HMSL News to Know - Week of October 16, 2023

Week of October 16, 2023

October Town Hall Meetings

Mark your calendars for our final town hall meetings of the year. The HMSL Senior Leadership Team is inviting all employees to attend one session, starting October 24. They'll share campus projects and updates and there will be fun giveaways! Submit questions ahead of time by clicking here.

Tuesday, Oct. 24: 9-10 a.m. Brazos Conference Center
Wednesday, Oct. 25: 7-8 a.m. Virtual
Monday, Oct. 30: Noon-1 p.m. Virtual
Tuesday, Oct. 31: Noon-1 p.m. Brazos Conference Center

To sign up, click here and select "My Learning." In the "Find Learning" tab search for course number 1646052, select "assign to me" and then "register now." Click here for a helpful flyer. We look forward to seeing you!

Employee Opinion Survey

The 2023 Employee Opinion Survey continues through Oct. 25. So far here at HMSL, 68% of employees have completed their surveys. Please take 5-10 minutes to complete the survey and enter to win a prize! There are prizes at both the system level and local level. Some winners have already been announced. Click here for the system winners. Click here for the HMSL winners.

Click HERE To Take Your Survey

Remember, in order to be entered into the HMSL giveaways, you need to print out the last page in the survey (the completion page below), write your employee ID and name on it and then put it in the orange drop off boxes in front of HR. Winners will be notified via email and posted daily in Chris' Corner. Once we hit 85% completion, HR will begin to raffle off Astros jerseys and player bobbleheads.

2023 HMSL Excellence in Nursing Award Nominees

Celebrate with us as we proudly unveil the outstanding nominees for the 2023 HMSL Excellence in Nursing Award, sponsored by the Crowning Achievement Awards. These 18 individuals were nominated for their exceptional contributions to our organization, their unwavering dedication and exceptional commitment to the world of Nursing. They will be celebrated later this week, where our winners will be announced. Congratulations to all of the nominees!

Simoona Dholasania
Maria Gordon
Daniela Jofre
Jyothy Jose
Catherine Lee
Kalyn Marone

Krystal Hopson Mosley
BreeAnn Peters
Justine Perez-Natividad
Susana Rangel
Sherry Ann Reid
Samantha Singh

Rose Sullivan
Jennifer Sy
Donna Timmer
Beena Varghese
Yuan Chung-Win Fey (Joy)
Shalana Wolf

National Healthcare Quality Week

National Healthcare Quality Week is this week! This year to celebrate, there will be poster presentations in the Main lobby, across from Starbucks. Click here for a helpful flyer.

Women's Health & Wellness Event

HMSL is hosting a Women's Health & Wellness Event on Thursday, Oct. 19. An all-female panel of medical experts will participate in a Q&A discussion focusing on the most common health matters impacting women today. Click here for more information.

New Cath Lab Nurse Manager

Jena Trahan is joining HMSL as Nurse Manager of the Cath Lab. She has been an RN for 16 years, with experience in med-surg/tele, ICU, case management and hospice, with seven years in procedural nursing and three years of cardiac Cath lab. She is a Louisiana native and has a six-year-old son and a toy poodle. Welcome, Jena!

Pathway to Unparalleled

Time is winding down to complete your Pathway to Unparalleled (PTU) session. All Houston Methodist employees are strongly encouraged to register for this 90-minute interactive class designed to help employees think about unparalleled safety. Employee sessions will continue through October. Click here for instructions to register. If your desired class is full, try to attend as a walk-in!

HMSL Employee Fair

Everyone is invited to our HMSL Employee Fair on Friday, Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop by the Brazos Conference Center for the fun. There will be games, raffles, a photo booth and Houston Texans mascot TORO will make a visit between noon and 1 p.m. It's a great way to connect with departments and resources across the hospital and system! Click here for a helpful flyer.

HMSL Welcomes Three New Physicians

Yihharn P. Hwang , M.D. just joined Houston Methodist Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates at Sugar Land. As an OB-GYN, her specialties include: abnormal uterine bleeding, adolescent and adult gynecology, well-women exams and comprehensive obstetrical care. You can read more about Dr. Hwang here.

Christopher Sy, M.D. just joined the Houston Methodist Department of Neurosurgery at Sugar Land. As a neurosurgeon, his specialties include degenerative diseases and conditions that affect the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine and minimally invasive spine surgery. You can read more about Dr. Sy here.

Courtney Chang, M.D. just joined Houston Methodist Urology Associates at Sugar Land. As a urologist, her clinical expertise includes adrenal masses/cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. You can read more about Dr. Chang here.

HMSL Day at Pumpkin Round Up

Join the HMSL Senior Leadership Team at George Ranch Historical Park on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate fall during the Pumpkin Round Up. HMSL is proud to partner with the George Ranch Pumpkin Round Up to offer an experience that is exclusive to HMSL employees at no cost.

