August 5, 2019

Texas Children’s Health & Well-Being team has partnered with colleagues from Environmental Health & Safety, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Occupational & Physical Therapy to launch a new video series aimed at preventing an all-too-common occurrence among our employees: the twinges and aches of lower back pain.

The latest offering in our ongoing effort to introduce programs and resources that help keep our workforce healthy and strong, the “We’ve Got Your Back” video series provides expert insight and information to empower you to take care of your back while on the job – no matter your work location, shift or role. Each video in the four-part series features quick, practical tips and advice for avoiding back pain by:

  • Using ergonomics to set up your desk and arrange your work area for optimal comfort and safety.
  • Adopting the proper body mechanics and techniques to lift and carry objects without strain or injury.
  • Completing stretching and strengthening exercises to help maintain flexibility and build up your core.
  • Loosening and relieving tension in your spine with simple and effective stretches you can do right at your desk.

“We know that Texas Children’s has grown exponentially in the last few years and we want to make sure that we provide all of our employees with robust resources to improve their health and well-being,” said Health Coach Jackie Pacheco, who is also a certified personal trainer, ergonomics and safety specialist and athletic trainer.

We’ve Got Your Back Episode 1: Ergonomics

Ready to start learning how to put back pain on the backburner? Click here to watch Episode 1: Ergonomics with Industrial Hygienist Gary Chang, who shows you how making small changes to your work environment – like adjusting the height of your chair or placing your phone closer within your reach – can make a big impact.

“The goal of the Environmental Health & Safety Department is to identify and correct existing ergonomic injury risks and to proactively identify those jobs that could put employees at risk of a musculoskeletal injury,” Chang said, noting that taking preventative steps can also help reduce the high cost of work-related injuries and mitigate the resulting impacts on our colleagues, our patients and their families.

“Ergonomics interventions allow employees to work safely and reduce the risks of musculoskeletal disorders.”

September 10, 2018

Texas Children’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Electrodiagnostic Laboratory has received Laboratory Accreditation with Exemplary status from the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM). Dr. Suzanne Woodbury is the laboratory’s medical director and said she is very excited to receive AANEM Laboratory Accreditation status.

The AANEM established laboratory accreditation criteria for electrodiagnostic (EDX) laboratories to ensure patients receive quality medical care in a safe environment. Laboratory accreditation provides patients, referral sources, and payers with a credible measure to differentiate the laboratory’s quality of care. The accreditation standards evaluate the diagnostic services and clinical operations essential to providing quality patient care, which include:

  • Clinical staff qualifications and continuing education
  • Physical facilities
  • EDX equipment
  • Protocols for performing EDX studies
  • Patient reports
  • Policies for ensuring the health and safety of every patient

Exemplary Status is the highest level of accreditation an EDX laboratory can achieve under the AANEM Accreditation Program. To be awarded Accreditation with Exemplary Status, physicians performing studies in the laboratory must:

  • Have completed a neurology or physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program; and
  • Have completed a minimum of three months of training in EDX medicine as part of a residency or fellowship program; and
  • Be certified by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (ABEM), or by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in clinical neurophysiology, or by the ABPN/American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in neuromuscular disease.

AANEM is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and electrodiagnostic medicine. For more information about AANEM, or to learn more about laboratory accreditation, visit www.aanem.org.