Week of April 15, 2024
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
This week is the beginning of our all-employee Town Hall meetings at HMSL. I look forward to sharing information about our hospital's growth and my vision for the future. Please make it a priority to register in MARS today. Remember, there are two in-person meetings as well as two virtual options. Also - we will be giving away some pretty cool prizes. For those who attend, there will be a drawing for Houston Astros tickets (in the Budweiser Brewhouse) and tickets to the Sugar Land Arts Festival. See you there!
This week also kicks off our March of Dimes in-person fundraising. HMSL is part of the movement to create positive change for moms and babies everywhere, especially those most at risk. You can stop by the MOD tables in front of Starbucks and purchase tickets for a chance to win a basket! You can also enter our raffle for your very own reserved parking spot. Information on the fundraising efforts are below in the newsletter. When you support March of Dimes, you help more moms have healthy pregnancies, support families in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and fund research to fight birth defects and premature birth. Please visit our fundraising page to make a donation.
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
ED Expansion Project
The emergency department expansion project is officially underway. You'll notice the area across from the Garden Café is now blocked off for construction. Phase one is expected to run until January 2025. Phase 2 of the construction is expected to wrap up by September 2025.
Joint Pain Seminar
Thank you to David A. Braunreiter, M.D., Matthew Pearl, M.D. and Afsar Sunesara, PT with Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at Sugar Land for participating in our annual Joint Pain Seminar. It was a great turnout! Our panel shared information on several topics: joint pain, surgical treatments, tendinitis, sprains and strains and physical therapy for joint pain. Thank you to this trio for sharing your expertise with our community and for representing HMSL.
Have you taken the Total Rewards Survey yet? 50 employees will be chosen to receive an extra day of PTO, based on their weekly standard hours following the holiday PTO accrual. The purpose of this survey is to determine what parts of our total rewards (such as base pay, benefits, compensation, retirement, paid time off and other benefits) are most important to you. The deadline is today, April 15.
Purple Up To Support Military Families
The Veterans Alliance ERG invites all Houston Methodist employees to “Purple Up” in celebration of April’s designation as the Month of the Military Child. The month honors military families and their children for the daily sacrifices and challenges they overcome. The U.S. Department of Defense uses the color purple to represent children from any branch of the military. Houston Methodist employees can show their support by sharing a photo to their social media accounts wearing purple today, April 15, with the hashtag #purpleup. Click here for more information.
March of Dimes Fundraising
The annual HMSL March of Dimes basket raffle kicks off today, April 15. A total of 25 donated baskets will be on display for two weeks. Raffle tickets are 1 ticket for $2, 3 tickets for $5, 7 tickets for $10 and there is no ticket limit! Winning raffles will be drawn on Friday, April 26, at 1:30 p.m. Click here for more information on our fundraising efforts, including how you can win a reserved parking spot for an entire year!
Table dates:
- April 15, 17, 22, 24, 26: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- April 16, 25: 4:30-8:30 p.m.
- April 18, 23: 6-8 a.m.
Honoring the Significance of Eid al-Fitr
The Arab Heritage and Asian Heritage employee resource groups (ERGs) partner to present the Significance of Eid virtual fireside chat on April 16 from noon – 1 p.m. by HMSL Dr. Nabil Tariq, Dr. Led Hina Faisal and Haani Syeda. The discussion will focus on the spiritual importance of Eid, observed this year April 9-10, and how it is celebrated across different cultures. Click here to join the meeting. Meeting ID: 296 442 645 201. Passcode: G6xD9y.
Saving for College: Tips for Parents
The Father's in Health Care ERG is partnering with Fidelity to host a virtual presentation about saving for college. It will be held on Zoom on Thursday, April 18, from noon to 1 p.m. Registration is required. Click here for more information, including the QR code to register.
Celebrating Arab Heritage Month
Join the Arab Heritage ERG and the Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM) for an enriching celebration of Arab heritage from noon-1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, in Crain Garden. Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture through music, dance, culinary delights and more during this National Arab Heritage Month celebration. A performance of Levantine folk dance called Dabke begins at 12:30 p.m. Register to attend or join via livestream.
5S SORT Phase: Fun Finds Competition Winners
It’s time to recognize our SORT phase Fun Finds competition winners! We were looking for the oldest, oddest and most expensive items you uncovered while completing SORT activities in your work areas. Here are our winners:
- Oldest item found: projector in education (Kinjal Sandesara)
- Oddest item found: X-ray of a child who swallowed a toy in interventional radiology (Thanh Tran)
- Most expensive item found: liposuction machine with a mason jar in surgery (Shawn Winkelman)
Baytown, Clear Lake and Sugar Land will have a winner in every category. These winners will move on to compete for our grand champion titles. Thanks to everyone who made our SORT phase a success, and a special thanks to the groups that entered the competition!
