October 31, 2023

On Mark Wallace’s blog, he invites Texas Children’s Pediatrics physician, Dr. Desiree Evans, to help honor and celebrate the incredible life and legacy of Dr. Robert F. Austin. Read more

August 14, 2023

Front Office Specialist Ciara Smalling returned to Texas Children’s to work for her pediatrician. She’s now a positive presence for parents and children. Read More

November 16, 2021

Strengthening its commitment to the Austin community, Texas Children’s Pediatrics is thrilled to announce the opening of a new Community Health Center in Windsor Park. The new site joins 12 other Texas Children’s locations in Central Texas providing trusted, high-quality medical services to children and adolescents.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics Windsor Park will be named the Jodie Lee Jiles Community Health Center, to honor Jodie Lee Jiles’ extraordinary lifelong advocacy for underserved populations. Jiles, a member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents and director of business development at Transwestern, has served on the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees since 2002, and has been a Texas Children’s Emeritus Trustee since 2019. His passion for giving back and strong ties to Austin – as a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin – are a few of the many reasons Texas Children’s chose to dedicate the site in his honor.

“I am incredibly humbled and honored by this recognition from Texas Children’s,” said Jiles. “I am deeply moved by the organization’s mission and pleased that the new facility will provide quality health care to a traditionally underserved community.”

Regardless of a family’s financial situation the Jodie Lee Jiles Community Health Center will provide primary health care services to children from birth to age 18. The new location also offers the opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with board-certified pediatricians, Dr. Ana Avalos and Dr. Shauna Butler.

“We’re excited about the ability to serve even more families in the Austin community,” said Dan Gollins, president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care. “We hope the clinic will be a great representation of Mr. Jiles’ passion for reaching every child in the community, ensuring they have the resources needed for a healthy future.”

“My dream has always been that every child in America and especially in Texas has access to preventative care, primary care and hospitalization when necessary,” said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children’s Hospital. “I’m happy to say that this dream is coming true through the Jodie Lee Jiles Community Health Center and because of people like Jodie who never stop advocating for what is right. We are thrilled to name the Windsor Park facility in his honor.”

Texas Children’s Hospital is also constructing a $485 million top-tier, freestanding children and women’s hospital in North Austin, set to open in February 2024. Please stay tuned for available positions as our new hospital gets under development. To learn more visit our Austin Expansion site on Connect: https://texaschildrens.sharepoint.com/sites/Austin

October 29, 2021

In honor of her dedicated service to Texas Children’s Pediatrics (TCP) and long-held commitment to foster access to quality care and education, Texas Children’s is renaming the Community Care Center at Corinthian Pointe for retired physician Dr. Cheryl Hardin.

President and CEO Mark A. Wallace unveiled the new Dr. Cheryl L. Hardin Community Care Center at TCP Corinthian Pointe in a surprise announcement at Hardin’s retirement celebration, where he also presented her with a commemorative plaque.

“Dr. Hardin left a remarkable impression on her many patients around the Houston community. Because of her dedication, her legacy will certainly live on through the lives she touched during her time at Texas Children’s,” Mr. Wallace said. “While Dr. Hardin will be tremendously missed, we are all excited to see her enter this new season of life, and remain grateful for the impact she made throughout the organization.”

Hardin initially joined TCP through her residency with Baylor College of Medicine in 1990, ultimately serving in various roles across a 16-year career. Most recently, she was a pediatrician at the Corinthian Pointe community care clinic, where she had a special affinity for specialty care areas that included allergies, breastfeeding, safety and health and wellness. Corinthian Pointe is a community-based collaborative health and wellness center that provides an accessible medical home to children and families.

Hardin has seen more than 47,000 patients since April 2008, and has also served on the TCP/Texas Children’s Urgent Care Board of Directors for seven years. She received a resolution of gratitude for excellent service on the board.

“Dr. Hardin has been a devoted advocate for the needs of our patients and the community, and her selfless spirit will be truly missed,” said Daniel Gollins, President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care. “The entire Texas Children’s Pediatrics family is inspired by Dr. Hardin’s legacy and grateful for her contributions to improving access to quality health care for all.”

As the medical director of Reach Out and Read Texas and contributor to numerous organizations, Hardin is deeply involved in furthering the advancement of health care access to medically underserved populations.

Her memberships include the National Association of Clinicians for the Underserved and the Neighborhood Centers Head Start Health Advisory. She is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mary Susan Moore Medical Society, Texas Pediatric Society and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved.

In November 2009, Hardin became the third recipient from Texas Children’s of the KHOU-TV/Cadillac Texas Spirit Award for her outstanding patient care and service at TCP Corinthian Pointe – an honor she shares with Mr. Wallace.

Hardin earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine and holds an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her residency at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine.

August 17, 2020

As children across Texas head back to school this month and next, Texas Children’s is preparing for a potential spike in COVID-19 cases. Although it is unclear what will happen when kids return to class, there is a chance that more people will contract COVID-19 due to increased exposure to the virus.

