HMSL News to Know - Week of March 4, 2024

Week of March 4, 2024

Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land

It’s the start of a new month and I can’t help but feel a sense of renewal. I hope you all were able to spend some time looking at the I CARE Recharge boards in the Bhalla Main Pavilion last week. It was inspiring to see how much you all care for the safety of our patients and for each other. One of the boards really stood out to me. It essentially said safety is all of our jobs - regardless if you are directly involved in patient care, we all have a role to play. Thank you all for your dedication to that role. It is my hope that all of you took some time look at each other’s boards and learn something new about another department. I hope you all enjoyed working with your teams and feel reconnected to our I CARE values.

I also wanted to send a massive thank you to everybody in this hospital. Our DNV hospital survey went great. The surveyors complimented our staff saying, and I quote “still rock stars from last year.” There are so many noteworthy efforts and successes to celebrate. You all worked very hard this week – the quality department, our board members and the senior leadership team, including myself, appreciate all that you do. Thank you for leading medicine here in Fort Bend County.

Keeping in this week’s theme of thankfulness, thank you to those of you who emailed me directly about how you can support our hospital’s goals for the year. Our winners enjoyed themselves at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Click here to email me. I still want to hear from you all about our priorities and how we can better serve our patients. We will revisit these goals in April during our town hall meetings.

This Friday marks International Women’s Day. Join me in celebrating all of the women here at HMSL.

Make it a great week,

Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land

HMSL Honored by Vizient

HMSL senior leaders and members from our quality team came together to receive the Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD Quality Leadership Award. Last year, HMSL was ranked No. 3 out of 181 complex medical care centers nationally, marking our fifth consecutive year to earn recognition from Vizient. Congratulations to all!

IT Survey Event

IT wants to know more about the support you receive, so they can better support you in the future. On Tuesday, March 5, HMSL employees who complete a brief survey can pick up a free Chick-fil-A treat (while supplies last) from 6:30 - 8:30 a.m. or 6 - 8 p.m. in the Bhalla Main Pavilion. There are two ways to receive the treat:

Click here to take the survey now. Print the thank you page and take it with you during one of the above timeslots.
Take the survey during Tuesday's IT survey event using your mobile device or one of the tablets that will be available.

Your feedback is appreciated, will remain anonymous and will be used to help improve IT services.

Early Voting Ends Tuesday

Early voting for the March 5 primary election ends soon. Houston Methodist supports the rights of all employees to vote. Get more information on the Resource Guide on myHR. Click here for Fort Bend County election information.

HMSL 2024 Nurses Week Awards

The Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital 2024 Nurses Week Awards will be awarded to nurses who represent the highest qualities in nursing. Prospective candidates for these awards strive to advance the nursing profession throughout the hospital and local community and also seek excellence through fostering accountability, demonstrating leadership, promoting collegiality, and participating in continuous learning.

Also, the 2024 Nurse Champion Award will be awarded to a nonnurse who promotes the nursing profession throughout the hospital and in the community. The nursing champion works to build a community alliance by promoting, supporting and advancing nursing endeavors.

Click here to submit your nominations. The deadline is Friday, March 29.

Join an Employee Resource Group (ERG)

Houston Methodist Employee Resource Groups are led by employees who join together based on common interests, backgrounds or demographics to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. There are professional and personal development opportunities and members can participate in networking events and community involvement activities. Text ERG to 45991 to learn more.

Women in Health Care Panel Discussion

The Women’s Empowerment Alliance ERG joins with HM Women in Academic Medicine & Surgery and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association to host the “Women in Health Care Panel Discussion” on March 6 from 5 – 7 p.m. in the Fondren 100 conference room at HMH. The event, part of the celebration of International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, benefits the non-profit Dress for Success organization. Donation boxes will be placed at each HM campus a week prior to the event for the collection of gently used professional attire and new, unused scrubs, that will be donated to Dress for Success. For information, contact womenesempowermentalliance@houstonmethodist.org.

HMSL Blood Drive

Spring forward and donate blood! The next blood drive at HMSL will be Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15 in Brazos AD from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Eligible donors will receive a long sleeve zip shirt (while supplies last). Click here to schedule an appointment.

Share Your Feedback About HM, Health Care via CMI Survey

If you received an external email asking you to take a survey to share your experiences of Houston Methodist and the health care industry, please take it. We partnered with a trusted third-party company to gather feedback, and we want to hear from you. Please look for the email from cmisurvey.com with a subject line that reads “Houston Methodist Wants to Hear From You!”. Follow the link included in that email to take the survey. This survey will only take a few minutes, and your responses will remain anonymous. Thank you for your participation.

