October 17, 2017

As Dr. Ricardo Flores, clinical director of the Cancer and Hematology Centers at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, listened to the news about the devastation in Puerto Rico after the island was slammed with two hurricanes in less than a month, he knew he had to do something to help his homeland.

So, he and some of his friends in the area who are also from Puerto Rico did some research and joined the group, Texas United for Puerto Rico. Within a few days, they had gathered thousands of pound of supplies, including medications, and were sending them to the many people in need on their island.

Word of Flores’ efforts soon reached the City of Houston prompting Mayor Sylvester Turner to call him and ask if he could join forces with the physician. Flores agreed and before long he and a small group of city officials were on a plane to Puerto Rico with 50,000 pounds of supplies in tow.

“It was a titanic effort,” Flores said of the delivery of the supplies, which included medications and food. “Thanks to the community and to the help of so many people, we were able to distribute the entire load.”

Flores said he will continue to work to help his home recover from what he said is an awful situation that has left people without adequate food, water and medication.

“It’s definitely much worse than what people are thinking,” he said. “It’s literally like we went back 100 years in our history in the blink of an eye.”

Click here and here to watch area news coverage of Flores’ efforts in Puerto Rico.

July 17, 2017

More than 50 Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands employees, physicians and their families loaded up on an oversized “wagon” and participated in the South Montgomery County July 4th parade. The annual event attracted more than 18,000 spectators who lined the 1.3 mile parade route through The Woodlands.

With over 150 parade entries competition was tough, but Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands came away with two top wins: “Best Youth Entry” and “Facebook Fan Favorite.”

“There’s only so many things you can do with a float, but we fell in love with the wagon idea because we use wagons all over the hospital to transport our patients,” said The Woodlands Community Liaison Jenny Hiser, adding there were many creative entries from other organizations. “And for this being our first year, we felt really honored to be able to win anything. It was totally unexpected.”

While some were riding on the “wagon,” others were walking along the side handing out patriotic pinwheels, tattoos, and fliers with information about the hospital.

“Although it was a hot day, my daughter and I enjoyed being a part of this community event with our Texas Children’s The Woodlands family,” said The Woodlands President Michelle Riley-Brown. “I am looking forward to doing it again next year!”

June 20, 2017

As the Department of Surgery continues to expand in the community at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, ongoing training is needed to be able to offer high-level surgical procedures.

Otolaryngologists Dr. Deidre Larrier and Dr. Mary Frances Musso have been leading that charge when it comes to training operating room staff in the removal of aerodigestive foreign bodies – obstructions in the esophagus and/or trachea.

Such obstructions can be emergent, and require rapid response using specialized equipment. During a four-year period between 2011 and 2015, there were 556 obstruction cases, 64 of which occurred at West Campus.

“The instruments used in obstruction procedures are very specific and are not used in general surgical procedures,” Larrier said. “Thus the need for supplemental training for our OR support staff.”

Led by Larrier, the training is for OR nurses and scrub technicians. The half-day course includes a lecture, hands-on skills lab, and in-situ simulation.

Musso is taking the Texas Children’s Hospital simulation instructor course this summer, which will allow her to enhance her mentoring skills during these sessions. Larrier is already an instructor and was instrumental in helping establish simulation education at the hospital. She leads the otolaryngology simulation sessions for not only OR staff but also residents, fellows, and mid-level providers. She recently led a training for Advanced Practice Providers on tonsillectomy surgery and the complications that can occur following such procedures.

“Dr. Larrier’s training of OR staff in the removal of aerodigestive foreign bodies and esophageal obstructions was very well received here in the Woodlands,” said Dr. Charles Hughes, a member of the otolaryngology team in The Woodlands. “Both Ramon Enad and Tom Cunningham, our OR staff leads, felt it was extremely beneficial for staff, in that these procedures are high risk and infrequent.”

Musso said, West Campus staff is very appreciative of the training and that it has helped improve their skills using this specialized equipment and treating these patients. “We plan to repeat this training session annually at West Campus to maintain the staff’s skill level.”

Larrier said she will gladly continue such training, something she views as a testament to how much the surgical capability at West Campus and in The Woodlands has grown.

May 4, 2017

On April 28, the popular Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jewel toured Texas Children’s newest full-service community hospital – Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

The hospital’s chief medical officer Dr. Charles Hankins showed Jewel around the new, state-of-the-art facility and shared early successes of the inpatient hospital, which opened its doors less than a month ago on April 11.

The first stop on the tour was the audiology suite in the Outpatient Building on The Woodlands campus, where the group was treated to a look at the audiology booth which was generously given by Jewel.

Jewel then went room to room on the acute care floor of the inpatient facility talking with patients and families about their experiences, and played board games in the hospital’s playroom. The visit to the hospital brought a refreshing smile to many of the children’s faces.