Denise Tanner-Brown, assistant vice president of Community and Ambulatory Nursing, said she is cautiously optimistic considering many schools are starting back virtually, but that no one knows what the next step might be and how that will affect the situation.

“We are standing ready for a second wave of cases and are not letting down our guard,” Tanner-Brown said. “As patient volumes decrease, we have a deactivation strategy where we can temporarily close down units. But, we also have an activation strategy in place where we can turn it back on really quickly should the situation change.”

Critical Care Director of Nursing Shannon Zerber said one of the things Texas Children’s has done well throughout the pandemic that’s reduced the stress of potential surges is adequate planning for space and staff.

A team of experts from across the organization has a tri-campus multitier plan that lays out multiple levels of response. The plan starts with sending patients to the Special Isolation Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. Additional beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are designated at Texas Children’s Hospital in the Medical Center Main Campus, including 13 acute care beds, and six additional ICU beds.

“As our COVID-19 volumes change at Texas Children’s, in Houston and the region, we adapt and flex to demand,” Zerber said. “There is a patient placement group that meets routinely to look at the latest data, so we are ahead of things, not behind. We are anticipating what will happen next.” As a result, Zerber said “everyone is prepared for a spike when school goes back, especially face to face. We all hope it won’t happen but we are ready if it does.”

Handling a surge

Dr. Amy Arrington, medical director of the SIU, said the biggest surge Texas Children’s has seen so far was at the end of June and the beginning of July. During that time, all 18 beds in the dedicated biocontainment unit were full and patients were also being cared for at the Medical Center campus.

Since then, the number of COVID-19 patients has dropped, but there has been an increase in the number of patients with multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a delayed inflammatory response to COVID-19 that typically presents four to six weeks after exposure. The syndrome is typically seen in children and teenagers and has varying effects on vital organs, including the heart. Arrington said although the condition is rare, clinicians across the nation are seeing an uptick in cases and that this trend could continue as more children head back to school and are potentially exposed to and contract COVID-19.

Caring for patients with MIS-C takes a tremendous amount of resources and expertise as many patients require stays in the intensive care unit, some of whom need specialized treatment such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment that uses a pump to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream.

Texas Children’s has the resources and the expertise to care for these patients. We have intensive care specialists, cardiologists, surgeons, and specialists in rheumatology, infectious diseases and immunology investigating and treating the children as aggressively as needed to ensure they have the best possible outcome.

Chief of Critical Care Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, who has been directly involved in the organization of the intensive care of the 30 plus MIS-C cases at Texas Children’s throughout the pandemic, said Texas Children’s has the capacity to handle a surge of these patients even if it means using areas that aren’t currently being used. Although she said it is unlikely we will see an exponential growth in the number of cases of MIS-C, Shekerdemian emphasized that the capacity is there to care for all those who need the specialized care Texas Children’s can provide.

Arrington agreed and said “So far, space and staffing have never been an issue due to adequate planning and dedicated staff willing to show up for countless extra shifts, work as a unified team and generally go above and beyond. But, we must remain vigilant in our prevention and safety measures.”

Dr. Judith Campbell, medical director of Infection Control and Prevention, added that clinicians at Texas Children’s and other medical institutions from across the world are in a much better position to care for COVID-19 and MIS-C patients than they were in March when the pandemic began.

“We have good evidence now about how to care for patients safely,” Campbell said. “We also have a better supply of personal protective equipment, which makes clinicians and staff feel safer when they are caring for a positive patient.”

Staying on top of the latest research, looking at where we can do better and remaining steadfast in our dedication to our safety measures and protocols, however, are key to our continued success, Campbell said, adding that there is no room to lessen our determination in this pandemic.

Staying safe

Texas Children’s remains committed to providing the safest environment for our patients, families and employees. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have done an excellent job at keeping people safe while continuing to be there for our patients and deliver top notch care.

Three safety measures that have been implemented across our system and that work very well revolve around screening, social distancing and wearing the proper personal protective equipment. We are constantly adapting and improving these efforts as the situation progresses and changes, but believe we have established a good foundational practice that will be part of our organization for some time to come.

As a reminder, everyone who walks into one of our facilities is stopped and screened for symptoms of COVID-19. Patients, family members and employees alike must fill out a questionnaire about any current symptoms they might have and any recent trips they might have taken. The screening process also includes a temperature check. Months ago, we invested in thermal imaging cameras at our three hospitals to expedite the process and to make it safer for our employees who are administering the screenings.

When on our campus or in any of our facilities, we ask patients, family members and even our own employees to please keep a safe distance of approximately 6 feet from others whenever and wherever possible, including waiting in line and riding in our elevators. We have placed signs and stickers across the system to help keep social distancing top of mind.

Wearing a mask is a must if you want to visit one of our facilities. Patients, family members, visitors and employees are issued a hospital-grade mask after being screened at one of our screening stations. Providers working in certain areas of our system wear additional PPE such as an N-95 mask, a procedure mask, goggles and/or an isolation gown depending on their risk level.

