The holidays are in full swing, and we want you to take precautions to stay healthy. Click on the graphic to see five ways you can protect yourself, your family and our patients from those dreaded bugs that circulate during the cold weather months.
Nearly 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented, yet cardiovascular disease continues to be the No. 1 health threat facing women. When it comes to preventing the disease and taking care of your heart health, knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI) numbers is the best place to start.
Join the Employee Medical Clinic this Friday, February 1, for “Go Red for Women Day,” featuring free heart education and blood pressure screenings for all Texas Children’s employees. Clinic staff will be on hand from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m., at the entrance of the Fresh Bistro in the Pavilion for Women at the Medical Center campus to conduct the screenings and provide employees with the critical personal health numbers that can help assess their risk for heart disease and stroke. Amplify unity by wearing red to show your support!
Launched by the American Heart Association, Go Red for Women is a comprehensive platform designed to encourage women to take charge of their own heart health and increase awareness of cardiovascular disease, which causes 1 in 3 deaths among women each year.
Wear Red for a Complimentary Heart-Healthy Sweet
Texas Children’s is also partnering with Morrison Chefs on Friday, February 1, to offer heart-healthy meal options in celebration of Go Red for Women. With the purchase of a heart-healthy meal, Texas Children’s badge holders wearing red will receive a complimentary heart-healthy sweet during lunchtime at the Pavilion for Women Fresh Bistro, Dot’s Cafeteria at West Campus and the coffee shop and café at The Woodlands. Sweets will be available while supplies last.
Healthy Heart Program
Your Employee Medical Clinic offers a Healthy Heart Program year-round at no cost to our employees. The program features three individual sessions with a registered dietitian who will work with you to improve your blood pressure and/or cholesterol through healthy lifestyle modifications, including nutrition, physical activity, stress management and blood pressure monitoring.
For more information about the Healthy Heart Program or to make an appointment, please call 832-824-2424.
Cigna Health Coaching and Heart Health Programs
Cigna provides complimentary health coaching to help employees achieve their health and well-being goals, as well as manage and prevent chronic conditions like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, heart failure and many more. These programs will help you understand your condition and provide education and resources to support you in your health journey, while also developing individualized goals to help you make meaningful, healthy lifestyle changes.
To learn more about these Cigna programs, contact Staci Tobolowsky Astrein, Cigna’s on-site health coach at Texas Children’s, at 832-824-3068 or sxtobolo@texaschildrens.org.
A record-breaking 6,100 Texas Children’s employees and Baylor staff, volunteers and interns recently accepted the 21-Day H2O Challenge from the Employee Health & Well-Being team this year, committing themselves to drink at least 64 ounces of water every day from July 10-31 and discovering the powerful benefits of staying hydrated along the way.
Nearly 90 percent of participants said they increased their water intake because of the challenge, which set the goal of eight cups per day to follow the amount recommended for adults by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition to sleeping for longer lengths of time and seeing reduced levels of stress, employees reported in a post-challenge survey that they experienced a wide range of positive effects:
Personal stories of Water Challenge success could be found across the organization, from unexpected weight loss to significantly clearer skin, feeling more awake and refreshed, and adopting healthier habits overall. A bride-to-be struggling to lose weight before her wedding dropped a few pounds in just her first week of participating. A parent inspired their 8-year-old son to join the challenge and shoot for drinking 24 ounces of water per day, and was reminded how important it is for adults to model good health and wellness choices for children who are watching and learning.
“It was inspiring to see the enthusiasm in our employees who participated in the 21-day H2O Challenge,” said health coach Jackie Pacheco, who coordinated the challenge – including distribution of thousands of water bottles to employees at every Texas Children’s location, and an interactive water party on The Auxiliary Bridge in the challenge’s final days with infused waters to sample and free water giveaways courtesy of a pallet donated by Emergency Services.
“We had so many amazing results from employees who decided to make one simple change, increasing their daily water intake to improve their health,” Pacheco said. “The success stories from the challenge proved that incorporating small, yet significant, healthy habits into your daily routine will have tremendous results.”
Employees also appreciated the opportunity to amplify unity by joining the challenge together as teams, departments and units. One participant said their teammates became accountability partners, reminding each other to drink up and getting water for each other at the start and midpoint of every workday. Courtney Woods, a staff nurse in the in-patient emergency room who stopped by the water party, said she felt more motivated to tackle the challenge because her co-workers were there to encourage each other and check up on each other’s progress.
“This challenge is a fantastic example of how our employees can rally around a common well-being goal and motivate one another throughout the journey,” said Employee Health and Well-Being Assistant Director Julie Griffith. “We are proud of all of the participants that took the challenge!”
“We are also grateful to our Wellness Ambassadors for helping us amplify unity across the organization and achieve the largest well-being challenge participation in our history,” Griffith said. “We believe that supporting Texas Children’s mission of leading in patient care, education, and research begins with maximizing the health and well-being of our workforce. We are committed to providing more programs that empower and inspire our employees to achieve simple goals in order for them to thrive in all areas of their lives.”
