Final Performance Excellence Meetings | New Food Options | Special Celebration | Safety Awards | COVID-19 Update
Week of July 25, 2022
Chris Siebenaler,
Regional Executive Vice President, CEO
Final Performance Excellence Kickoff Meetings
As July comes to a close, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying safe in the extreme heat that we seem unable to escape. It’s hard to believe the school year is right around the corner.
This last week of July also marks our final Performance Excellence: Everybody, Every Day kickoff meetings. We started early today at 7:30 a.m. with another strong session. In all eight of the sessions that we’ve held, the Senior Leadership Team has been impressed with the innovative thoughts, suggestions, and improvements you have for your units and the hospital. Many of these are already being looked into.
There were other ideas that came across in larger quantities that the Senior Leadership Team will address in a series of Facebook Live videos in Chris’ Corner in the coming weeks. We will address many of the topics you brought up in idea tickets that are not necessarily process changes, but concerns that we’d still like to address. The first one will take place Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Please listen in or watch the recordings at your convenience. We will also share the link in next week’s e-newsletter.
There are two more Performance Excellence kickoff meetings remaining on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. I truly hope you take the time to attend. You can click here to register on LMS or by searching for course 1620014, but we also welcome walk-in attendees.
Thank you for all you do!
New Food Option Coming Soon
An exciting new food option will be available at HMSL in the coming weeks. Farmer’s Fridge will feature delicious salads, wraps, and bowls that are as tasty as they are healthy. These options will be conveniently placed in a refrigerated vending machine with affordable prices ranging between $6 and $11.
The fridge will also feature mobile ordering, which will allow individuals the convenience of ordering ahead of time via an app. This fridge has been a work between HMSL's Food and Nutrition Department and Aramark, our vendor for food across the system. Thank you to all who made this new, healthy option come to life on campus. The official launch date and location will be announced soon, stay tuned!
Celebrating 50 Years
HMSL recently celebrated Kay Johnson's 50th Anniversary with Houston Methodist. Kay started her career in 1972 as a secretary to the Director of Nursing and has held several positions, like administrative assistant, systems coordinator, project manager and accounts payable representative. She has been at Sugar Land since 2009 and currently serves as an operations project analyst in the Finance Department.
Congratulations, Kay! Thank you to all who made this wonderful celebration possible.
Culture of Safety Awards
The System Quality and Patient Safety nomination committee is inviting nominations for the 2022 Culture of Safety Awards. This is part of Houston Methodist's dedication to quality and safety at all levels. Read more about those nominations here.
Age-Friendly Health Care
The Senior Wellness/Delirium Program team has created a quarterly newsletter. It shares useful information related to geriatric safety and care. Anyone interested can subscribe by clicking here to email Charlie Tran, who oversees the program, and request to receive it via email.
Happy Islamic New Year!
Islamic New Year, also known as Arabic New Year and Hijri New Year, will be celebrated in the U.S. this year around July 30. The holiday marks the first day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar based, the observance of Islamic New Year varies from year to year.
Known as the “Month of Remembrance,” it is a sacred time for Muslims worldwide. Hijri is derived from Hijra, meaning “migration.” The starting point of the Islamic calendar marks the migration of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD.
We continue to see an uptick in COVID-19 patients in our hospitals as the omicron BA.5 variant takes root in our community. We recently had more than 400 employees who reported testing positive for COVID-19. We must each do our part to reduce the spread so that our resources can best be spent taking care of patients. Remember to always wear a mask in public areas and in patient-facing settings. You are also urged to wear a mask in administrative areas as well as in the patient care areas. You can read the latest update from Dr. Rob Phillips here.
You can see the latest COVID-19 numbers at HMSL by clicking here.
PATIENT COMPLIMENTS
Main ED Patient: "Everyone was pleasant and attentive to my needs. The person gathering information for insurance and having me sign papers was very kind and helpful. The person transporting and taking CT scans was very kind and helpful. The nurse and PA were both pleasant and attentive to my needs as well. Overall a good ER experience."
Main 5 East Patient: "My son recommended Houston Methodist Hospital after he was admitted for COVID. He couldn't stop talking about the wonderful care he received. I totally agree with him!"
Sienna ED Patient: "Everyone at this location was friendly and provided excellent service. My 16-year-old son is on the autism spectrum, yet they were all so kind, respectful, and patient with him as he explained his discomfort. They explained everything to us, and never once did I feel as though they were talking at me. It was a conversation. They were all so gentle and caring. Thank you so much!"
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, July 26: Performance Excellence: Everybody, Every Day kickoff meeting. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Brazos Conference Center. Register here.
Wednesday, July 27: Performance Excellence: Everybody, Every Day kickoff meeting. 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Brazos Conference Center. Register here.
Saturday, July 30: HMSL to offer student physicals. 9 a.m. - Noon. Open to Fort Bend ISD students and those in surrounding districts. Click here to register.
Thursday, August 4: HMSL Community Baby Shower. New and expectant mothers are welcome. Register here.
Friday, August 5 – Sunday, August 7: Tax Free Weekend
Tuesday, August 9: Patient Satisfaction Bonus payout
Wednesday, August 10: Deadline to submit Culture of Safety Award nomination
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Monday, July 25 - Wednesday, July 27, @ Oakland Athletics
Thursday, July 28 - Sunday, July 31, vs Seattle Mariners
Tuesday, July 26 - Sunday, July 31, @ Oklahoma City Dodgers
Thursday, July 28: Encanto Singalong, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Friday, July 29: Dude Perfect Tour, Toyota Center
JOKE OF THE WEEK
"It's so hot outside that chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs."