of her care team. To watch the entire segment, click here. (You will have to watch an ad, but it’s well worth it). To watch the entire segment on your mobile device, you will have to download the NBC App, or you can watch an abbreviated version of the segment here.
COVID-19 has affected much of what we do here at Texas Children’s but there are still areas of our system where things are almost, well, normal. One of those areas is the Labor and Delivery Unit at the Pavilion for Women where new babies are born every day and families celebrate some of the best moments of their lives.
“No one is canceling having a baby,” said Lynda Tyer-Viola, vice president of nursing at the Pavilion for Women. “The deliveries are still coming and we are going the extra mile to help our patients make joyful, lifelong memories despite what’s going on outside the walls of their hospital rooms.”
These efforts combined with precautions and protocols established to minimize any potential exposure to COVID-19 are helping ease the anxiety of expectant mothers who are having babies during this historic and unprecedented time.
To protect patients and families from the potential spread of COVID-19, members of the Labor and Delivery team are wearing masks in patient-facing settings, screening patients and visitors for symptoms of the disease, and limiting the number of visitors who come into the unit to see their loved one. Other than that, things are pretty much business as usual.
“All of the changes we have made have been embraced by both patients and families, and staff, Tyer-Viola said. “Everyone has been extremely supportive and seems to understand that we are doing what is best for everyone involved.”
Kristin Thorp, assistant clinical director of nursing at the Pavilion for Women, agreed and said she is extremely proud of her team for being so adaptive during this event and for always keeping their attention and focus on what matters most – our patients.
“Team members have exhibited a lot of grace and have been extremely nimble during this entire process,” Thorp said. “They have really stepped up to care for our patients and themselves during this unique time in history.”
Natalia Angulo Hinkson, a new mom and a Texas Children’s employee, delivered her first child, Isabel Iris, on March 27 at the Pavilion for Women. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Hinkson said she had talked to several colleagues and friends about what to expect from the experience and had made plans accordingly.
Post-delivery, she said outside of the precautions made to protect her and her daughter, and a few tweaks in her own plans to align with those measures, everything went like she hoped it would. Her husband was able to be in the delivery room with her when Isabel was born, her doctor was there to deliver the 6 pound 6 ounce bundle of joy, and her labor and delivery nurses and support staff were cool, calm, reassuring, warm and friendly.
The biggest change Hinkson said she had to make and accept was that her extended family was not able to be at the hospital during delivery. She said she had planned for them to be in the lounge and for her mom to come into the delivery room if there were complications. Fortunately, there were not, and her family is standing by to meet Isabel when it’s safe for all parties involved.
“There were things that were different and not possible, but it felt like everything my friends had told me about,” Hinkson said. “Any apprehension I had went away once I was at the hospital under the team’s care. They were extremely professional, prepared and attentive to making my experience the best it could be during what is obviously a very unusual time.”
Tyer-Viola said her team and the hospital as a whole have weathered many storms and that we’ve always ended up stronger and better than before.
“This pandemic will be no different,” she said. “We are resilient and we are dedicated wholeheartedly to our mission of caring for children and women.”
Texas Children’s Public Relations and Social Media teams are looking to share stories such as these on social media. If you delivered your baby at the Pavilion for Women during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’d love to hear your story to potentially be featured on the Pavilion for Women’s Facebook page. Please contact vxjavor@texaschildrens.org with your story.