September 22, 2020

Lauren Cavallaro shares how the challenges brought on by COVID-19 has helped her and her colleagues in the Emergency Center become a stronger team as they continue to adapt to new patient care processes during this unprecedented time. Read more

September 21, 2020

Texas Children’s Cancer Center hosted several virtual activities throughout the month of September to honor our courageous patients and their families, and to thank our dedicated staff for all they do. While COVID-19 changed this year’s Going Gold celebrations, many came together in a virtual and socially distant way to shine the light on pediatric cancer for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Dr. Susan Blaney said she is grateful for those who participated in our virtual events to help raise awareness for such an important cause. Although great strides have been made in combatting childhood cancer, there is still work to be done.

“We need a cure for every child diagnosed with cancer,” Blaney said. “Each day in our Cancer Center, our devoted team of physicians, nurses, researchers, and many others, are focused on translating the discoveries from our laboratories into novel therapies to improve the cure rate and outcomes for childhood cancer. ”

Here are some highlights from this year’s Going Gold celebrations at Texas Children’s.

Let There Be GOLD Carnival

On September 8, The Faris Foundation hosted a socially distant Let There Be GOLD Carnival for patients and their families on our inpatient Cancer Center unit. The floor was adorned in gold ribbons, stars, beads and other festive decorations, and there were numerous activities for children including arts and crafts, games and gold slime making.

Patients and their families also received a special visit from Elsa, our therapy dog, who dressed up for the occasion wearing a Going Gold T-Shirt to celebrate September Childhood Cancer Awareness.

Texas Children’s Cancer Center was inspired to “Go Gold” six years ago by a young patient, Faris D. Virani, who was perplexed about why he didn’t see as much gold in September compared to other colors he saw during different disease awareness months. Motivated by Faris’ concern, each year the Cancer Center has increased their level of “gold-ness,” and this year was no different.

Faris’ mother and founder of The Faris Foundation, Dr. Asha Virani, joined with Texas Children’s Cancer Center staff for the Let There Be GOLD Carnival. Virani said she knows her son, who lost his battle with Ewing sarcoma, is smiling because of all of the gold that was shown around Texas Children’s in September.

“September Childhood Cancer Awareness month is a golden opportunity to spread awareness and love,” said Virani. “Over the years, Texas Children’s has been a leader in making this cause so visible.”

Pajama Day “Go Gold” Celebration

Also this month, patients, families and staff at Texas Children’s Cancer Center had their very own Pajama Day to help raise awareness of childhood cancer. Wearing their pajamas, they stood in solidarity to honor the courageous journeys of our patients and families who have been touched by pediatric cancer.

This year’s Pajama Day was part of #AmazonGoesGold campaign to raise awareness of childhood cancer. Children are fighting cancer while in their pajamas, so the team decided to have a pajama party to celebrate our patients and their journey.

The Pajama Day started with children decorating sleeping masks, pillowcases and their own robes. All three Cancer Center inpatient units had their own concession stand where the patients came and filled their snack box and chose a movie of their choice. Some patients were very interested in scary movies while others wanted something different – there was something for each of our patients. Each child took their snack box and watched a movie with their family in their room.

In conjunction with the #AmazonGoesGold campaign, Amazon donated a gift of $500,000 to Texas Children’s Cancer Center as part of their Go Gold initiative to help advance pediatric cancer research.

Video messages from our Cancer Center staff and patients

To celebrate our patients and their families, our Cancer Center team gathered virtually to share inspiring video messages throughout the month of September. And, several of our fellow patients shared their own messages of hope and encouragement for other children and families impacted by childhood cancer.

One of our patients had this to say to those facing cancer: “September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. My encouraging words to you are stay strong, always be positive, and you can beat cancer.”

Click here to view Cancer Center staff videos. Click here to view encouraging words from our patients.

The Health Plan continues its focus on cultural competency as the deadline nears to complete the state-mandated training. More than 80 percent of employees have taken the course.

