Week of April 24, 2023
Chris Siebenaler
CEO, Regional Executive Vice President
Our 25th Anniversary Celebration is finally here. This Friday, April 28, we'll reflect on our history, celebrate our accomplishments and look to the future. We're excited that system CEO, Dr. Marc Boom will attend, helping us commemorate this milestone. For me personally, as a 22-year resident of Fort Bend County, it has truly been a humbling experience to work side-by-side with each of you to care for Fort Bend and surrounding communities for the past 25 years. Many of you have been here since the early days, and some of you are new to our campus - but every one of you makes an impact towards achieving our goal of providing unparalleled care.
Please stop by the Brazos Conference Center and Courtyard from 4-7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28 for food, fun and a special commemorative gift. Opening remarks will begin at 4:30 p.m.
We look forward to seeing you!
In honor of Patient Experience Week, April 24-30, every day this week, all employees will receive a patient-centered challenge via email. The activities are aimed at developing a patient experience value statement for our system, and each activity will take between two to five minutes to complete. Submit your activity each day using an electronic form we will provide in that day’s email.
Even if you don’t have a patient-facing role, remember that all Houston Methodist careers ultimately connect back to the patient, and the smallest act of kindness and compassion from us can mean the world to our patients. We are one of the best hospitals in the country because of our focus on keeping the patient at the center of everything we do, and this week is an excellent reminder of that.
You’ll receive 300 Virgin Pulse points for each activity you participate in and if you do all five activities, you’ll receive an additional 500 Virgin Pulse points. As an added bonus, if you participate in at least three of the activities throughout the week, you will be entered into a random drawing to win a set of four Houston Astros dugout tickets for the Tuesday, May 30 game at 7:10 p.m. against the Minnesota Twins.
Watch for the emails to come Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28.
Gold-Level Safe Sleep Certification
HMSL's Childbirth Center has been certified as a Gold-Level Safe Sleep Hospital. This certification program recognizes hospitals that are committed to making sure babies are as safe as possible in their sleep environments. The Gold-Level Certification is their highest level of recognition. HMSL is one of just 18 hospitals in Texas who have achieved a Safe Sleep certification and the first in the Houston Methodist system. Congratulations to our Childbirth Center team!
Family Fun Day Wristband Pickup
If you registered for Houston Methodist Family Fun Day, you will receive an email this week with information on wristband pickup, which will be April 27-28 and May1-3. You will need these wristbands to enter NRG on May 6. Read more about the fun event here. Please note we will not be selling additional wristbands at the gate.
Fathers in Health Care
The Fathers in Health Care ERG is inviting you to an upcoming event. There will be a Fathers in Health Care/It's All Good Here focus group Monday, April 24 at noon on Teams. It's All Good Here is a platform in Virgin Pulse, which offers online challenges to reduce stress and improve well-being. Click here to join the meeting on Teams.
Back & Neck Pain Webinar
You don't have to live with back or neck pain. Our specialists can help. You are invited to a webinar Thursday, April 27 at 6 p.m. Topics include causes and prevention of back and neck pain, advanced, multidisciplinary care, treatment and rehabilitation. Registration is required. Click here to register.
Resilience Rounds: Self-care
Self-care is vital to personal well-being and resilience. On Friday, May 12, the Spiritual Care and Values Integration Department will host a discussion about "Managing Home and Work Stress with Self-Care Strategies." This discussion will be in person and over Teams. Come discover self-care strategies to incorporate into your everyday hectic schedule! Click here to learn more and register.
March for Babies Fundraising
Want a chance to win premium parking here at HMSL? Now is your chance, plus you'll be supporting our March of Dimes team. Each entry is $5. If you win, you get to decide if you want reserved parking at the Main Garage or Sweetwater Garage. The drawing is Friday, April 28. If you win - your reserved parking space is good from May 2023 to April 2024. To buy a ticket, send an email here. When you support March of Dimes, you help moms have healthy pregnancies, support families in the NICU and fund research to fight birth defects and premature birth. Sign up here to join the Fort Bend Walk on May 6 or make a donation.
