This week I want to focus on two words: patience and reminders. Let's start off with patience. I want to thank all of you for your patience with traffic. Recently, traffic has been significantly worse around the hospital. Please take the traffic into account when planning your routes to and from work. While I know it can be frustrating sitting on the freeway, or getting stuck on a side street - we never know if our next patient or their families are driving to HMSL. Let us all remember to be kind and patient on the roadways.

Now for the reminders. There are three big ones I need your help with. First one - your annual staff focal point review (FPR) in-service modules are due this week. The FPR process is required for all Houston Methodist employees. These in-services must be complete by Wednesday, August 21. Managers – you have until Friday, August 23 to complete your employee evaluations as the next step in the FPR process. Please set aside time to get these done.

Second reminder - Pathway to Unparalleled kicks off this week on Thursday, August 22. All Houston Methodist employees are strongly encouraged to attend. I had the opportunity to see this year's presentation, and you will see several HMSL employees and leaders in the videos. Not only that, but several of our amazing projects are highlighted. Our registration levels here at HMSL are rather low, and I would like to see a higher participation. Learning about unparalleled quality will only make us a better hospital.

The last reminder I have today is about disaster preparedness. It has been more than a month since Hurricane Beryl, and I have participated in numerous meetings to improve our response for future disasters. Please know there are many groups here at the hospital working behind the scenes to make sure things run smoother next time. But what I need from every single person in this hospital is to make sure you have completed your 'Disaster Preparedness Employee Checklist'. In health care, we have a responsibility to our patients and our community and I expect all of you to understand your responsibilities when it comes to a disaster. As a hospital, only 54% of you have completed this task, which was due in April. Please make this a priority this week and take care of this in MARS.

Hope you have a great week!

Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land

HMSL Welcomes New Gastroenterologist

Dr. Altaib Al Yassin has joined Houston Methodist Gastroenterology Associates at Sugar Land. He started earlier this month and is already seeing patients who are hoping to improve their digestive health and wellness. His specialties include celiac disease, irritable bowel disease and fatty liver disease. Welcome Dr. Al Yassin!

COVID-19 Boosters

As we continue to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases, some of you may want to receive a COVID-19 booster to protect yourself from a serious illness caused by the virus. If you’re interested in a COVID-19 vaccine, our health plan covers the entire cost of the vaccines for our employees and beneficiaries. Employees can make an appointment with CVS or Walgreens or contact their primary care physician. Employee Health will not be offering the vaccine.

HMSL in the Media

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is going international! Dr. Stephanie Florez-Pollack, a dermatologist at HMSL, spoke to a Huffington Post reporter about a new social media trend: people using forehead and jaw tape to reduce wrinkles. That article was picked up all over the world, including in Canada, New Zealand and Malaysia - reaching millions. Click here to read the article. Thank you Dr. Florez-Pollack for representing HMSL!

Employee Discount: Sugar Land Half Marathon

Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is the title sponsor for the Sugar Land Half Marathon coming up in October. If you are interested in running the half marathon, 10k or family mile, click here. Houston Methodist employees can get 10% off registration feeds with code 'METHODIST10'. If you are interested in volunteering at the event, you can register here.