May 28, 2019

For the first time ever, Texas Children’s has been named by the Houston Business Journal as one of Houston’s Healthiest Employers of 2019 in recognition of our ongoing commitment to support a healthy and strong workforce.

HBJ ranked Texas Children’s among the city’s healthiest companies with at least 5,000 employees. The journal’s survey rigorously assessed organizational culture, leadership commitment, programming and intervention efforts, and communication and marketing to determine how strongly Texas Children’s promotes and supports a healthy work environment.

Texas Children’s was recognized for the many innovative, engaging, convenient and cost-effective well-being programs and opportunities that positively impact the lives of our employees. The high volume and efficiency of the Employee Medical Clinic, 24/7 access to EAP Plus, success stories from health coaching and the many well-being initiatives were all featured in the survey responses.

“A healthy and strong workforce is essential to delivering quality and compassionate care to our patients and their families, which our employees provide every day,” said Jermaine Monroe, Vice President, Human Resources. “We are honored to be recognized as one of Houston’s Healthiest Employers and will continually advance initiatives to empower and support our employee’s physical, mental and financial well-being journeys at Texas Children’s.”

The Houston Business Journal revealed the final rankings for the 2019 Healthiest Employers list on May 23. Click here to read more about the finalists and the awards.

The Woodlands Recognition and Rewards Committee has announced the third quarter Woodlands Shining Star winners. Beth Pali (left), and Dr. Rachel Marek (right) were honored for their hard work and dedication.

Pali is a registered nurse in The Woodlands Outpatient Infectious Disease Clinic and was also instrumental in the opening of the Dermatology Clinic at The Woodlands. She was nominated by several of her co-workers, all of which say she constantly goes above and beyond on a daily basis to ensure patients and families receive the best possible care and attention.

“Beth is an extraordinary human being,” physician in the Department of Infectious Disease, Dr. Ankhi Dutta said. “She takes her job very seriously, and that is what I love most about her.”

Pali’s compassion and flexibility was magnified during a situation that included the transfer of a complicated patient from The Woodlands to the Medical Center Campus following their ultimately passing. During that time she personally traveled to The Medical Center Campus to help provide support for the family.

“Beth goes above and beyond to provide exceptional care to our patients, families, and staff,” Outpatient Staff Nurse, Elizabeth Dudgeon said. “She is such a positive influence who naturally promotes all the core values, in all that she does.”

Marek is the Medical Director of Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM), and was nominated for her compassion and drive for amplifying unity.

“She has been an integral part of building the hospital inpatient services,” Physician in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition Dr. Andrew Chu explained. “She exemplifies our system values as she continues to lead tirelessly.”

Marek is a natural leader who has helped implement and lead core initiatives such as faculty development workshops and lectures at The Woodlands, co-rounding in which subspecialists and PHM service round together on shared patients, and the multidisciplinary Palliative Care Committee at The Woodlands.

“Dr. Marek believes in teamwork, excellence and has demonstrated outstanding ability as a leader and a physician,” Dutta said. “She has implemented an environment of camaraderie and mutual support when it comes to patient care as well as employee satisfaction.”

Congratulations to both of this quarter’s Woodlands Shining Stars, and thank you for going above and beyond for our patients, families, and employees!

Texas Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention and its Safe Kids Greater Houston Partners were recently recognized as the 2019 “Team of the Year” by the National Child Passenger Safety Board at the 2019 Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Safe Kids Greater Houston Coalition, of which the Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention is the lead organization, was selected because of its unwavering commitment to child passenger safety. The coalition conducts seat check events at over 20 inspection site that span five counties, totaling nearly 2,000 miles.

“The people on this team are special,” said National Child Passenger Safety Board Chair Tammy Franks. “Their willingness to go that extra mile in an effort to educate parents and caregivers on car seat safety is extraordinary. Their work prevents unnecessary injuries and saves countless lives.”

More than 300 nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians serve on the Safe Kids Great Houston team, which is made up of health and safety experts, law enforcement, community advocates and other volunteers. Members check more than 5,000 car seats every year and distribute more than 1,000 seats to families in need. They also raise awareness among adults and children by providing lifesaving education and resources in the areas of Child Passenger Safety, Water Safety, Home Safety and Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety.

May 20, 2019

Over the next couple of weeks, we will highlight some of this year’s Caught You Caring Award winners and how they go above and beyond for their patients and colleagues.

Carmen Vela began working for Texas Children’s as a hospital operator. She later moved on to central scheduling and is now an Ambulatory Services Representative in the Division of Plastic Surgery. For the past 17 years she has used her compassionate communication skills to assist patients in a variety of situations.

