April 13, 2020

Finding courage

The following passage was written by Texas Children’s Chaplain James Denham. His words are adaptations from a prayer written by American theologian Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. and sentiments made by pediatric chaplain Gloria Kroeze.

We are people of accomplishment. We invent, we create, we build, we discover, we train, we break records, we teach, we support, we nurture, we help. We do all of these things, but now we come stunned, because in spite of all we can do, we don’t know what to do. We are scared. We are scared by what we fear may happen. We are scared by something that we cannot understand. We are scared by something that we cannot see — a microscopically small virus. This virus has altered our present lives, it has shut down our schools, it has cancelled our plans, it has emptied our schedules and it has separated us. It has consumed our thoughts, our conversations, social media, the news and our prayers. We live in a world of many unknowns and we struggle to keep up with what is going on. We do know that we don’t want to get sick. We do know that we can’t get near each other as we’d like.

In these moments, it is our courage that grounds us. Courage is not a lack of fear, or a lack of uncertainty. It is an unwavering trust even when we aren’t sure. It is being tireless even though we also feel tired. Courage is hope no matter how challenging a situation looks. Ryder Carroll once wrote, “No matter how bleak or menacing a situation may appear, it does not entirely own us. It can’t take away our freedom to respond, our power to take action.” In our case, while our world is full of unknowns, we stand in a place of courage, ready to act in the face of it, and we do it together.

May we find blessing from one another, through the help we offer, the support we give, the laughter we share, the listening we give. We may not know what to do, but we know who we are. People of compassion, kindness, strength, and endurance. People who rise with courage to face even the unknowns and the heartaches.

From that which is sacred to us, we ask for help. Source of hope, quiet our fears. Source of peace, calm our spirits. Source of strength keep us going. Source of healing, provide enough to heal. Bless those who care for the sick and have been even before COVID — and protect their families. Bless those who are sick in the midst of all this chaos. Bless family members who are able to be with the sick. Bless those who are separated from those they love. Bless those who are hopeful for healing. Bless those who are trying to be hopeful. Bless those who are making decisions and protocols that will affect many. May your hands, your hearts, and your work be blessed by your Source and by each other.

April 7, 2020

Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre provides an update on the evolving COVID-19 situation and highlights three areas that are being frequently addressed: PPE, testing and operations. Read more

April 1, 2020

In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Children’s remains dedicated to ensuring we are a source of information and expertise.

When COVID-19 first appeared in the Greater Houston area, Texas Children’s immediately began to prepare for what was later categorized as a pandemic. In early March, our leadership activated a modified incident command structure, convening teams for Planning, Logistics and Operations at the Medical Center Campus, West Campus, The Woodlands Campus and at the Health Plan. This positioned us to respond quickly and agilely as the global health issue evolved.

We also immediately launched targeted outreach to our Texas Children’s patient families. In early March, we emailed about 400,000 current Texas Children’s patient families to answer common questions, ease uncertainty, and introduce our information-rich COVID-19 website that launched on March 13.

“Our overall goal for the website was to create a central location for our patients to gather information during this difficult time, and provide the community-at-large with resources, expert sources, system updates, and any additional information about COVID-19,” said Brand Marketing Specialist Elisa Lange. “We also want the community to know that we are open and prepared to continue providing quality care for any patient who needs us.”

The website includes the latest updates, available resources, frequently asked questions, and detailed videos from providers across our system, sharing specialty-specific information and general guidance about caring for at-risk patient populations during this pandemic. There also is information about Texas Children’s preparations and ongoing response to global events, and guidance for talking to children about COVID-19 and its impacts. The videos have been shared across all of our social media channels and continue to be sought by online visitors.

“One of the best ways to connect with our patients and families daily has been through social media,” said Christy Warring, director of External Communications and Digital Marketing. “It has been a lifeline for patients as our teams continue to post tips, resources and Texas Children’s updates. Followers are even able to reach out to us on on social media platforms with questions and comments.”

In addition to online information, we began sending COVID-19-related texts and emails to our patients to keep them updated about appointments, visitation at our facilities and eHealth options, like phone and video consults.

eHealth has been an important channel for patient care and communication during this time, but this strategy was already in motion to broaden access for our families. We have worked to expand and enhance eHealth services for several months to make it easier and more convenient for patients to connect with a Texas Children’s provider without leaving home. Given the current climate, it’s a welcome option for our families. Just in the month of March, we had more than 1,500 video visits and nearly 7,000 phone visits.

The system’s proactive outreach extends to Texas Children’s Health Plan members as well. We are promoting access to Anywhere Care, which allows members to receive care via video visits, and Health Plan members also receive updates via direct mail, social media, texts and email.

