October 31, 2023

Information Services wants to make it as easy as possible for you to get the help you need. With the new virtual agent, TeCHy, you can get answers to quick questions or solutions for common issues without submitting a ticket or calling the help desk.

Starting Wednesday, Nov. 1, you can access TeCHY in two ways:

  • Go to the IS Self Service portal and click on the bubble icon on the lower right hand corner of the screen.
  • On MS Teams, access the ServiceNow App icon at the top left hand side in Teams. Click on the app and type HELLO to initiate an interaction with TeCHy.
What TeCHY can do for you
  • Help guide you through troubleshooting steps for a variety of different topics, including:
    • Resetting your password or unlocking your account
    • Printer toner needs
    • Requesting software
    • Connecting to Wi-Fi
  • If TeCHy does not have the answer, he can help you open a ticket and send it to our Information Services team for resolution.
  • Not only can TeCHy help you troubleshoot, but also can provide the most up-to-date status information on open Incident and Requests tickets.
  • Through TeCHy, leaders will be able to approve open tickets through the ServiceNow app in Teams.

You can make a difference for yourself and your family with the available benefits in 2024, including our new Paid Parental Benefit!

We are excited to bring you Week 2 of 2024 Annual Enrollment, featuring our interactive Benefits Fairs! From Tuesday, Oct 31, through Friday, November 3, Benefits team members and benefits vendors will be onsite to share our offerings and answer your questions – including those about our new Paid Parental Benefit.

The new inclusive Paid Parental Benefit provides eligible team members time to bond with their new child! Some key details of this benefit include:

  • Up to 4 weeks paid parental time
  • Covers births, adoptions and foster placements
  • Available to eligible full-time and part-time team members with 6 months or more of continuous employment
  • Retroactive coverage for eligible employees with a birth, adoption or placement on or between October 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023.
  • Availability to use up to twelve (12) months immediately following a birth or placement.

Visit the What’s New page at texaschildrensbenefits.org to view the Benefits Fair schedule and to access more details on the Paid Parental benefit.

Join in on 2024 Annual Enrollment, and choose better health for yourself and your family.

QUESTIONS? NEED HELP?
  • CONTACT AN HR TEAM MEMBER ABOUT THE NEW PAID PARENTAL BENEFIT

An HR team member can help you understand all of the important details.

  • ASK EMMA, YOUR PERSONAL DIGITAL BENEFITS ADVISOR

Available 24/7 in both English and Spanish from any desktop or mobile device, Ask Emma offers confidential guidance and advice to help you select the right benefits for you and your family.

  • TEXAS CHILDREN’S BENEFITS TEAM VIRTUAL AND PHONE SUPPORT

Our Benefits team is available to help by phone or web chat from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 4. Spanish language assistance is also available via phone and web chat.

    • Phone 832-824-2421 (select option 1 and then option 1 again for Benefits)
    • Web chat (located at the top of your Benefits homepage)
    • Virtually via Teams for 30-minutes by appointment from November 8 – 10. Click here to reserve your desired time slot
  • DEDICATED ON-SITE SUPPORT

Receive dedicated on-site and support from vendors and Benefits team member during one of the scheduled Benefits Fairs. Click here to access onsite schedules.

At Texas Children’s, our commitment to creating a culture of ethics, integrity and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and policies is directly tied to upholding our organizational mission. We hold our workforce to a high standard of ethical conduct, and encourage team members to lead by example and always do what is right.

Compliance and Privacy Week is November 5–11 and you’re invited to “Be a Compliance Champion!” by engaging with the Compliance and Privacy team and shredding your documents on Shred Day.

Coffee with Compliance: Have questions or want to learn more about how you can help? Stop by to chat and enjoy some coffee with a representative from the Compliance and Privacy Office. Participants will be entered for daily drawings and giveaways!

