March 11, 2021

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Texas Children’s medical and administrative teams were monitoring the outbreak since its early phase in Wuhan, China and were prepared to quickly responded to the ever-evolving situation.

March 9, 2021

Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Ward highlights key messages from her Nursing Town Hall presentation last week including a recording of the event for nurses to watch at their convenience. Read more

March 8, 2021

The Get the Vaccine to End COVID-19 Drawing was announced Monday, February 8, and will continue every weekday through Friday, March 26. Texas Children’s employees who receive their first dose are automatically eligible for the drawing and the $1,000 prize. Full details on eligibility and requirements are outlined here.

After winning the Get the Vaccine to End COVID-19 Drawing, the following team members tell us why they stepped up to be vaccinated and hope to inspire others.

Kristina McGee – 3.5 years of service
MRI Generalist

“I received the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure the health and safety for my family, friends, and patients. I was excited to do my part and encourage others to do so in hopes that we can end this pandemic.”

Aileen Valdez – 7.1 years of service
Nurse Practitioner, Texas Children’s Urgent Care (FMP)

“Thank you to Texas Children’s Hospital and organization for providing employees with the COVID-19 vaccine. I chose to get vaccinated to protect myself, my family, and my patients. I will admit that I was hesitant for awhile to receive the vaccine while pregnant, but after talking with my OB team and doing my own research, the benefits outweighed the risks. As a nurse practitioner, I felt compelled to lead by example, I felt the responsibility to protect my patients, and I felt grateful as a health care worker to be eligible to receive the vaccine. I encourage everyone that is eligible to receive it!”

Lisa Callaway – 5.5 years of service
Transition Navigator, Renal Allied Health

“I decided to get the vaccine to help prevent the spreading of the virus, to stay healthy and most of all to protect my family, church family, co-workers and friends, basically all that I come in contact with. Being that I work in the medical field I felt it was my duty to step up and show bravery, my faith in God. Hoping that it would encourage and motivate family members, church members, co-workers, and friends to step out on that same Faith. We are all in this together so we must protect each other. I encourage people to not gamble with their life and get vaccinated. I know that people have and is hearing all kind of stories about the vaccine, but it is just like going to bed at not you are not certain that you will wake up in the morning so you hope, pray, and take that chance on going to sleep. And yes I did experience some nausea, and headache but I did not allow that to keep me from getting my 2nd vaccine. So let’s all get vaccinated to end this pandemic!”

To date, more than 9,300 of Texas Children’s employees have received at least one vaccine dose.

If you haven’t already, schedule your vaccination appointment now and get your chance at the $1,000 prize, simply click here and sign up for the date and time that work best for your schedule.

As we continue to celebrate Social Work Month, Texas Children’s Social Worker Ver’Tanya Jack shares why she chose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and how she felt after receiving it.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, historic winter weather, political divisions and the twists and turns of everyday life, our Texas Children’s team members are encouraged to focus on self-care: intentionally making time and space in our schedules for activities that support our physical, mental and emotional health.

Employees in clinical and non-clinical roles alike are feeling stress and anxiety during these challenging times, when our work and home lives are often blending together. The key to feeling better though self-care is developing your own routine and practicing it regularly.

“We’re all coping with it, and self-care is going to look different for different people,” said Dr. Gia Washington, assistant professor in the Psychology Section at Baylor. “There can be so much joy in trying things and finding out what works for you.”

And you don’t have to go it alone – resources to help you along your self-care journey are available through Employee Well-Being, including confidential counseling through the Employee Assistance Program and one-on-one health coaching for stress reduction, work-life satisfaction and more. No-cost coaching sessions are provided on site at the Medical Center, West Campus, The Woodlands and the Health Plan.

“Our health should be our first priority,” said Ashley Miller, one of two Cigna Onsite Health Coaches who work exclusively with Texas Children’s team members. “There’s no shame in having trouble coping with all that is going on, and there’s nothing to fear in seeking counseling or support.”

