June 1, 2016

6116TCHPFloodRelief640Recent Houston floods devastated many local neighborhoods, and left Greenspoint families in dire need of emergency assistance. The Centers for Children and Women care about the communities they serve and wanted to help. On May 4, The Center for Children and Women in Greenspoint held a Houston Storm Recovery Distribution Event for local flood victims. Items such as clothing, diapers, toiletries and cleaning supplies were distributed to more than 450 families.

“Many of our patients and our community still have a lot of needs after the recent floods, so our staff members decided something needed to be done to help our community, said Dr. Heidi Schwarzwald, chief medical officer pediatrics of Texas Children’s Health Plan. “We are pleased that we were able to help so many families through the thousands of supplies donated by our employees and by generous local companies.”

Houston Food Bank provided emergency kits that included canned goods and water. Attendees also could receive application assistance for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). All donations were provided by Texas Children’s Health Plan and Center employees, Nestle and Kroger.

February 9, 2016

21016Cooperflu640Super heroes come in many shapes and sizes, and Texas Children’s Health Plan encouraged students to channel their inner super hero by protecting themselves and their families against the flu. Schools from eight school districts in Houston, Beaumont and the surrounding areas were invited to participate in a month-long super hero themed flu vaccination contest. The school in each district with the most students receiving the flu vaccination won a pizza party that included pizza and drinks. A portion of the drinks were provided by Kroger.

“With more than 2 million Texans admitted to the hospital last year because of flu, it is very important we do something to protect children and their families,” stated Dr. Heidi Schwarzwald, Chief Medical Officer, Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Health Plan. “Texas Children’s Health Plan wanted to empower children to be an active part in their health and wellness in a fun way. We are very excited that so many schools and students participated in the contest.”

During the month-long contest (October 15 through November 15), more than 2,000 students from 93 schools in eight school districts were immunized against the flu. The winning schools were:

  • Johnson Elementary – Aldine ISD
  • Fletcher Elementary – Beaumont ISD
  • McFee Elementary – Cy-Fair ISD
  • Dick Dowling – Port Arthur ISD
  • Taylor Ray Elementary – Lamar CISD
  • Hopper Elementary – Goose Creek ISD
  • Jessup Elementary – Pasadena ISD
  • Rhoads Elementary – Katy ISD
  • Cooper Elementary – Spring ISD

Texas Children’s Health Plan began their cold and flu initiative in the fall of 2015 to help educate parents about flu and cold. In addition to the school contest, Texas Children’s Health Plan also launched www.coldandfluhero.org and created Cold and Flu Defender kits to distribute to their members. The kits included tissues, nasal saline, hand sanitizer, bulb syringe and information on how to prevent cold and flu symptoms.

October 6, 2015

Return to Connect

10715STARKids640Texas Children’s Health Plan has been selected by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission as a health plan in the STAR Kids Program, a managed care program that provides health coverage to children and youth with special health care needs.

Beginning September 1, 2016, the STAR Kids program will be implemented to manage children with special health care needs. This move is expected to bring about 40,000 new members into the Health Plan. In anticipation, more than 400 new employees will be hired to manage these cases. The program will provide benefits such as prescription drugs, hospital care, primary and specialty care, preventive care, personal care services, private duty nursing and durable medical equipment and supplies.

“Texas Children’s Health Plan is very proud to be involved in the STAR Kids program and be able to provide children with special health care needs the care they deserve,” said Christopher Born, president of Texas Children’s Health Plan. “The introduction of STAR Kids speaks to our commitment of providing excellent care to the members of our community.”

Children age 20 or younger who receive Supplemental Security Income Medicaid, are enrolled in the Medically Dependent Children Program or receive services through 1915(c) waiver programs will receive a variety of services through the STAR Kids program. Children, youth and their families will have the choice of STAR Kids health plans and will have the option to pick one that best suits their needs.

“The case managers we are able to hire will help these members through the process and through the system, removing barriers,” said Kristen Cover with the Health Plan. “The families are going to have experienced care managers, who are often nurses, to assist them and be a support system for the whole family. The parents are no longer the only ones managing their children’s cases.”

Born said over the last few years, he has met the Texas Department of Health and Human Services about finding a new way to care for these children.

“It was a letter from Representative John Zerwas to Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace that was really a catalyst for this new way of caring for medically complex kids,” Born said. “Mark was adamant that we needed to be leaders in finding a more coordinated way to care for these kids on disability-related Medicaid and that’s really where the ball started rolling.”

“This is a tremendous tribute to Texas Children’s and our capacity, our ability and our passion to care for all children in Texas,” Wallace said. “Not only does this extend the care to this new patient population with a new and improved paradigm to care for these children, creating a better model of care.”

Texas Children’s Health Plan is currently the largest Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid HMO in the Harris and Jefferson service areas and provides coverage in more than 20 counties in the Houston metropolitan area. By approving Texas Children’s Health Plan to offer coverage in the Health and Human Services Commission Northeast Expansion Area, which includes 34 counties, 64,000 STAR Kids eligible members in the Northeast, Harris and Jefferson service areas will be able to choose Texas Children’s Health Plan as their new health plan starting September 2016.

Take a moment to read the blog post (below) from President and CEO Mark A. Wallace about the journey that helped us reach this milestone and why it’s so important to so many children.

Return to Connect

August 25, 2015

82615backtoschool640Hours before the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) back to school event kicked off, a line was forming in Almeda Mall, the site of this year’s biggest event with 8,000 in attendance. With the promise of backpacks, school supplies, information on community resources and vaccines for students going back to school, parents were eager to participate.

“It’s a very rewarding event for us to bring a little relief to these families as they struggle to provide their children with everything they need to go back to the classroom,” said Veronica Arzayus, manager of community relations. “The parents are so grateful for something as simple as a backpack. For these families, it’s one less thing to worry about as the school year starts.”

According to an annual survey of back to school costs, on average, it could cost close to $200 to purchase the needed supplies for an elementary student to head to the classroom. That number jumps to nearly $400 for high school aged students. With more than half of the public school children living in poverty, these costs can be nearly impossible for some families to bear. The TCHP back to school event handed out 5,000 backpacks to the families present. The mobile immunization unit was there to administer about 130 vaccines, and the City of Houston Bureau of Oral Health was on hand to administer teeth cleanings, sealants and 115 dental screenings.

“We chose the Almeda Mall location to gage the community’s interest and acknowledgement of Texas Children’s,” Arzayus said. “That area is home to a lot of Health Plan members, but we were also able to attract a lot of non-members who benefitted from the vaccines, screenings and information we provided in conjunction with our community partners.”

Along with a kid DJ, Dynamo players and other entertainment, 40 non profits joined Texas Children’s to give out other school supplies and information about resources available throughout the community to assist their families.

Arzayus said attendance grows every year and the group knows it’s fulfilling a need for the community that not only assists the families, but ensures they receive information to help keep their children healthy throughout the school year.

April 28, 2015

42915drgiardino175

Texas Children’s Chief Quality Officer and Senior Vice President Dr. Angelo P. Giardino was recently unanimously confirmed to serve on the American Board of Medical Quality (ABMQ) Board of Directors.

The ABMQ evaluates and certifies professionals and programs in the science and management of improving clinical processes and outcomes in systems that service and deliver health care. The organization is closely associated with the American College of Medical Quality of which Giardino is a distinguished fellow.