  • Monday, Nov. 6: Meyer Garage 19 (6 a.m. – 9 a.m.)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 7: West Campus – First Floor (6 a.m. – 9 a.m.)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 7: Meyer Building – Lobby (12 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 8: Medical Center Campus – The Auxiliary Bridge (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 8: Health Plan – 14th Floor Board Room (8 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
  • Thursday, Nov. 9: Feigin Tower – First Floor Lobby (6 a.m. – 9 a.m.)
  • Thursday, Nov. 9: Pavilion for Women – Fourth Floor (11 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
  • Friday, Nov. 10: The Woodlands – Main Lobby by Donor Wall (6 a.m. – 9 a.m.)

Shred Day: We are partnering with Iron Mountain to provide all employees a free, safe and secure opportunity to shred personal confidential documents on-site. This includes any personal documents with confidential or identifying information like old mail, checks, receipts, tax reports, credit card statements, etc. Plastic, metal or other non-paper items will not be accepted. Click here for a printable flyer.

Shred Day Drive-Up Event

Saturday, Nov. 11 (8 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
6330 West Loop South, Bellaire, TX 77401

Click here to learn more. Need additional help? Contact the Compliance and Privacy Office at 832-824-2085 or compliance@texaschildrens.org.

October 24, 2023

Welcome to 2024 Annual Enrollment – your chance to make a real difference in your well-being and your family’s well-being! Our on-site events, virtual experiences and expert support are available to help you understand and embrace our most comprehensive benefits, yet! Visit texaschildrensbenefits.org to get engaged.

Starting today and running for three weeks through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023, Annual Enrollment brings you inclusive offerings designed to meet your unique needs. Click here to discover What’s New in 2024, including:

  • New Paid Parental Benefit
  • Free biometric screenings
  • Decreased elimination period for Short-term disability; minimal rate increase
  • Minimal rate increases for Medical and Dental plans

With coverage for eligible full-time and part-time employees – and paid parental time up to 4 weeks – we are especially excited about our new Paid Parental Benefit for families growing through birth, adoption or foster placement! Click here to discover details about the new Paid Parental Benefit, and get the answers you need at our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.

Begin your better health journey today!

WEEK 1 will help you take charge of your wellness when you schedule your appointment for a free Biometric Screening. You will get to Know Your Numbers in key health indicators such as blood pressure, glucose and total cholesterol, and your data will be your guide to benefits solutions perfect for you.

  • Schedule your appointment at one of our campus locations or at a Quest Diagnostic Patient Service Center near you. (Patient Service Center appointments are available through 12/31/23.)
  • Use registration key: TexasChildrens2023 and click the “Register Now” button.
  • Connect with Workforce wellbeing team members excited to discuss the physical, mental, financial, social and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing
  • Click here to review the schedule of biometric screenings.

QUESTIONS? NEED HELP?

  • Contact an HR expert about the new Paid Parental Benefit

An HR team member can help you understand all of the important details.

Available 24/7 in both English and Spanish from any desktop or mobile device, Ask Emma offers confidential guidance and advice to help you select the right benefits for you and your family.

  • Texas Children’s Benefits Virtual and Phone Support

Our Benefits team is available to help by phone or web chat from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays, October 28 and November 4. Spanish language assistance is also available via phone and web chat.

    • Phone 832-824-2421 (select option 1 and then option 1 again for Benefits).
    • Web chat (located at the top of your Benefits homepage).
    • Virtually via Teams for 30-minutes by appointment from November 8 – 10. Click here to reserve your desired time slot.
  • Dedicated On-site support

Receive dedicated on-site and support from vendors and Benefits team member during one of the weekly scheduled on-site Annual Enrollment events.

Aquanetta Hicks believes it was divine intervention that led her to Texas Children’s. After ten years working with the Navy in San Diego providing couples counseling and suicide awareness trainings, a friend sent her the Indeed job posting. Shortly after, she was thrilled to get the call: “We want you at Texas Children’s!”

