Jaxon Berry was just 2.5 years old when he had a tragic accident at his home in Bridge City that sent him to Texas Children’s Level 1 trauma center via Life Flight. His mother and father, Meredith and Jon, carried only the clothes on their backs, her purse and a diaper bag they’d been given by a neighbor as they left in an ambulance to meet the helicopter.
Over the next 10 days, Jaxon was in and out of surgery as our Trauma Services team managed his case. His pointer finger on his right hand had to be amputated, and his remaining fingers and hand had to be reconstructed. Then, at a follow-up appointment just a week later, he was immediately readmitted for another 7-day stay to treat an infection.
The Berrys could only watch in agony as their young son was poked over and over again, his providers doing everything they could to stabilize his pain. And all the while, they had only the supplies in that purse and diaper bag to see them through – sparking an idea for turning pain into purpose by helping other parents experiencing similar circumstances.
“I knew not to blame God for this tragic event, but knew there has to be a rainbow after this terrible storm we were in,” said Meredith Berry. “Over and over my heart kept telling me to help others, which brought me to the thought of ‘Jaxon’s Journey Bags.’”
Each Jaxon’s Journey Bag is filled with things Meredith wished she’d had while they were in the hospital: toiletries, snacks, water, puzzles, a blanket, cozy socks and a notebook and pen to write down all the information they’d been given. Three-hundred bags and counting have been delivered so far.
In total, Jaxon has had 17 surgeries, numerous occupational therapy appointments and countless follow-up sessions with his Texas Children’s specialist in just less than 3.5 years. Collecting, filling and distributing the bags is one way to provide the kind of support Meredith needed to walk through the healing process – along with being someone that other parents can talk with, cry with and relate to during such a difficult situation.
“Our storms might be different, but know that with each storm comes a rainbow,” she said. “You will get through this.”
For more on trauma care at Texas Children’s, click here.
June 29, 2020
Since the pandemic began, fewer children than usual have visited emergency rooms. But, according to media reports, doctors across the country say they have seen a growing number of children who suffered broken bones on bikes and trampolines, accidental poisonings and other severe injuries during the widespread lockdowns.
Instead of getting injured on playgrounds or during team sports, many children are getting hurt while playing with outdoor toys and sports equipment at home. Sales of trampolines, scooters, skateboards, bicycles and inflatable pools have surged as families look for ways to keep their kids entertained — and with parents often unable to provide constant supervision because of work and other obligations, injuries have followed.
The story is no different at Texas Children’s. All three of our trauma centers have seen an increase in the number of patients seeking our care.
“It’s been really busy for sure,” said Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, medical director of the Trauma Center at Texas Children’s Hospital Medical Center Campus. “We’re seeing everything from dog bites and falls to car accidents, drownings, gunshot wounds, child abuse and neglect. The effects of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns are definitely taking a toll on families in the Greater Houston area and beyond.”
But, Naik-Mathuria said, Texas Children’s is here for those who need our care and the trauma teams at all three campuses are well equipped to handle whatever situation they encounter.
Comprehensive care
When a child comes to one of our hospitals with a traumatic injury, they are cared for by members of one of our trauma teams either at the Medical Center Campus, at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands or at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.
The trauma centers at The Woodlands and West Campus were recently designated Level IV trauma centers by the Department of State Health Services. The trauma center at the Medical Center Campus is a Level I Trauma Center and has been designated as such since 2010.
The teams at these centers are responsible for a patient’s care throughout their journey at Texas Children’s, which can sometimes be months long. During this time, team members work with departments across the system to coordinate a patient’s care.
“The integration across our system is so important,” said Tarra Kerr, director of the trauma program at all three campuses. “We all work together to make sure our patients get the right treatment so they can return home and have the best possible outcome.”
At the Medical Center Campus, the Level I pediatric trauma center provides around-the-clock coverage to evaluate and treat the most severely injured pediatric patients. Averaging over 1,000 trauma admissions per year, teamwork is crucial in the rapid and decisive actions needed to treat traumatic injuries.
Dedicated space for trauma cases is available in the Emergency Center, our main operating room suite and inpatient units. Approximately 70 percent of all trauma cases come from within the Metro Houston area, which consists of nine counties covering more than 9,500 square miles.
