June 15, 2020

For the past several years, Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans have challenged kids of all ages and abilities to be active at least 60 minutes every day through PLAY 60, the NFL initiative encouraging kids to start healthy habits young – an initiative that Texas Children’s serves as the local sponsor of. That mission has not changed – and has become even more important – amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help motivate kids to get moving, Texas Children’s and the Texans are hosting a Get Fit with TORO Week this week (June 15-19) and Junior Cheerleaders Online Dance Parties (every Friday for the next few weeks). Details about each event are below. Have fun and keep moving!

Get Fit with TORO Week
Get Fit with TORO is the elementary school program that Texas Children’s sponsors each academic year. With school suspended to COVID-19 and now out due to summer, TORO wanted to bring the curriculum to kids at home.

June 15-19

  • Every day this week at 5 p.m.
  • Daily filmed Zoom calls with TORO and “Coach Ryan” – each day focused on a new key to fitness, with a recap and special guest on Friday.
  • The videos will be live streamed each night on HoustonTexans.com/TORO, TORO’s Facebook and on TORO’s Twitter. The videos will be available afterwards on TORO’s Instagram and YouTube.

Event schedule
Monday: Flexibility
Tuesday: Muscular Strength
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Nutrition
Friday: Recap with special guest

Junior Cheerleaders Online Dance Party
Calling all dancers … the Houston Texans Cheerleaders invite you to join the Junior Cheerleaders Dance Party, presented by Texas Children’s! Practice along with them, record your routine and share with us using #TCHPlay60 #TCHJuniorCheer.

Texas Children’s Hospital is the Official Children’s Hospital of the Houston Texans. To learn more about our partnership, visit: texaschildrens.org/texans.

June 2, 2020

National Running Day is just around the corner and what better time than now to become more active. All across the country Wednesday, June 3 is the annual appreciation for running as a sport — and as an avenue to overall health and well-being.

Getting out and exercising — especially during this pandemic — can help keep your stress levels down and your spirits high. In a world where social distancing is becoming normal, we can still get out and exercise with peers as a way to stay connected to one another. Now more than ever it is important to know that we are not alone during this pandemic. We are encouraging you to mask up, get out for a jog and consider becoming part of the Texas Children’s running community.

“Running has such great benefits for our physical health, emotional health and mental health,” said Kelley Hernandez, running team coordinator for Texas Children’s Hospital. “As we all continue to navigate life with the coronavirus, it’s especially important that we manage our stress as well so that we can take care of ourselves and others.”

What’s even better is that you can get healthy and support Texas Children’s Hospital at the same time through the Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Houston Half Marathon “Run for a Reason” program.

If you are interested in running the Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Houston Half Marathon — Sunday, January 17, 2021 — on behalf of Texas Children’s Hospital register at texaschildrens.org/houstonmarathon.

June 1, 2020

Texas Children’s Well-Being team has launched a new series of Virtual Self-Care Sessions to help our team members focus on their own well-being, and better manage the stress that health care workers around the world are feeling during this pandemic.

Click here in to begin watching the series of short videos that explore five different self-care topics: mindfulness, deep breathing, stretching, progressive muscle relaxation and unwinding before bed. Facilitators also help viewers experience the effects of each practice by taking them through guided exercises that can be done practically anywhere, at any time.

In the Mindfulness Guided Meditation sessions, Employee Assistance Program Specialist Pilar Valenzuela Silva explains how mindfulness is the practice of actually being present in the moment – which in turn trains us to become more mindful throughout the day – and takes you through a guided meditation.

Mindfulness Guided Meditation – Part 1: https://youtu.be/Kc1bgwtl_PI
Mindfulness Guided Meditation – Part 2: https://youtu.be/ieMTWbjG-K8

Silva returns for the Deep Breathing sessions, which explain how breathing from the belly instead of the chest can induce relaxation. You’ll also have the opportunity to try out the proper deep breathing technique.