But one of the most effective ways to reach our members and their families has been through community partnerships. The Health Plan recently partnered with Aldine Independent School district and Gallery Furniture to disseminate information about COVID-19 and how to stop the spread of the disease.

“We are here to inform our members and providers about COVID-19 overall and doing all we can to make sure they are getting the most up-to-date information from us,” Warring said. “Our goal is to ensure they know how to get help through our call centers, telemedicine, and most importantly that we are here to help them if they need to call on us.”

On his blog this week, Mark Wallace shares an inspiring Brene Brown podcast and reminds us all to fill in the gap for each other in the days and weeks to come. Read more

March 31, 2020

For many Texas Children’s employees, gone are the days of the morning commute.

Our efforts to fight COVID-19 through the practice of social distancing has required more than 1,000 staffers – and counting – to work from home. But what does it take to make this work?

Teresa Tonthat, assistant vice president for Information Services, says there are multiple factors to consider. Her department has spent the past few weeks ensuring that employees who are asked to work remotely can do so in a seamless way.

This includes assessing the current technologies, equipment requirements, and available network capacity to effectively support these employees; all while continuing to serve our patients and caregivers.

The good news is that we now have a well-defined plan in place.

Be prepared for bumps in the road, this is GLOBAL.

However, digital technology is never 100 percent available – even on the best days.

“As millions of people and organizations shift to remote working, our internet networks will be tested. We are experiencing a mass human behavior change across the globe,” Tonthat said. “The internet’s infrastructure will be strained and will be felt in the networks inside employee’s homes, and the internet services (i.e., Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon) that these networks rely on.”

Many remote workers will share the same internet connections throughout the day with household members. Household members could be using data-intensive applications and that surge in internet access could strain home networks.

Overall, as entities around the globe are moving to remote work environments to promote social distancing, local commercial and residential internet and telecommunication infrastructures (i.e., WebEx, Zoom, Teams, Video, etc.) are seeing increased traffic load. While our cloud telecommunication vendors are doing their best to increase capacity to mitigate availability issues, our local internet service providers may also experience issues with the high demand…
Just last week, virtual cloud platform vendors such as WebEx and Teams reported infrastructure capacity issues. Many organizations across the nation felt the disruption to virtual online meetings. And this is just the beginning.

How to stay as productive as possible
  • Call your internet service provider to make sure you have enough bandwidth to support your work responsibilities.
  • Consider all the people in your home who will need internet. Under normal conditions, a basic plan may do the trick. However, it’s important to keep in mind additional users such as other adults who may be working from home or children who may now be enrolled in online schooling.
  • Communicate with your manager if you are having trouble. You can’t work remotely if your internet isn’t working. Let your manager know if you are experiencing trouble so that arrangements can be made for you to come into the office and work in an way that adheres to social distancing guidelines.
  • Limit calls to the HelpDesk. Texas Children’s IS Help Desk can support system related connectivity issues, but cannot support issues related to your home internet provider.

For additional questions, please contact your manager or supervisor for support and guidance.

Elex Sanchez draws on his more than 25 years in the hospitality industry to bring the same level of customer service, attention to detail and visitor experience standards to our pediatric patients and their families.

Sanchez and his team start every shift with a huddle to discuss the day’s tasks and calisthenics to warm up for the physical demands of the job. Members of the team include floor care techs, unit support assistance, recycling techs, and lead techs who manage small, tactical groups like operating room (OR) technicians focused on daily terminal cleans in the OR. A terminal clean is a very deep, detailed cleaning process with special disinfectants requiring a certain amount of “kill time” to work properly.

Right now, as the spread of a global pandemic is knocking on our doors, the Environmental Services team is working hard to keep it at bay. This Texas Children’s team is well stocked and has proactively worked with vendors to secure a surplus of cleaning supplies, as an additional layer of readiness should it become difficulty to procure such items in the future.

Texas Children’s Environmental Services also employs five ultra violet light disinfection systems for ORs, isolation units or any other potentially contaminated areas in the hospital. First, the techs clean the room and then bring in the robot system to shine ultraviolet light from multiple, flexible arms. The whole process takes about 50 minutes. Texas Children’s has had five systems in place for about six months, and is in the process of procuring seven more units.

The team has also increased cleaning schedules and now completes 12 cleanings per day over three shifts in public spaces and restrooms, and also completes four to six cleaning rounds in lobbies and waiting rooms.

“We call ourselves ‘warriors for infection control.’ Essentially, we are infection control and our teams are on the front lines every day ensuring our patients and staff have a safe, sanitized and sparkling clean environment,” said Sanchez.