The opportunity to be part of the new Workforce Chaplain program at the best pediatric and women’s hospital in the state of Texas is something she does not take lightly. Having friends who provide chaplain services to both patients and employees, she realizes it is a profound gift to be able to solely support the workforce, or as she likes to say, “Helping the people who help people.” This is the number one goal, never pushing any religious or spiritual agenda, but always to be an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on should anyone need it.

Aquanetta has had the chance to work with many different people and departments during her short time at Texas Children’s, but her most rewarding work has been the Blessing of the Hands. During this ceremony, the hands of the staff are blessed for the purpose of taking care of the patients and families at Texas Children’s. This support is available for all team members, regardless of faith, who may need a reminder that what they do and who they are is essential to the success of our mission.

October 22 – 28 is Pastoral Care Week and the theme this year is “Chaplaincy and Mental Health: It’s Healthy to Get Help.” For Aquanetta, this week gives her and the Workforce Chaplain team an opportunity to remind our employees that asking for help for themselves is equally important as helping others. Every day she sees our dedicated workforce show up to provide exceptional care for our patients, even when experiencing challenges in their own lives. Providing both spiritual and non-religious support, our Workforce Chaplains are a caring presence and are available for our One Amazing Team’s emotional needs at work and in their personal lives.

To request Chaplain Services and Support call 832-824-3327 or email eap@texaschildrens.org. To learn more about the other chaplains on the team, head to our Spiritual Well-Being page.

October 18, 2023

In just over 100 days, Texas Children’s will open the doors to our first hospital in Austin. The brand new, state-of-the art, $485 million campus will cater to both children and women with a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services – many of which are not available locally, or even offered at our own community hospitals in Houston. This includes a Level II Trauma-designated Emergency Center, Level IV NICU for smallest and sickest of newborns, inpatient Women’s Services and more.

Texas Children’s has been building a presence in Austin since 2018, starting with the opening of Urgent Care in Westgate and Mopac Specialty Care. We acquired and forged partnerships with providers across the region to build a network of 18 Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations, and we’re not stopping there! Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin is the centerpiece of a strategically planned care model, designed to meet the unique, specialized needs of Austin’s children and women.

Texas Children’s #OneAmazingTeam in Austin, at all of our locations, has been hard at work growing our culture of care in the region and preparing to open North Austin campus. By providing the right care in the right place from the right people, our mission to create a healthier future for the people of Austin and Central Texas is just getting started!

Follow along weekly on Connect to meet the faces of Austin, hear their stories and see the exciting journey to open North Austin campus unfold. Click here or the Right Care, Right Place, Right People button featured on the right-hand side of the Connect homepage to see our refreshed Austin Expansion SharePoint.

October 16, 2023

There are daily reports about companies being hacked by cybercriminals. The sensitive health care data we manage makes us even more vulnerable to these attacks. We all need to do our part to minimize our risk of a cyber attack.

The Information Security team maintains multiple layers of security to guard against the risk of a ransomware attack, including email, training, network and endpoint security. Here are a few of the most recent enhancements.

  • Updated password policy: Weak and stolen credentials are the #1 cause of data breaches. Our new 12-character passwords would take a computer 34,000 years to crack. Click here for more information.
  • Updated Multifactor Authentication (MFA) process: Starting, Wednesday, Oct. 18, remote users will enter a two-digit code in the Symantec VIP Access application to add another layer of security. Click here for more information.
  • Third party assessments: There is a robust program to evaluate risks working with third parties. It includes assessing information security controls, validating user access controls and performing a thorough due diligence review of information security documentation.
  • Employee training: Don’t be too quick to click! If you do, you may just fail an IS test to ensure you know what to be on the lookout for from cybercriminals. For cybersecurity awareness tips, please click here.

Visit the events calendar on Connect to learn more about the Cybersecurity Awareness Month events. There are keynote speakers, booths and games to help you learn how to keep your data secure from cybercriminals.