Deep Breathing – Part 1: https://youtu.be/KA0RtzmuRlM
Deep Breathing – Part 2: https://youtu.be/vhHZ97_diJ4

Relax your muscles and increase your blood flow in the Stretching sessions, where Health Coach Jackie Pacheco speaks about how stretching loosens tight muscles and leads you through some simple exercises.

Stretching – Part 1: https://youtu.be/dwchISuKIxQ
Stretching – Part 2: https://youtu.be/_rtdkEQUII4

Registered dietitian and Cigna On-Site Health Coach Staci Tobolowsky Astrein leads the Progressive Muscle Relaxation sessions, demonstrating how the practice can be used to tame stress and increase awareness of the sensations associated with tension.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Part 1: https://youtu.be/-S00SRQZA_A
Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Part 2: https://youtu.be/ZcLXywCEBbM

Astrein also leads the Unwinding before Bed sessions, which discuss how being mindful before bedtime can boost the quality of your sleep and help you sleep longer – while also relieving stresses during the day, and helping you fall asleep faster.

Unwinding Before Bed – Part 1: https://youtu.be/7cOZYa5LzSw
Unwinding Before Bed – Part 2: https://youtu.be/80ZF-AqlDAE

The pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. We want you to know that you are not alone and that if you find yourself feeling stressed about the situation, there are resourses available that can help support your mental, physical and spiritual needs. If you have any questions, please contact the Well-Being Team at wellbeing@texaschildrens.org.

April 20, 2020

From delivering much needed meals and supplies to sharing heartfelt messages that inspire others, the compassionate support and solidarity from the community during the COVID-19 pandemic is easily palpable. Local communities and businesses are showing their appreciation to the entire medical community for their hard work and sacrifice during these challenging times – and the commitment from our frontline employees and staff at Texas Children’s has not gone unnoticed.

On April 10, H-E-B delivered 600 meals to frontline staff at Texas Children’s Hospital. For the next five weeks, a total of 3,000 H-E-B meals will serve our employees directly engaged in COVID-19 efforts. Katarra Watkins is one of those employees benefiting from H-E-B’s generous gift. As a member of the Environmental Services team, Watkins cleans and sanitizes the hospital every day to ensure a safe, healing environment for our patients, their families, and our health care teams.

“This is a blessing,” Watkins said. “I am so thankful to H-E-B for everything they are doing for us. It means so much to me and my co-workers.”

“We are grateful for the generous outpouring of support that H-E-B is providing to our staff while they deliver high quality care to our patients during this difficult time,” said Texas Children’s Assistant Vice President Trent Johnson. “Like Texas Children’s, H-E-B is standing strong and has kept its doors open to ensure that our community has access to essential services during this time of need.”

H-E-B plans to deliver 75,000 meals to hospitals across Texas to show their support for health care workers who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re all extremely grateful for the dedication of our health care workers who are saving lives and making personal sacrifices for others,” said Winell Herron, H-E-B Group vice president of public affairs, diversity and environmental affairs. “We want to express some well-deserved appreciation and hope these meals will provide a bit of comfort during these trying times.”

This is not the first time H-E-B has partnered with Texas Children’s. Since 2014, H-E-B has been our exclusive sponsor for our annual Family Fun Run and post-race Family Fun Zone events at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and The Woodlands. H-E-B has also partnered with Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans to promote healthy eating messaging for children including this year’s Dishing with Texas Children’s video series. Click here to watch an episode.

April 13, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. We’ve been asked to step outside our comfort zones more than once, and we will most likely be asked to do so again before this event comes to an end. We want you to know that you are not alone and that if you find yourself feeling stressed about the situation, there are recourses available that can help support your mental, physical and spiritual needs.

Here’s how you can access many of those tools:

Stress Management

Click here for a comprehensive list of stress management resources provided by our Employee Health, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Well-Being teams.