HMSL Family Science Night

You are invited to HMSL Family Science Night! Our partners at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land are hosting HMSL employees and their families for an interactive evening on Friday, April 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Activities and exhibits will be available from various aspects of science – chemistry, paleontology, space and more! A limited number of slots are available. Groups are limited to five – one employee and four family members. You must present your employee ID for admission. Click here for a helpful flyer.

Sign Up Here

Birthday Bag Drive

Celebrate HMSL’s 26^th birthday while giving the magic of a birthday to families who otherwise could not afford it. Our partners at East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry (EFBHNM) help with food insecurities for families in our area. They also offer birthday bag kits, filled with all the necessities to throw a birthday party. Our goal is to collect 300 assembled birthday bags throughout March. In a large gift bag, pack the following items: plates (8-12 per pack), cups, candles, napkins, balloons, utensils. Please be sure your bag has room for the EFBHNM staff to add a gift. You can donate as an individual or as a department. Click here for a helpful flyer.

February Idea Ticket Tank Winners

Congratulations to the February winners from the Idea Ticket Tank drawing. This tank is where units/departments can drop in their completed idea tickets after a solution is found and put in place. The winning idea tickets were from Nisha Augustine - Inpatient PT, OT, SLP, Eric Peterson - Imaging, Carlos Ramirez - Imaging and Rose Sullivan - Brazos ICU. You can stop by the Idea Ticket Tank at any time to read about their ideas. Please continue to submit ideas to your huddle boards and only place tickets in the tank once they've been resolved.

Community Ambassador Program 2024

A cancer diagnosis is one of the scariest moments in a person’s life. At HMSL, we have a unique program designed to help members of our community get the information and answers they need, quickly and easily. The Community Ambassador Program is welcoming its 2024 class of employee ambassadors. A few of them share why they joined the program:

“I saw being an ambassador as an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and learn from others. It's a chance to grow both personally and professionally while contributing to something meaningful for the community.” Mayra Martinez, Houston Methodist Oncology Partners

“I became an ambassador because I love to serve people, especially cancer patients. I come from a family that has a strong history of cancer. This program not only helped me to serve others but to save myself from going through this cancer process. I received a lot of information about cancer and available treatment during the visit we had at the oncology center. From this, I did genetic testing and found out I am a carrier and was able to do treatments within a few days of my findings.” Asha Isaac, Breast Care Center

To read more about the program and sign up, click here — or visit the tables in front of Main Starbucks on Wednesday, March 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to chat with an ambassador about the program. Interested staff must attend an orientation on April 15. The deadline to sign up is March 15.

5S Sort Journey

Entries for our ‘Fun Finds’ competition are coming in, and we’re seeing some doozies! There’s still plenty of time left in the 5S sort phase, so we’re sure to see even more old, odd and expensive items turn up. If your team finds something worth noting, enter it in the ‘Fun Finds’ competition! We’re looking for winners in the following categories:

Oldest item found
Oddest item found
Most expensive item found

Baytown, Clear Lake and Sugar Land will have a winner in every category. Those winners will compete for our grand champion titles. You can enter the competition through the 5S Fun Finds form or scan the QR code. Let’s see what you find!

Continue Your Education

Did you know the Houston Methodist tuition assistance program provides up to $4,000 in tuition assistance for full-time employees and up to $2,000 for employees who have 20-31 standard hours? Learn more.

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.

IMPORTANT DATES

Tuesday, March 5: IT Survey Event. More information.

Tuesday, March 5: Texas Primary election

Sunday, March 10: Daylight saving time begins

Sunday, March 10 - Monday, April 8: Ramadan (subject to the sighting of the moon)

Friday, March 15: HMSL Blood Drive. More information.

Friday, March 15: Deadline to sign up for Community Ambassador Program. More information.

Monday, March 29: Holi

Friday, March 29: Deadline to nominate a nurse for HMSL Nurses Week Awards. More information.

Friday, March 29: Good Friday

Sunday, March 31: Easter

Sunday, March 31: Final day for Birthday Bag Drive. More information.

Friday, April 5: HMSL Family Science Night. More information.

JUST FOR FUN DATES

Monday, March 4: Hank Williams Jr.
Tuesday, March 5: Oliver Anthony
Wednesday, March 6: Jelly Roll
Thursday, March 7: Luke Bryan
Friday, March 8: Major Lazer
Saturday, March 9: Lainey Wilson
Sunday, March 10: Los Tigres del Norte