Teams have spent the past few weeks in discussion around the 15 national Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards, their personal experiences, and ways they can improve their work performance in this area.

These discussions, along with recent Cultural Competency Week activities are being managed by the newly developed Cultural Competency Committee. In the future, the committee will ensure that the organization adheres to the national standards and plays an integral role in addressing health disparities.

Provider Relations

Provider Relations Liaison Javier Valdez, who is a 32-year Texas Children’s employee, has seen our organization navigate many cultural shifts and is pleased to be part of these latest efforts.

“I feel that we do well when it comes to cultural competency, but I think we could always do better,” Valdez said. “This is exactly why I’m so glad to hear of the committee’s work.”

In his role Valdez meets the needs of culturally diverse providers who serve culturally diverse members.

“We have a very seasoned team that is close and able to discuss issues openly,” he added. “I think this is why it’s important that we have a bilingual staff that can speak many languages. This way we are able to assist our members in a language they feel the most comfortable speaking.”

Valdez added that a member’s culture is often connected to their social situation, their health and subsequently the solutions to any health care issues. This means that the more we understand a person’s culture, the more we can help them reach their health care goals.

Care Coordination

The Health Plan’s care coordination team also conducted a series of cultural competency discussions starting back in May. The discussions were led by Care Coordination Director Ashley Simms and Assistant Director Katara Butler.

Butler said the team’s conversations centered around a few key themes; including personal accountability regarding cultural biases, keeping others accountable regarding their biases and remaining open to learning more about the culture of others.

“Not only do we serve a diverse member population, but as a team we are also diverse,” Butler said. “As managers it’s important that we give our teams all the tools they need to grow personally and professionally in this area.”

All health plan leaders received talking points to help them host cultural competency conversations. These conversations will provide even more context for the state-mandated training, available in HealthStream.

September 15, 2020

From COVID-19 to Hurricane Laura, Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre shares a message of appreciation and support to our nurses for their continued dedication, courage and preparedness in keeping our team and patients safe, while adjusting to what has become our new normal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

September 14, 2020

The 2020-21 flu season has arrived and it’s time for our One Amazing Team to step up, make a plan and take action against the spread of the flu.

Starting this week, Employee Health will administer flu vaccines at no cost to Texas Children’s employees; Baylor College of Medicine employees working at Texas Children’s facilities; Morrison, Crothall contract employees; and volunteers at Texas Children’s.

Getting your flu vaccine is the first and most important step you can take to prevent transmission of the flu and protect yourself and others – and it’s even more critical this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing and health care systems around the country closely conserving resources.

It’s also easier than ever this year to make your flu shot plan. We’ve launched a new external website at texaschildrensbenefits.org/flu with all the workforce-related flu resources and information you need to get prepared. On this site, our team members can:

  • View information on the new and convenient ways to receive the flu vaccine. These options include attending an on-site or car-side event at Texas Children’s; visiting the Texas Children’s Pediatrics practice where your child receives care; and getting your shot from your primary care provider or a retail pharmacy. Each option is also detailed View information on the new and convenient ways to receive the flu vaccine. These options include attending an on-site or car-side event at Texas Children’s; visiting the Texas Children’s Pediatrics practice where your child receives care; and getting your shot from your primary care provider or a retail pharmacy. Each option is also detailed on this flyer, which you may spot around your campus.
  • View our robust on-site event schedule, which includes multiple dates and locations across the system to better accommodate our team members’ needs.
  • Schedule a car-side appointment or one-on-one flu appointment online. Schedule a car-side appointment or one-on-one flu appointment online.
  • Complete consent forms online in support of a touchless experience.
  • Review answers to the most frequently asked flu questions.
  • Upload proof of vaccination with a mobile device.

By getting vaccinated against the flu, you are helping to keep our patients and their families, our entire workforce and our community safe. For a step-by-step guide to making your flu shot plan for this year, visit texaschildrensbenefits.org/flu.