Cigna also has the following tools to help you manage anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Managing anxiety
Coping with the fear of coronavirus
Self-care strategies

Relaxation techniques

Breathing: practicing deep breathing can help your body to feel more relaxed and refreshed in stressful moments. Check this article for a step-by-step deep breathing exercise.
Visualization: this technique helps expand our ability to rest and relax by focusing our minds on more calming and serene images. For a 15-minute guided imagery, please check this video.
Meditation: Meditation has great benefits for stress management and can be practiced in many ways. Check the steps for a 5-minute meditation to get started.

Eating healthy
  • Regulate blood sugar with protein and fiber at meals and snacks. Regulating blood sugar with give your body the nutrients when stress may arise and strengthen your immune system.
  • Consume fruits and vegetables at every meal. Your body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to support your overall health. When the weather starts to change and people around you are starting to get sick, it is important to boost your immune system with vitamins and minerals like vitamin c, zinc, vitamin E, and vitamin A. Try to fill your plate with a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables along with protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
  • Add garlic and ginger into your food. They do not fight the flu or coronavirus, but they do boost your immune system and may help lower blood pressure and slow down hardening of the arteries. Ginger is another food item that you may turn to after getting sick. Ginger decreases inflammation, which can help reduce sore throats and other inflammatory illnesses.
  • Here are more tips on how to keep your immune system healthy.

Tired of cooking? You can access Mom’s Meals® through the Healthy Rewards program. Mom’s Meals® provides nutritionally balanced, refrigerated and ready-to-eat meals direct to your home, the home of an aging parent or any address nationwide. Place your order at 877-347-3438 or online at momsmeals.com/Cigna.

Get moving

Twenty minutes of daily exercise has been proven to boost the immune system. Movement produces with blood cells that kill bacteria and viruses.
Here are some exercises that you can perform at home.

Texas Children’s Employee Health and Wellness Strengthen and Tone instructor, Anna, is offering live classes on her personal Instagram account @Annahaulina on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Our Barre instructor, Alissa, will be offering class on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Please email her at Alissa.ann@hotmail.com with Barre Class in the subject line and she will send you a Zoom link to participate.

  • Define is offering free workouts from Bounce, Barre, Yoga, Beat (Dance Cardio), Mind and Prenatal.
  • Camp Gladiator has just announced their Hustle from Home series of workouts, where anyone can have access to digital workouts, Facebook live workouts and at-home printable workouts.
  • Peloton is offering a free 90-day trial for their workout library of strength, yoga, meditation, boot camp, cycling, and running classes.
  • YouTube can always be accessed for a variety of excellent at-home workouts.

Stay calm and informed
Make sure that you are getting your information from a creditable source. Stay up to date with Texas Children’s COVID-19 communications. Click here to view the Connect COVID-19 page and here to visit our external COVID-19 Resources webpage.

Get plenty of sleep
More sleep does not prevent you from getting sick, however not getting enough could adversely affect your immune system. Without sufficient sleep, your body makes fewer cytokines, a type of protein that targets infection and inflammation, effectively creating an immune response. Experts recommend getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

March 31, 2020

For many Texas Children’s employees, gone are the days of the morning commute.

Our efforts to fight COVID-19 through the practice of social distancing has required more than 1,000 staffers – and counting – to work from home. But what does it take to make this work?

Teresa Tonthat, assistant vice president for Information Services, says there are multiple factors to consider. Her department has spent the past few weeks ensuring that employees who are asked to work remotely can do so in a seamless way.

This includes assessing the current technologies, equipment requirements, and available network capacity to effectively support these employees; all while continuing to serve our patients and caregivers.

The good news is that we now have a well-defined plan in place.

Be prepared for bumps in the road, this is GLOBAL.

However, digital technology is never 100 percent available – even on the best days.

“As millions of people and organizations shift to remote working, our internet networks will be tested. We are experiencing a mass human behavior change across the globe,” Tonthat said. “The internet’s infrastructure will be strained and will be felt in the networks inside employee’s homes, and the internet services (i.e., Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon) that these networks rely on.”

