The Quality and Safety Department recognizes individuals or groups who have excelled in providing Patient Safety with the monthly Shamrock Award.
/1511295925.jpeg)
Maritza Ruiz, Housekeeper Austin Campus
Maritza is one of our Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) and Environmental Services team members. She always has a smile on her face and is kind; we love her! In October 2025, she entered a LDRP patient’s room to replace their trash bins and saw that the patient looked unwell. The patient was pale and experiencing shortness of breath. Maritza immediately recognized that something was wrong and wasted no time helping the patient. She left the room quickly and promptly found the patient’s nurse, Isabelle Reyes, to let her know she needed to come assess the patient quickly. Isabelle went right to the room and found that the patient was starting to show signs of an anaphylactic reaction. Isabelle activated a rapid response team immediately. The patient was able to receive timely treatment and was kept safe. Maritza’s fast action and quick recognition of this patient’s concerning clinical presentation saved important minutes in the clinical team’s response time. That was above and beyond Maritza’s technical job duties. When asked about what happened, she was so gentle and kind. She said, “Absolutely. The patients have to be safe. That’s the most important thing.” Maritza is always looking out for our patients and our team. She makes our unit safer, kinder and better.
/1763370377.jpeg)
The Woodlands Patient Care Services and Biomedical Engineering Team
During a recent leader rounding session, Director of Patient Care Services Juanna Brandon engaged with a patient and their family who expressed concern about inappropriate television content, specifically programming related to murder. Recognizing that such material could negatively impact patients by increasing anxiety or even introducing harmful ideas, Juanna took immediate action. She reached out to the Manager of Biomedical Engineering Alan Ordonez and asked him to review the channel lineup and remove the problematic channel from patient viewing options. Alan responded quickly and resolved the issue. He also reached out to his system partners to share information about the channel and recommend they consider removing it from their lineups as well. This proactive approach reflects our commitment to creating a safe and calming environment that supports healing and well-being for all patients. We have many patients with impressionable young minds and others with behavioral health concerns. Ensuring they have safe and appropriate distractions during their stay is significantly important for their health and safety.