March 30, 2020

Texas Children’s greatest priority throughout our response to COVID-19 has been protecting the health and safety of our patients and our people. As part of this effort, we are working hard to provide our team members with resources and support for navigating this evolving situation both professionally and personally – including assistance with the child care needs that many of you may have at this time. To help you meet those needs, Texas Children’s has partnered with the YMCA of Greater Houston to provide temporary child care for our employees.

What is YMCA Child Care Services?

Beginning Thursday, March 26, several YMCA locations began providing child care services for the following age groups:

Children: Ages 5 to 12 Years

Program will run from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily
45 spots available per site on a first-come, first-served basis (see below for locations across the Houston area)
Various fun enrichment activities such as arts, crafts, games, literacy, STEA(rts)M program in partnership with the Children’s Museum and more
Lunch and afternoon snacks to be provided by the Houston Food Bank
If the Houston Food Bank is unable to provide meals, you will be notified in advance to provide necessary meals for each child daily
For additional information, please email daycamp@ymcahouston.org

Children: Ages 3 to 4 Years
Infants: Ages 12 Months to 35 Months
Care will be provided at YMCA sites designated for early care (see below for locations)
Program will run from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily
45 spots available per site on a first-come, first-served basis
For additional information, please email childrensacademy@ymcahouston.org

Who is eligible?

All Texas Children’s employees and our Baylor partners based at Texas Children’s can participate in this temporary child care option.

Where are the YMCA child care locations?

Below are a list of current YMCA child care locations. YMCA will continue to assess community needs and may potentially open new sites in the future.

Children: Ages 5 to 12 Years

Houston Texans YMCA
5202 Griggs Road
Houston, TX 77021
713.748.5405

D. Bradley McWilliams YMCA
19915 SH 249
Houston, TX 77070
281.469.1481

The Woodlands Family YMCA @ Shadowbend
6145 Shadowbend Place
The Woodlands, TX 77381
281.367.9622

Fort Bend Family YMCA
4433 Cartwright Road
Missouri City, TX 77459
281.499.9622

Vic Coppinger Family YMCA
2700 YMCA Drive
Pearland, TX 77581
281.485.6805

Weekley Family YMCA
7101 Stella Link Blvd
Houston, TX 77025
713.664.9622

Mark A. Chapman YMCA
1350 Main Street
Katy, TX 77494
281.665.1213

Lake Houston YMCA
2420 West Lake Houston Parkway Kingwood, TX 77339
281.360.2500
(Opens Monday, March 30)

Children: Ages 3 to 4 Years
Infants: Ages 12 Months to 35 Months

The Woodlands Family YMCA @ Shadowbend
6145 Shadowbend Place
The Woodlands, TX 77381
281.367.9622

Texas Medical Center YMCA
5614 H. Mark Crosswell, Jr.
Houston, TX 77021
713.747.2173

Wendel D. Ley Family YMCA
15055 Wallisville Rd.
Houston, TX 77049
281.458.7777

Houston Community College
3214 Austin St.
Houston, TX 77004
713.718.5437

D. Bradley McWilliams YMCA @ University Park
11144 Compaq Center W. Dr.
Houston, TX 77070
281.257.6600

Huntsville Family YMCA
2906 Old Houston Road.
Huntsville, TX 77340
936.295.8009

M.D. Anderson Family YMCA
705 Cavalcade
Houston, TX 77009
713.697.0648

How do I know my children will be safe?

To support a safe and hygienic environment, the YMCA has implemented the following measures:

  • YMCA personnel are trained, certified and have undergone background checks
  • No parents are permitted beyond the drop-off/pick-up areas
  • In keeping with CDC guidelines, all groupings will be limited to 10 or fewer individuals, and each location will host no more than 45 children at one time
  • Additional preventive measurements include daily temperature screenings, continuous cleaning and disinfection as well as no shared occupancy of rooms, in accordance to CDC guidelines

How much are the child care services?

Children

  • Ages 5 to 12 years: $30 per child per day
  • Ages 3 to 4 years: $40 per child per day

Infants

  • Ages 12 to 35 months: $50 per day

Please note you will make payment directly to the YMCA during the registration process.

How do I register?

To sign up, click here to select the location(s) you are interested in to view available spots. To complete your registration, you can either log into your current YMCA account, create a new one or check out as a guest.

When you check out as a guest, please select the Program Member option so you do not need to purchase a membership.

How do I check in on-site?

To verify you are a health care provider, please be prepared to show your Texas Children’s badge ID as proof of employment.

Questions?

Please email YMCA at daycamp@ymcahouston.org for school-age care or childrensacademy@ymcahouston.org for early care.