PCA Novice Program Graduates
After five weeks of hard work, HMSL is happy to congratulate our first PCA Novice graduates. Laura Rosales, Teresa Ruiz Escobar, Blanca Salgado, Shelby Garcia, John Paul Okojie, Sandra Gallardo Ramirez, Pilar Deleon, Hinohayna Martinez and Shirley Orellana joined the program in March, in partnership with Lone Star College. One graduate said, “I always had a calling to work with patients and now I am seeing my dreams come true.”
WPV Tip of the Month: April
HMSL is committed to delivering health care led by our I CARE values in a safe environment. But what happens when a patient or guest takes a photograph of an employee without the employee's consent? What can the employee do? Read this Q/A for guidance so you are prepared should you find yourself in this situation.
Register now: Where Healing Happens
You can still register for our first session of Where Healing Happens: From Down the Hall to Across the System. This education series mimics a fireside chat and offers you a chance to get to know various service lines and departments on campus and system wide. This session on Tuesday, April 25 will cover our oncology services. Click here to register.
Volunteer through I CARE in Action
In celebration of National Volunteer Month, we invite you to invest your time and talent to help the most vulnerable of our community through I CARE in Action. I CARE in Action is Houston Methodist’s official employee volunteer program which provides paid time to volunteer at approved community organizations. Click here to register and view available opportunities.
This week is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (April 23-29). The annual celebration highlights and shows appreciation for laboratory professionals. This year's theme is 'The Future is Lab'. We celebrate laboratory professionals who protect our future by skillfully adapting to meet today’s evolving patient care challenges with resilience, innovation, and expertise. Medical Laboratory professionals play an integral role on a patient's health team. Lab staff have a special responsibility in the care of patients. While they may not provide care at the bedside, they provide accurate and timely diagnosis through reliable lab tests to determine the needed treatment. Click here to read about others celebrating this month.
Office of Sustainability
Earth Day was Saturday, April 22, and Houston Methodist wants to take a moment to highlight its continuing commitment to health and environments at HM and beyond with the introduction of the Office of Sustainability. The new office will measure and report the environmental impact of our operations and the progress made to reduce that impact. Read more here. Please also look out for Dr. Marc Boom’s May president’s letter for more information on the Office of Sustainability.
PATIENT COMPLIMENTS
Main 6 East Patient: "All the doctors and staff were great - responsive, helpful, compassionate and informative. I would not go to any other hospital in the Houston area!"
Brazos 6 Patient: "I would not go to any other hospital. This hospital and staff are absolutely wonderful. Nurses male and female know their jobs. They are caring, understanding. They all need raises. I'm serious. They make sure patients are ok - always asking if I needed anything. We went through every medication everyday, no matter how many meds I needed. Dining services people were great. Best hospital ever."
Breast Center Patient: "These women went out of their way to take care of me. They literally spent the day arranging tests because I don't live that close. I was so grateful. They could see I was overwhelmed. I felt so lost and upset and they were so kind. The receptionist would be my new best friend if we lived closer. They were wonderful to me."
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, April 27: Back & Neck Pain Webinar. More information.
Thursday, April 27: Employee Health Clinic closed from 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
Thursday, April 27 - Friday, April 28: Wristband pickup for Family Fun Day. More information.
Friday, April 28: System Safety Symposium. Register here.
Friday, April 28: HMSL's 25th Anniversary Celebration. More information.
Sunday, April 30: Deadline to apply for children's scholarship. More Information.
Monday, May 1 - Wednesday, May 3: Wristband pickup for Family Fun Day. More information.
Saturday, May 6: Houston Methodist Family Fun Day. More information.
Saturday, May 6: March for Babies - Fort Bend Walk at Constellation Field. More information.
Tuesday, May 16: Patient satisfaction bonus payout
Thursday, May 25: Payout for 100% PTO Sell
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day holiday
Now Through Saturday, May 20: Comfort and Safety Open Discussion Course for Nurse Leaders. More information.
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Monday, April 24 - Wednesday April 26: @ Toronto Blue Jays
Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30: vs Philadelphia Phillies
Tuesday, April 25 - Sunday April 30: @ Reno Aces
Wednesday, April 26: Kali Uchis, 713 Music Hall
Saturday, April 29: Hip Hop Classics, Smart Financial Centre
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"You can't really know where you're going until you know where you have been." Maya Angelou