We also have instituted visitor restrictions, video and drive-through visits, precheck-in and online appointment and payment via MyChart, and curbside pharmacy pickup to mitigate any potential exposure to COVID-19 and to alleviate people’s worries about coming to one of our facilities for care.

We have robust testing capabilities and the nation’s largest pediatric primary care network in the nation standing on the front lines of this pandemic triaging patients who might have the virus and helping care for those who do. Texas Children’s Pediatrics is also helping administer COVID-19 tests at our testing sites across the organization and they are continuing to administer much-needed wellness visits and routine vaccines, including the flu vaccine, which will be more than ever for people to receive.

“We have been thoughtful and careful in our planning so that we can turn on a dime if we need to,” said Texas Children’s Pediatrics President Kay Tittle. “Throughout this pandemic, we have figured out how to be more flexible to meet the needs of our families. This will continue to be key in order for us to stay the course and to face whatever comes next.”

Shekerdemian said testing will be extremely important when school opens in order to slow the spread of the virus. It is imperative, she said, that people are honest with themselves and others when they don’t feel well.

“Don’t brush things aside,” Shekerdemian said. “If you (or your family member) don’t feel well, then call your physician and if necessary, isolate yourself and get a test.”

Campbell agreed and said the fall will definitely present an interesting chapter in the story of COVID-19 as it overlays other virial infections that occur commonly in the fall and winter months.

August 3, 2020

This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he reflects on the many accomplishments of Texas Children’s Pediatrics in celebration of the group’s 25th anniversary. Read more

Twenty-five years ago, Texas Children’s launched what is now the largest pediatric network in the nation with more than 250 board-certified pediatricians and more than 60 practices throughout the greater Houston area, College Station and in Austin. The group cares for over 400,000 patients and completes more than a million visits each year.

The physician network was formed in 1995 under the guidance of Dr. Ralph Feigin with the acquisition of the Ashford practice in west Houston owned and operated by four brothers – Drs. Paul, Morris, Ben and Harry Rosenthal. Because of its success, more and more pediatricians joined the group, making it what it is today.

In addition to its ever-growing primary care network, Texas Children’s Pediatrics operates 11 urgent care centers in the greater Houston area and one in Austin. The group also includes the Community Cares Program that provides trusted, high-quality pediatric medical services at designated locations to children who otherwise would seek care from emergency rooms or possibly go without care or treatment due to low family incomes and/or lack of health insurance.

Texas Children’s Pediatrics has consistently adapted to the needs of patients and their families while continuing to provide high-quality care. In celebration of the group’s 25 years of service, Texas Children’s Pediatrics President Kay Tittle answered a few questions about the group’s beginnings, present challenges amid the pandemic and future success.

Why, 25 years ago, did Texas Children’s start offering primary care services to patients and families across the greater Houston area and beyond?

Texas Children’s Pediatrics was part of Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace’s vision of what Texas Children’s needed to thrive in the changing environment in the 1990s. Many community pediatricians had reached out to Texas Children’s to ask for help as they were struggling to manage the increased complexities of running a practice. Managed care in particular was a large challenge for the practices as they worked to understand the changes in insurance coverage.

How did the group grow and become such a success?

Our focus has always been to provide the support needed to help physicians, advanced practice providers and staff provide the highest quality of care possible. We do this by providing physicians with administrative, financial and management expertise. Our reputation for providing such support helped us grow 25 years ago and continues to help us flourish today.

What are some of the things Texas Children’s Pediatrics has had to do over the years to maintain quality of care while also meeting the ever-growing and changing demands of patients and families?

In 2011, we made the decision to pursue National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognition as a patient-centered medical home. This program focuses on how practices use data to improve the care they provide. The program provided the structure to help us maintain our focus on quality care and patient needs. We have been recognized every three years since as a Level III patient-centered medical home by NCQA, which is the highest recognition the organization gives out.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care delivers care?

The pandemic has changed many things in our organization. Our focus has been to provide safe care and a safe environment for our patients as well as our staff while meeting the changing needs of our patients and families. We have received a positive response to changes such as Precheck-in using MyChart, waiting in one’s vehicle instead of our waiting rooms, being taken to an exam room as quickly as possible after arriving, scheduling well visits in the morning and sick visits in the afternoon, and car side immunizations. We were also able to quickly incorporate a telemedicine program with support from across the system. More than 20 percent of our encounters are now completed via telemedicine, which has helped meet the needs of patients and families in so many ways. The comments on our Press Ganey surveys are good reminders of the challenges our families are facing, and what we as an organization need to focus on to help them receive the right care, at the right time and at the right place.

What are some of the things the group will need to do in the future to remain successful?

We will need to continue to adapt to the needs of our patients and families as well as to the health care industry as a whole. We want to continue to lead the change and innovation necessary to grow and provide the highest quality of care no matter the circumstances.

In looking back and ahead, what are some of your most memorable moments as president?

Our team has created many great memories over the past 25 years. I think the move to an electronic medical record was notable and most exciting when paper charts were no longer needed. It has also been great fun to grow in Austin and College Station over the past few years. They are both exciting areas. As we look ahead, I look forward to making more great memories with the team.