At Texas Children’s, taking care of our patients and their families begins with taking care of ourselves. In 2017, slips, trips and falls were the No. 1 cause of employee injuries across the organization, and Employee Health and Well-Being and Environmental Health and Safety are teaming up to raise awareness about these safety concerns and how they can be avoided.
There were a total of 184 slip, trip, and fall incidents among our employees last year, resulting in 892 days of restricted duty and 353 lost days of work. To address this important matter, Employee Health and Well-Being and Environmental Health want to help employees practice safe and simple behaviors to prevent slips, trips and falls.
WET FLOORS: Slippery floors are the No. 1 cause of slips and falls.
If you spill something or see a spill, please take responsibility by cleaning up the spill and/or reporting it to Facilities Services by calling ext. 4-5000.
Use caution around wet floor signs and encourage others to do the same.
Be especially cautious on rainy days, as water can be tracked into common areas.
STAIRS: While taking the stairs is great for your health and fitness and provides patients and their families’ priority access to the elevators, stairwells can be hazardous if you are not mindful. To prevent stairwell accidents:
TRIPPING: To avoid tripping, please be mindful of your surroundings. Often the smallest misstep can cause the greatest injury.
Be alert; always watch where you walk. Keep your cell phones down and make eye contact with our patients and families as well as your colleagues.
Wear shoes with good traction.
If you notice a potential hazard, such as an electrical cord or box, please take the initiative to remove it.
Texas Children’s is proud to serve as a member of the Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety Initiative, with over 130 Children’s Hospitals working together to reduce patient and employee harm. Thank you for practicing these safe behaviors and taking responsibility to ensure we create a safe environment for your co-workers, patients and their families.
If you have any questions, please contact the Well-Being team at wellbeing@texaschildrens.org.
Texas Children’s employees and Houston-area residents came out in full force to participate in the sixth annual Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.
On April 7, more than thousands of people of all abilities participated in the non-competitive 1K and 3K courses. Following the race, participants enjoyed the H-E-B sponsored Family Fun Zone, which was packed with snacks, entertainment and 40-plus attractions.
Houston Marathon Announcer Mark Purnell kept everyone energized in his role as master of ceremonies cheering on the crowd and announcing any and all special guests, including Dr. Daren Molina with Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus Sports Medicine and members of the Texas Children’s Ukulele Choir. Prior to the race, Molina led runners and walkers in some warm-up stretches and exercises and members of the Ukulele Choir sang the National Anthem.
“Everyone had a great time at West Campus’ sixth annual Family Fun Run,” said Matt Timmons, director of business operations and support services at West Campus. “All morning, families had fun with each other and got some exercise.”
Sara Montenegro, assistant vice president at West Campus, said participants also learned about and connected with local vendors and resources.
“We really see this Family Fun Run as a way to bring our community together,” Montenegro said. “We want to be a valued partner and resource for this community and our annual Family Fun Run is just a fun way to bring our community together and highlight the importance of adopting active, healthy lifestyles.”
Get a first-hand look at the fun by:
Viewing a photo gallery of the event below.
Taking a look at our Facebook photo album from Saturday.
Don’t forget about the second annual Family Fun Run event at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. It will be on Saturday, May 5 and will offer a 1-mile course. Post-race activities will follow. Click here to register and learn more about the upcoming event.
There are several numbers we all know by heart: our phone numbers, dates of birth, debit and credit card PINs, and social security numbers. But do you know the most critical numbers for your heart health? That knowledge could save your life.
The Employee Medical Clinic will help you learn that information if you don’t already know if by offering heart education and blood pressure checks at no cost to employees. We encourage you to come and learn the most critical numbers in your life.
Date: Friday, February 3
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Main Campus location: Pavilion for Women, Fresh Bistro (entrance)
West Campus location: DOTS Kitchen (corridor)
In celebration of Go Red for Women, employees are encouraged to wear red on this day to raise awareness for heart disease.
Complimentary Heart Healthy Sweet
Texas Children’s is partnering with Morrison Chefs to offer heart healthy meal options in celebration of Go Red for Women. With the purchase of a heart healthy meal you will receive a complimentary heart healthy sweet* during lunchtime at the Pavilion for Women Fresh Bistro and West Campus DOTS Kitchen.
Healthy Heart Program
Year-round, the Employee Medical Clinic offers a Healthy Heart Program at no cost for employees. The program features three individual sessions with a registered dietitian who will work with you to improve your blood pressure and/or cholesterol through healthy lifestyle modifications including nutrition, physical activity, stress management and blood pressure monitoring. Click here to learn more.
For more information about the Healthy Heart Program or to make an appointment, please call ext. 4-2424.
*Free heart healthy sweet with purchase, while supplies last, to Texas Children’s badge holders wearing red.
Texas Children’s helped push 51 runners across the finish line of the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon January 15 in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. As part of the Texas Children’s Running Team, the runners signed up for the 26.2 mile or 13.1 mile race not only to hit the pavement but to raise money for a good cause – Texas Children’s.
The team – comprised of Texas Children’s employees, patient family members and others who have been touched by the organization – has raised almost $30,000 for Promise: The Campaign for Texas Children’s Hospital. Members have until mid-February to continue fundraising. If you would like to give to those who went the extra mile, click here.