Over 50 percent of the trauma patients cared for at the Medical Center Campus are transferred from other hospitals. The average time to accept a transfer is 15 minutes, well below the 30 minute threshold that is allowed by federal regulation.
The Level IV trauma centers at West Campus and in The Woodlands are capable of stabilizing any trauma patient received, handling onsite single-system orthopedic injuries and superficial lacerations. More complex cases are stabilized and then transferred to a higher level trauma center such as our Level I trauma center in the Medical Center.
The Level IV designation sends a clear signal to first responders that our community hospitals are equipped to handle such trauma patients. West Campus and The Woodlands have been caring for such patients since the hospitals opened their doors, however the designation formalizes that process and holds the centers to certain quality and process improvement standards.
“We are a solid, tri-campus trauma center,” Kerr said. “We have made a lot of progress over the years that better ensures patients receive the right care at the right place at the right time.”
Injury prevention and research
Another area of focus for Texas Children’s trauma centers is injury prevention and research. Kristen Beckworth manages this aspect of the trauma centers at all three campuses. Her team of six educators works in the hospitals and the communities that surround them.
“The goal of the Center for Childhood Injury Prevention is to address major areas of unintentional injuries to children in our local area,” Beckworth said. “This is accomplished by raising awareness among adults and children, providing lifesaving education and resources, and by making childhood injury a public priority.”
With pediatric injury being the No. 1 cause of injury and death of children in the United States, the center educates thousands of parents and children each year on a variety of child safety topics, such as child passenger safety, safe sleep, home safety and bike and pedestrian safety. The center works with trauma center registrars to determine trends, write grants, and implement programming so that what they do is evidence based and in line with what the community needs.
Valuable local partners are key to the center’s success, especially during the pandemic when Beckworth and her team are tied to their decks more than giving in-person education and working with people face to face.
“It’s been challenging, but we are doing what we can,” Beckworth said. “People have been very appreciative of our continued commitment to our program during such trying times.”
Some things Beckworth and her team have done since the pandemic is offered virtual car seat checks, partnered with Houston Apartment Association and Home Owner’s Association to distribute water safety tip sheets, and reached out to all Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices and Texas Children’s Urgent Cares to inform them about the increase in traumatic injuries and tips on how to prevent them.
In addition to injury prevention, Texas Children’s trauma centers aims to continuously evaluate and improve the quality of care given to trauma patients from the perspective of our patients, parents, providers and system. Our trauma process improvement program monitors and evaluates patient care and system performance, while ensuring implementation of a culture of safety. The team participates in the American College of Surgeons’ Trauma Quality Improvement Program and attends the annual scientific meeting and training which compares and provides benchmarking for all level I and II trauma centers.
“We have a very active research program and put a lot of protocols into place that increase the quality of care for our patients, many of whom are forever changed by their injuries and have a strong bond with the people who helped them through one of the toughest times in their lives,” Naik-Mathuria said. “I am very proud of what we and everyone involved has accomplished for the betterment of our patients and their families.”
For more information about Texas Children’s trauma centers and the teams that support them, click here. For more information about the Center for Childhood Injury and Prevention, click here.
June 8, 2020
Texas Children’s is excited to announce that the trauma centers at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands have been designated Level IV trauma centers by the Department of State Health Services.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment that will officially put our community hospitals on the map in terms of places trauma patients can go to receive care,” said Dr. Sohail Shah, West Campus’ chief surgical officer. “It’s a move that will ensure patients receive the right care, at the right place at the right time.”
Dr. Jeffrey Shilt, chief of community surgery, agreed, and said this tremendous effort really highlighted the collaboration between both community campuses and Texas Children’s Hospital Medical Center Campus leadership.
“Every planning meeting was the epitome of system coordination between the departments of nursing, surgery, emergency medicine, and the executives,” Shilt said. “We had a goal in mind and everyone came together to accomplish it for the greater good of our patients and their families.”
A Level IV trauma center is capable of stabilizing any trauma patient it receives, handling onsite single-system orthopedic injuries and superficial lacerations. More complex cases are stabilized and then transferred to a higher level trauma center such as our Level I trauma center in the Medical Center.
The Level IV designation sends a clear signal to first responders that our community hospitals are equipped to handle such trauma patients. West Campus and The Woodlands have been caring for such patients since the hospitals opened their doors, however the designation formalizes that process and holds the centers to certain quality and process improvement standards.