The 2020 Annual Required Training (ART) course is now live in HealthStream and available to all Texas Children’s employees, contractors and volunteers, who must complete the mandatory training no later than Friday, October 30.

To access ART, simply log into HealthStream and find the training on your “To Do” tab. Then, click on the “Start” link next to the course titled, “Texas Children’s 2020 Annual Required Training.” To receive credit, all required workforce members must review all course slides and sign the attestation to confirm they have completed the course as directed.

What you need to know about ART
  • New content has been added this year around Diversity and Inclusion as part of our ongoing effort to cultivate an organization where every team member feels valued and accepted.
  • All workforce members are required to complete ART, except for:
    • New Texas Children’s employees (including Texas Children’s physicians) who were hired after January 1, 2020.
    • (Note: If you have been rehired to Texas Children’s during 2020, this exception does not apply to you. You will be required to take the course.)
  • Employees who are on a leave of absence are required to complete ART within 30 days of their release back to work.
  • If your work hours have been flexed down, please only complete the course during your standard work hours and check with your leader for guidance on the best time for you to complete the course.
  • If you are a contractor or volunteer, please note that you may be required to complete an Alternate ART course and should reach out to your leader for further instructions.
Need help?
  • If you are having problems accessing HealthStream, contact the IS Service Desk at 832-824-3512 (option 2).
  • If you have questions about the course, please email healthstream@texaschildrens.org.
  • If you are having an issue with the course not giving you a completion status once you have signed the attestation, or if it will not allow you to advance to the end of the course, you may need to clear your browsing history. For instructions on how to clear your browsing history, click here.

Are you registered to vote?

Are your co-workers registered?

How about your family members or neighbors?

The 2020 General Election is November 3, 2020, and the deadline in Texas to register to vote or update your voter information is October 5, 2020. Texas Children’s Government Relations department is leading our System efforts to make sure the answer to all of these questions is, “YES!”

Posters will soon appear at various locations around the organization with QR codes to help you with the following:
1.) Check your voter registration status.
2.) Update your voter information, or
3.) Register to vote. As our adherence to COVID-19 precautions prevent us from hosting in-person campus voter registration events, sharing this news story and its important links with your co-workers, family, and friends via text or email is especially important this year.

Every U.S. citizen has a right to vote, and here are some things to consider to get ready to participate in this year’s general election. First, check your voter information as soon as possible by clicking here. Next, have you (or a member of your family) recently moved or changed addresses? Unless you want to vote in your old voter precinct on election day, you must update your voter registration to reflect your current residence.

If you can’t find your voter registration information, you can complete an online mail-in voter registration webform by going here.

To assist with successfully completing the web form:
1. Print the form and
2. Address the envelope to the registrar address indicated in the top right of the printed form.
3. Fill out the form and review the application carefully

  • Write legibly
  • Choose an option for all four questions under part 1
  • Your residence (#3) is where you live. Your mailing address (#4) is where you receive mail. If these are the same, you can write “same” for part 4.
  • If this is your first time registering to vote in Texas, you can write “N/A” in part 5.
  • You must sign and date the application including writing out full 2020 as the year.

4. Stamp and seal the envelope and place the filled out form in the convenient United States Postal Service mailbox.

5. To confirm your voter registration was received and processed, visit this website and click on “Am I Registered?”

Finally, besides voting for our next president, not sure who else is on the ballot? Go here and look up your county’s candidates for each race on the November 3, 2020 ballot.

For more details on the voting process and creating your personal plan for early voting or voting on election day, click here.

Texas Children’s non-partisan voter education activities are executed in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital Association guidelines on Permissible Nonpartisan Candidate and Voter Education Activities, which can be found here. All materials and publications associated with Texas Children’s voter education and registration activities is in no way is intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate or political party.

You can always access the latest voting details by visiting this page on the Texas Children’s site.