Five ways to get serious about Self-Care
  1. Practice positive affirmations. To break the cycle of negative thinking, select a word, phrase or mantra that you find encouraging or uplifting and tap into it in high-stress moments. Washington suggests pairing your chosen affirmations with a color or song to keep them top of mind, while Miller recommends writing out three affirmations and putting them in a visible spot where you can see and say them out loud when needed.
  2. Create structure and maintain boundaries. Make a to-do list before walking into your workspace each day to help you stay focused, and don’t be afraid to say no if your plate is loaded with more tasks than you can handle. “We’re human and we can only get so much done,” Miller said. “It’s not the end of the world, and it’s okay to ask for help.”
  3. Be selective about the information you consume. We live in the age of the 24-hour news cycle and while it’s important to stay informed, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be inundated. “Be careful about the media, words and images coming into your mind for an extended period of time,” Washington said. That could mean turning off the TV or shutting down social media.
  4. Make rest a priority. Set aside time to really rest. Quiet your mind, still your body, put away your phone and focus on simply being rather than doing. “Give yourself time away from thinking about work and the everyday life struggles,” Miller said. We all need and deserve a moment to unwind, and taking some time off from the daily grind can help improve your overall mood.
  5. Revisit activities that helped you manage your stress in the past. When you’ve previously felt stressed or anxious, what did you do? Those tried and true strategies could help you navigate the situation you’re experiencing today. “Examine those things that have worked well in the past,” Washington said. “What gave you relief, made you feel supported and helped you reclaim your joy?”

With so much in the news recently about a Congressional push to raise the minimum wage, it has now been more than a year since Texas Children’s served as a leader in this effort by increasing its own minimum hourly pay rate to $15 for all positions, effective January 1, 2020.

When the decision was first announced toward the end of 2019, our President and CEO Mark A. Wallace said it was simply the right thing to do in our efforts to support our employees, as well as their ability to build rewarding careers at Texas Children’s.

“Raising our minimum hourly pay rate is an important step in our ongoing effort to attract and retain talented, driven professionals who share our passion for family-centered patient care,” Wallace said, during his announcement to the organization.

“We are setting a new standard for competitive compensation – a standard that more than doubles both the federal and state minimum wage, and reinforces Texas Children’s position as a compelling place to work among health care institutions in the Texas Medical Center, across the state, and around the country.”

Since the pay raise went into effect, Texas Children’s has further positioned itself as a great place to work, which also helped secure our spot as one of Forbes Magazine’s Best Places to Work. Most importantly, the increase made a difference in the lives and careers of approximately 1,600 team members, demonstrating the value they bring to our organization and patients every single day.

Whether fighting a global pandemic or navigating a significant winter weather event, our One Amazing Team always comes together to take care of each other and our communities.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of a new COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. Although there currently are two COVID-19 vaccines being administered, the introduction of this third option is significant in the battle against this deadly virus, given that it only requires a single dose and can be safely stored in less restrictive refrigerated environments.

Today, we are excited to announce that Texas Children’s has been informed that we will be receiving an allocation of 3,000 doses of the J&J vaccine to provide our patients and team members next week. We are currently awaiting confirmation from the State on the specific date these vaccines will arrive and will provide all unvaccinated team members with more information on administration appointments next week.

These are the only vaccines provided by the State that will be available next week. With the recent mask mandate scheduled to end in Texas on Wednesday, please take this important opportunity to get vaccinated and further protect yourself, your family, colleagues and our patients from this deadly virus.

If you have questions about the J&J vaccine, below are some general facts. Additional information is also available through the FDA, as well as via a recent blog from Texas Children’s.

J&J Vaccine: What you should know

The J&J vaccine currently only requires one dose and is approved for people ages 18 and older.

During global trials, it was shown to be (on average) 66% protective against moderate to severe COVID-19 infections from 28 days after injection. In the U.S., the vaccine was 72% protective. The vaccine was also shown to be 85% protective against severe disease and prevented death in all vaccine recipients.

The vaccine is different from those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, which both use messenger RNA, or mRNA, a technology that delivers a bit of “genetic code” to cells to produce a surface spike protein and trigger an immunity response to COVID-19. The J&J vaccine utilizes a weakened common cold virus, known as adenovirus, to carry genetic instructions into the body to prompt an immunity response. This is the same technology used in an approved Ebola vaccine, as well as its Zika, RSV and HIV vaccine candidates.

Similar to the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines, the J&J vaccine can be administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The J&J vaccine does not need to be kept frozen and can be stored in a refrigerator for at least three months, which potentially increases global distribution and access to more communities.

Questions?

For more information, visit our website. You may also contact our HR Employee Support Center at 832-826-4600 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or email employeevaccines@texaschildrens.org.