Preparation for the designation process took a little over a year and was a collaborative effort between Nursing, the Department of Surgery, Emergency Medicine and leaders at the community hospitals. During the designation process, trauma medical directors and nursing coordinators were named at each campus.
Dr. Ruben Rodriquez is the trauma medical director in The Woodlands and Shah serves as the trauma medical director, in addition to his role as chief surgical officer, at West Campus. Julie Hollan is the trauma nursing coordinator in The Woodlands and John Coley is the trauma nursing coordinator at West Campus.
“Trauma care demands committed teamwork, beginning in the Emergency Center with the physicians and staff playing a critical role in receiving trauma patients and working with the surgeons in managing their care,” said Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, medical director of our Level I Trauma Center at Texas Children’s Hospital Medical Center Campus. “The teams at West Campus and The Woodlands are equipped and ready to serve our Greater Houston community in this very important way.”
September 23, 2019
Texas Children’s Hospital was recently re-verified as a Level 1 pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons and the Texas Department of State and Health Services.
During the re-verification process, the American College of Surgeons evaluated whether Texas Children’s Hospital met specific criteria. The evaluation included a lengthy and thorough questionnaire, patient care review, and an on-site visit.
The evaluation found no deficiencies and listed multiple strengths, including the excellent multidisciplinary efforts, leadership, quality improvement, and commitment to research by the hospital and its staff.
Selected comments from the reviewers are below:
The hospital administration’s commitment to provide the facilities and support for the trauma program is outstanding. Texas Children’s Hospital clearly demonstrates leadership in both the state and regional trauma system development. The comradery and commitment of everyone associated with the trauma program is outstanding. The Trauma Program has an outstanding trauma registry validation process. The addition of an outreach and education coordinator has markedly impacted this service in only a few years. The trauma prevention manager is a strength for the program and brings extensive experience, productivity, and energy to the program. The hospital’s collaborative efforts internally and with the other Level I pediatric trauma centers in combined prevention efforts is excellent.
The commitment of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine physicians to the trauma program is outstanding and there is a notable culture of cooperation, trust, and respect between the emergency medicine physicians and the trauma service.
The hospital has many outstanding resources including a technologically advanced Mission Control Center, an extensive child abuse program and resources, and the commitment of the trauma floor to provide dedicated trauma nurses and rooms. The commitment of the PICU physicians to the trauma program and their relationship with trauma related services is also outstanding.
The trauma center is led by Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, medical director and Christi Reeves, the director of trauma services.
January 28, 2019
Director of Texas Children’s Trauma and Grief Center Dr. Julie Kaplow was recently named Chief of Psychology.
Kaplow, who also serves as head of psychology in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, is an expert in childhood trauma and bereavement. As director of the Trauma and Grief Center, a SAMHSA-funded Treatment and Service Adaptation Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Kaplow oversees evidence-based assessment, treatment and research with youth and families exposed to traumas and/or losses, and develops and disseminates trauma- and bereavement-informed “best practices” to community providers nationwide.
A strong proponent of a scientist-practitioner approach, Kaplow’s primary research interests focus on the biological, behavioral and psychological consequences of childhood trauma and bereavement, with an emphasis on therapeutically modifiable factors that can be used to inform psychosocial interventions. Kaplow’s ongoing studies examine the effectiveness of treatments for various populations of youth including those with a history of trauma, youth exposed to traumatic bereavement, and youth anticipating the death of a loved one.
Shortly after joining Texas Children’s, Kaplow helped launch the Harvey Resiliency and Recovery Program, dedicated to serving the needs of the many children and families adversely affected by the storm and its aftermath. She was also integral in the creation of the Santa Fe Strong Resiliency Center, along with the Gulf Coast Center and others in the Santa Fe community, to provide mental health services to those impacted by the shooting. These efforts have been made possible by the generous support of the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, New York Life Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rebuild Texas Fund, Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Children’s Health Fund, and the JPB Foundation. Additional funding for the Santa Fe Strong Resiliency Center was provided by the Victims of Crime Act.
Kaplow is also actively engaged in community-based participatory research. She leads a practice-research network of sites across the country (including community clinics, grief support organizations, schools and academic medical centers) that use “common denominator” theory, assessment tools and interventions to address the unique needs and strengths of bereaved youth and families.