Later that evening, nearly 600 guests gathered in a lavish tent on the grounds of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands for the hospital’s Grand Opening Gala.

Featuring a big board and live auction, the event co-chaired by Tracey & Sean O’Neal and Johnna & Ryan Edone raised $900,000 for the hospital and was capped off with a performance by Jewel.

The artist shared the inspiration behind her music and her gratitude for the work being done at Texas Children’s.

View a photo gallery below from the tour and from Jewel’s performance at the grand opening gala.

May 3, 2017

Texas Children’s employees and Houston-area residents came out in full force to participate in the grand opening celebration and inaugural Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

On April 29, about 1,500 people of all abilities participated in the non-competitive 1-mile course in celebration of the April 11 grand opening of the new hospital. Following the race, participants enjoyed the H-E-B sponsored Family Fun Zone, which was packed with snacks, entertainment and 20 plus attractions.

Sarah Pepper from The Morning Mix and professional race announcer Mark Purnell kept everyone energized in their role as master of ceremonies cheering on the crowd and announcing any and all special guests, including
Dr. Kristen Ernest and Susan Niles with Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands Sports Medicine, who led runners and walkers in some warm-up stretches and exercises, and members of the College Park High School Herald Trumpets, who played the National Anthem.

Prior to the race in a large tent next to the course’s start line, hospital and community leaders gathered for a light breakfast and short presentation about Texas Children’s new full-service community hospital. They then moved to the front of the hospital to cut a celebratory grand opening ribbon.

“Thirty-nine months ago, we had a tent and a shovel, now we have our campus ready to service the needs of children and families in this area,” said Dr. Charles Hankins, chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. “It’s very exciting.”

Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands President Michelle Riley-Brown agreed and said the opening of the hospital is a huge milestone for Texas Children’s and reflects the health system’s overall strategy of giving patients and families more access to quality pediatric care.

To get a first-hand look at the fun and to learn more about Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands:

  • View a photo gallery of the event below.
  • Order your race-day photos from Spring Action. You can search by your bib number or last name to find your photos (if any exist). There also are hundreds of unidentified photos to sort through in the Lost & Found section. You can also browse the entire event, if desired.
  • Click here to read more about the opening of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.
April 26, 2017

On April 19, Texas Children’s Green Team hosted the hospital’s annual Earth Day celebration which expanded to three locations this year for employees and staff to join in on the fun.

Besides The Auxiliary Bridge event at Texas Children’s Medical Center Campus, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Health Plan hosted exciting Earth Day events.

Vendors provided eco-friendly, cost-saving tips including how to become more energy efficient, tips on eating green, and ways to reduce waste and recycle more to promote a cleaner, healthier planet. Earl the Bear greeted guests at West Campus and Captain Clean Up entertained the crowd at Main Campus.

Informative handouts and goodies were distributed to attendees including Earth Day stickers, seeded confetti packets and customized Green Team water bottles made of 100 percent recyclable materials. At Main and West campuses, employees safely disposed of their expired and unused medications as part of Pharmacy’s Medication Disposal and Medication Take Back Program.

The Earth Day celebration also included two tree plantings at West Campus and Texas Children’s The Woodlands Hospital thanks to the generous donations from Trees for Houston.

As the Green Team prepares for next year’s Earth Day celebrations, feel free to drop them a line. If you have any green ideas, suggestions for next year or want to join the team, email teamgreen@texaschildrens.org.

April 25, 2017

The Bad Pants Open, an annual golf tournament raising funds for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s Hospital, celebrated an exciting milestone recently with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new, 14-bed NICU at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

A $1 million donation from The Bad Pants Open was the catalyst for the NICU at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, which will care for premature and critically-ill babies, closer to home for residents of The Woodlands.

During the ribbon-cutting event, members of The Bad Pants Open committee had the honor of meeting the first patients of the Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands NICU, twins Emma and Lillian and their mother, Rebecca Vadala.

One of Houston’s most colorful golf tournaments, The Bad Pants Open is celebrating 20 years of raising critical funds, totaling over $6 million, to support needs of premature and sick newborn babies and their families at Texas Children’s Hospital. Presented by RBC Wealth Management and Capital Markets, this light-hearted annual golf tournament at The Clubs of Kingwood on Thursday, October 12, is chaired by Vice President of Texas Aromatics Rob Cooksey.

Texas Children’s Hospital, together with Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, house the nation’s largest level IV NICU, caring for more than 2,500 infants each year. The NICU at Texas Children’s provides all services that critically-ill or premature babies might need, including on-site neonatologists available 24/7, the highest level of respiratory support, advanced imaging, pediatric surgery, pediatric anesthesiology and more.