Many remote workers will share the same internet connections throughout the day with household members. Household members could be using data-intensive applications and that surge in internet access could strain home networks.

Overall, as entities around the globe are moving to remote work environments to promote social distancing, local commercial and residential internet and telecommunication infrastructures (i.e., WebEx, Zoom, Teams, Video, etc.) are seeing increased traffic load. While our cloud telecommunication vendors are doing their best to increase capacity to mitigate availability issues, our local internet service providers may also experience issues with the high demand…
Just last week, virtual cloud platform vendors such as WebEx and Teams reported infrastructure capacity issues. Many organizations across the nation felt the disruption to virtual online meetings. And this is just the beginning.

How to stay as productive as possible
  • Call your internet service provider to make sure you have enough bandwidth to support your work responsibilities.
  • Consider all the people in your home who will need internet. Under normal conditions, a basic plan may do the trick. However, it’s important to keep in mind additional users such as other adults who may be working from home or children who may now be enrolled in online schooling.
  • Communicate with your manager if you are having trouble. You can’t work remotely if your internet isn’t working. Let your manager know if you are experiencing trouble so that arrangements can be made for you to come into the office and work in an way that adheres to social distancing guidelines.
  • Limit calls to the HelpDesk. Texas Children’s IS Help Desk can support system related connectivity issues, but cannot support issues related to your home internet provider.

For additional questions, please contact your manager or supervisor for support and guidance.

March 23, 2020

As part of our COVID-19 preparedness efforts, Texas Children’s is establishing mandatory screenings for all employees and staff beginning Monday, March 23.

What do i need to do?

Refer to the list of checkpoints below for your designated screening location. Plan to arrive at your designated screening location at least 15-30 minutes early. Some locations will have lengthy lines as our screeners and employees become more accustomed to this process. Allow yourself some additional time to get through screening and report to your normal work location as required. Employees will not receive compensation for any screening wait times.

If you are cleared to work, please place your wristband as soon as it is received.

Screening process

Check your own temperature and symptoms before reporting to work. Do not come to work if you are sick. Your temperature will be checked as part of your screening and if you present symptoms consistent with COVID-19, you will not be allowed on site and will be provided information as to when you are able to return to work.

Each day that you are cleared to work, you will receive a different wristband each day to indicate you have been cleared. Be sure to wear your wristband and remind others to do the same.

Designated checkpoints

Medical Center (includes Meyer building)
Feigin Circle for walkers and drop-offs
Garage 11 – Entrance
Garage 19 – Level 1 through 8
Legacy Tower – B3, B4 elevators only

West Campus
Back MOB entrance near service elevators

The Woodlands
MOB second-floor bridge

Health Plan
Main Lobby entry

Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care
Upon entry to the practice/site

Specialty Care
Bellaire: near service elevators
Clear Lake: rear employee entrance
Cy-Fair: rear employee entrance
Sugar Land: first floor lobby by rear parking lot entrance

Reminders and recommendations

Maintain social distancing. Keep a safe distance (approximately 6 feet) between yourself and others while waiting in line to be screened and encourage your colleagues to follow suit. Stay in touch with your leader. We know it will take time to get used to being screened as part of your routine. Reach out to your leader for support and guidance throughout this process. Be mindful of Texas Children’s travel guidelines. You will be asked to answer travel questions as part of our screening. Remember: Any workforce member (employees, Baylor faculty or staff members) who has traveled greater than 150 miles cannot report to work at Texas Children’s until the 15th day following your return from travel. If you have returned to work already, you will be sent home until you meet this criteria.

Guidelines – Workforce screening and community exposure

To provide additional guidance and clarity about how Texas Children’s is assessing and clearing team members for on-site or remote work, click here to view these guidelines. Note, these will be updated as the situation evolves.