Kaplow earned her Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology from Duke University in 2002. She completed her internship at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship in childhood trauma at Boston Medical Center. She is board-certified by the American Board of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Emergency medical service professionals from across Texas recently gathered in Fort Worth for the 2018 Texas EMS Conference and Texas EMS Awards ceremony, where representatives from Texas Children’s trauma center accepted this year’s Trauma Center Award – the state EMS and Trauma system’s top honor for trauma facilities.
“This really is a big deal for Texas Children’s,” said Texas Children’s Associate Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. David Wesson. “The award signals that we’re among the best trauma centers in the state, adult or pediatric, and it represents a team effort by all of the Texas Children’s Trauma Team – doctors, nurses, data specialists, prevention experts, social workers and so many others, and our leaders, Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria and Christi Reeves.”
The Texas EMS Awards, sponsored by the Texas Department of State Health Services, honor individuals and organizations that exemplify the best that state EMS and Trauma have to offer. The Trauma Center Award is presented each year to one facility in the state that has demonstrated leadership and high standards in implementing injury prevention programs and in providing trauma patient care both to citizens and visitors of Texas. Most notably, the winning trauma center is selected from among both adult and pediatric trauma facilities by members of the Texas EMS community.
“These pre-hospital providers have a unique perspective on the quality of care delivered at trauma centers across the state,” said Wesson. “They want the best care for the patients they rescue in the field. So we should be very proud to have been recognized.”
The full continuum of trauma care
Texas Children’s Level I trauma center provides comprehensive, around-the-clock evaluation and treatment for the most severely injured patients that come to the hospital. Considering there are more than 1,000 annual trauma admissions at our Texas Medical Center campus, teamwork is absolutely essential for the rapid and decisive action needed to treat traumatic injuries. The multidisciplinary team includes pediatric surgeons and surgical subspecialists, emergency medicine physicians, critical care physicians, anesthesiologists, nurses, child life specialists, social workers, rehabilitation specialists, physical, occupational and respiratory therapists, and other support staff – all working together effectively and efficiently when every second matters.
In addition to the world-class clinical care we provide in our trauma center, we also work with state and regional organizations to provide educational opportunities for pre-hospital providers, nurses, community groups and other hospitals. Furthermore, we have teams specially dedicated to public health and injury prevention and to the prevention and management of child abuse and neglect.
Texas Children’s Hospital’s Trauma Center has received the prestigious 2018 Trauma System of Care Award from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC). The Trauma System of Care Award recognizes Texas Children’s Hospital as one of the best in SETRAC’s nine-county region for excellence in the development and advancement of pediatric trauma services.
At a recent awards ceremony, SETRAC honored Texas Children’s as well as other hospitals and first responders who have exhibited outstanding performance in areas such as trauma care, stroke care, cardiac care, multi-agency teamwork, disaster preparedness and citizen hero of the year. The ceremony was held at the Hilton of America’s and was attended by nearly 700 individuals and elected officials, including State Representatives, City of Houston EMS Physician Director Dr. David Persse, and Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, owner and operator of Gallery Furniture.
“This award means a lot because, being only in our eighth year, we are the youngest Level I trauma center in Houston,” said Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, Trauma Center director. “We have come a long way in developing programs to provide the best care for injured children as well as injury prevention education for our community. It was rewarding to be recognized as the best pediatric trauma hospital in the region.”
Texas Children’s Hospital has been verified as a level I Pediatric Trauma Center since 2010. The level of verification was requested by the hospital and the on-site review of the hospital was conducted by a team of reviewers experienced in the field of trauma. Using the current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline, this team determined if the criteria for the requested level have been met.
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process. Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance.
SETRAC was founded by the late Dr. James H. “Red” Duke, Jr., legendary trauma surgeon at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and John B. Holmes Professor of Clinical Sciences at UT Health Medical School, and has been funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services for the last 25 years.
Texas Children’s Hospital’s Trauma Center has received the prestigious 2018 Trauma System of Care Award from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC). The Trauma System of Care Award recognizes Texas Children’s Hospital as one of the best in SETRAC’s nine-county region for excellence in the development and advancement of pediatric trauma services.