“As a bilingual employee I know that I am able to communicate with many different patients,” Vela said. “I love knowing that I am helping out the community. I love customer service, I love helping people, I love to listen, and if I don’t have to answer I will find it.”

Caught You Caring is a recognition program offered to patients and families, as well as staff, to recognize employees who have gone above and beyond their role to provide compassion and kindness to another person. This could be in the care of a patient, service to a family, or in support of a coworker. Launched in 2015 in ambulatory surgery, the now system-wide program has recognized many employees, including the eight listed below who were honored by the program this year.

Vela was nominated for the award by the Senior Project Manager in the Division of Plastic Surgery, Betty Tung.

“Almost daily, I can hear her talking to the families trying to make appointments, and she’s so nice, helpful and professional when handling the appointments,” Tung said. “I have witnessed situations where she has to go to the clinic upstairs because the parent wants to hug her to thank her for her help. She goes way beyond her job duties to help the parents.”

Vela continues to demonstrate teamwork and compassion towards co-workers. She is known for helping patient’s parents if they call with a situation such as traffic, running late, or with questions about parking.

“Receiving this award is very gratifying,” Vela said. “I think everyone should be recognized because it is such a team effort, but for Betty to notice my hard work and how much I care about the patients, means a lot.”

Texas Children’s wants to continue to recognize those who take great pride in the work they do and encourages patients, families and employees to catch someone who is making a difference. Caught You Caring boxes and cards can be found throughout the Texas Children’s system for patients and families to fill out and recognize staff. Employees can fill out a Caught You Caring form on Connect. Cards and online submissions will be distributed to leaders for staff recognition.

Click here to learn more about the Caught You Caring Program.

Dr. Ken McClain, co-director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Histiocytosis Program, recently received the 2019 George R. Buchanan Lectureship Award from the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO). He is the fourth recipient of this national award honoring a significant contributor in the field.

Specifically, the award recognizes McClain as an international expert in pediatric hematology/oncology, an accomplished educator, committed mentor and effective speaker whose significant research, education and clinical expertise is of the caliber of achievements made by Buchanan, who made scientific contributions in many areas of pediatric hematology and oncology, and has been recognized as an outstanding teacher and mentor.

As part of receiving the Buchanan award, McClain was invited to present a 35 minute state-of-the-art lecture describing his research following the award presentation earlier this month. His talk was on the history of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.

Dr. Sharon Plon, co-director of the Texas Children’s Cancer Center’s Cancer Genetics and Genomics Program, has been appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research until 2020. The council advises government agencies on genetics, genomic research, training and programs related to the human genome initiative.

In addition, Plon recently received the 11th annual Niehaus Southworth Weissenbach Award in Clinical Cancer Genetics from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As part of the award events, she delivered Medical Grand Rounds on “Genetic Predisposition to Childhood Cancer in the Genomic Era” and consulted with genetics clinicians.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Hard work pays off.” That old adage certainly rings true for several nurses at Texas Children’s Hospital. On May 16, nine nursing leaders received their Doctor of Nursing Practice during the Cizik School of Nursing Commencement held at the Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land.

The honorees included:

  • Mary Jo Andre, Chief Nursing Officer
  • Jackie Ward, Associate Chief Nursing Officer
  • Tarra Christopher, Director of Nursing, Emergency Center
  • Kim Clark, Patient Care Manager – Cancer Center
  • Sara Dean, Nurse Practitioner – Pavilion for Women
  • Shannon Holland, Director of Nursing – Critical Care
  • Joy Harrison, Assistant Director – Texas Children’s Pediatrics
  • Vanessa Kastner, Nurse Practitioner – NICU
  • Jennifer Sanders, Assistant Vice President – Nursing

Three years ago, these nurses embarked on a journey together when they enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program, a clinical doctoral program that provides advanced education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, systems leadership and other key areas. Nurses who successfully earn their DNP have completed the highest level of training in nursing practice.

“Texas Children’s Hospital invests heavily in our nurses through various professional advancement and educational opportunities like this one,” said CNO Mary Jo Andre. “I am so grateful to share this journey with my nursing colleagues, and accomplishing this milestone together, made it even more meaningful.”

Next month, Connect will feature an article highlighting our nurses’ DNP journey, the invaluable lessons they learned along the way, and how the support from Texas Children’s made it possible for them to achieve this milestone, which will impact the care and outcomes we deliver to our patients and their families.