Kinjal Sandesara
Thanh Tran
Shawn Winkelman
HMSL Family Science Night
Thanks to all who participated in the Center for Performing Arts Medicine collaborative art project at HMSL Family Science Night. The final creation was a rendition of Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night.” Each person’s creative input and enthusiasm created a unified piece. This was not just about creating art — it symbolized coming together as a family, uniting our individual talents and perspectives, just like we do at HMSL every day. We look forward to displaying it in some form on campus soon!
Sing the National Anthem for Sugar Land Space Cowboys
Do you love to sing? You are invited to join the Houston Methodist employee choir when they sing the National Anthem for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. The game will be on Constellation Field, Sunday, May 26 at 5:45 p.m. Click here to sign up. Rehearsals at HMSL for the Star-Spangled Banner will take place Wednesdays from 12:30-1:00 p.m. in the Sweetwater Pavilion Chapel on May 1, 8 and 22.
HMSL Campus Moves
The Department of Clinical Education has officially moved to our Brooks Street location, less than two miles away from HMSL. They are now offering classes in their new space. Their new address is:
1201 Brooks St., Suite 200 (upstairs and to the right). Stop by and say hi!
National Laboratory Week is April 14-20, 2024. This is a week to recognize & celebrate the laboratory staff who are crucial to the health care system. Daily they are improving the quality of care delivered to our patients we serve. Without the lab, quality medical care would not be possible. The laboratory is the core of all of medicine, where critical diagnoses are made based upon accurate specimen testing.
Medical Laboratory Professionals are comprised of 16 laboratory medical organizations. This includes the following staff at HMSL & HMH Labs:
- Pathologists: diagnosis, consult and report findings
- Pathology Assistants: gross and prepare the surgical/biopsies for slides/staining/etc.
- Cytologists: perform cytology testing, slides, stains, etc. and report results
- Medical lab scientists, technologists, technicians: perform lab testing and report results (chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, molecular, microbiology, immunoassays, blood banking, flow cytometry, HLA, immunogenetic, etc.)
- Histotechs: prepare tissue slides, stain, frozen, etc.
- Medical lab assistants: attend procedures (bone marrows, FNA, IR, EBUS, etc.), prepare slides/tissue biopsies, specimen processing, shipping/transport specimens, ordering/receiving lab tests, etc.
- Phlebotomists: collect lab specimens for testing, order/receive specimens, transport/prepare specimens for testing, etc.
Click here to read about others celebrating or raising awareness this month.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, April 15: Deadline to take Total Rewards Survey. Click here to take survey.
Monday, April 15: Wear purple in support of military families
Monday, April 15 - Friday, April 26: March of Dimes fundraising. More information.
Tuesday, April 16: Significance of Eid al-Fitr virtual fireside chat
Thursday, April 18: Town Hall Meeting (Brazos). More information.
Thursday, April 18: Saving for College: Tips for Parents presentation. More information.
Sunday: April 21: HMSL transition to Epic hyperdrive
Tuesday, April 23: Town Hall Meeting (Brazos). More information.
Wednesday, April 24: Arab Heritage Month celebration. Register here.
Friday, April 26: Houston Methodist System Quality and Patient Safety Symposium. More information.
Saturday, April 27: Earth Day: I CARE in Action
Tuesday, April 30: Town Hall Meeting (Virtual). More information.
Tuesday, April 30: Application deadline for The College Scholarship for Employees' Children Program. More information.
Thursday, May 2: Town Hall Meeting (Virtual). More information.
Thursday, May 2: 2024 Nurse Symposium. More information.
Tuesday, May 14: Patient satisfaction bonus payout
Sunday, May 26: Houston Methodist Employee Choir performs at Sugar Land Space Cowboys game. Click here to sign up.
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day holiday
Saturday, June 1: Atlantic hurricane season begins
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Monday, April 15 - Wednesday, April 17: vs. Atlanta Braves
Friday, April 19 - Sunday, April 21: @ Washington Nationals
Tuesday, April 16 - Sunday, April 21: vs. Round Rock Express
Wednesday, April 17: Dr. Jordan Peterson, Smart Financial Centre
Friday, April 19: Panter Belico, Smart Financial Centre
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot."
- Michael Altshuler
Join The HMSL-CEO Corner Facebook Page
If you are an HMSL employee, you can join the employee-only Facebook page. Join us as we celebrate promotions, graduations, hospital events and more! Click here to join the fun.