Activities include free entry into the Pumpkin Round Up, crafts, a petting zoo, a bounce house, popcorn and snow cones, all-day access to tour the historical park and more! This event offers quality time with your family, while enjoying the outdoors in our community.

Slots are limited to five people per family (one employee and up to four guests). Arrival slots are divided into two: 11 a.m. hour (A) or 12 p.m. hour (B). Click here for a flyer with important information and sign-up links.

Rainbow Room Award

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, HMSL was honored with Rainbow Room’s Flo Berkman Spirit of Giving Award at their annual luncheon. This was given to celebrate HMSL’s dedication to the organization and the children they serve through the back-to-school shoe drive, holiday toy drive and Doctor’s Day donation of $10,000. Thank you for your continued support of this organization, which serves abused and neglected children in crisis. Stay tuned on how to get involved for the holiday toy drive in the coming weeks.

2023 Fall International Fashion Show

Have you registered for the HMSL Fall International Fashion Show? It's next month! Participants are encouraged to wear their cultural attire, representing their city or country, whether it reflects current fashion styles or past traditions. Click here to sign up. The deadline is Oct. 30.

HMSL Staff Choir Practice

The HMSL Staff Choir needs singers to join them as they gear up for their big holiday performance! Weekly practices start Tuesday, Oct. 17. The choir meets every Tuesday from Noon - 1 p.m. at the Brazos Chapel. The holiday performance is Dec. 12. To join the choir, please email Ashley Lundquist.

Flu Shot Reminder

Getting vaccinated for the flu is one of the ways we protect our patients, their families and one another. All employees must receive a flu vaccine by Thursday, Nov. 2, to be considered compliant with our Houston Methodist flu policy.

Schedule Your Mammogram Today

Houston Methodist offers a variety of ways to help you take care of you, which includes breast cancer preventive screenings. Not only will you be improving your well-being, you can also earn HealthyDirections+ points and receive a free water bottle after your screening! Click here to schedule your appointment today. Water bottles will only be given out after screenings completed during the month of October.

Books For Babies

Please join the Magnet Champions in collecting baby books to stock our Neonatal ICU library. Please only donate new books that have wipeable pages or are wipeable board books. Drop off books in your unit's collection basket by Nov. 17 - World Prematurity Day. Click here for more information.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Have you caught any of the phishing drill emails sent so far? Remain alert, because more are coming your way. Remember, protecting our patient data and corporate systems is everyone’s job. Click here to read about phishing red flags, plus find out how many people failed the test.

October 16 - 20 is Infection Prevention Week, which aims to shine a light on infection prevention. Celebrate this week by stopping by the Atrium and seeing the incredible work HMSL teams are doing to prevent infection in our environment of care. There will be activities all week and opportunities to learn and win prizes. On Thursday Oct. 19, there will be a Lunch and Learn with Dr. Farheen Tariq at noon in the 4^th floor break room. Lunch will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. And on Friday, Oct. 20, the Infection Prevention No Harm Council will present awards to those units achieving ZERO CAUTI, CLABSI and CDIFF infections for the year! Thanks for all you do each day to prevent infections and provide our patients with unparalleled, quality care at HMSL.

Healthcare Quality Week is Oct. 15 – 21. There will be poster sessions in the Main Atrium and drawings for prizes on each of the days:

Monday, Oct. 16: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 17: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 18: 7-8 a.m. and 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 19: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Pharmacy Week is also celebrated the third full week in October. It is a time to recognize the powerful impact pharmacists make on our patients. 2023 has been a year of significant advancement for the HMSL Pharmacy team.

Thank you to all the HMSL employees in these departments. Click here to read about all those who are celebrating.

PATIENT COMPLIMENTS

Main 6 East Patient: "The hospital, doctors and nurses were wonderful, caring for me for the 5 days I was there. I would recommend this hospital to everyone!"

Breast Care Center Patient: "The technician who performed my mammogram was the most caring and sweet person! She made it go smooth and without any problems, she was simply wonderful! I wish next year when I do my mammogram again, she'll be there with me!"

Main 5 West Patient: "The ICU staff was incredible, more than I expected. They were very welcoming and comforting. They were quite respectful. If any need was mentioned or perceived, it was met quickly. Michelle and Cyra were truly incredible - also the night shift ICU nurse was great. The care was super all the way through the operating room. Thank you for a great stay."

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday, Oct. 16: Boss's Day

Tuesday, Oct. 17: HMSL Staff Choir Practices start (Every Tuesday through Dec. 12)

Wednesday, Oct. 18: I CARE in Action Volunteer Opportunity for HMSL. More information.

Thursday, Oct. 19: Women's Health & Wellness Event. More information.

Tuesday, Oct. 24: Town Hall meetings begin. More information.

Tuesday, Oct. 24: Where Healing Happens: Living Out Magnet. More information.

Wednesday, Oct. 25: Employee Opinion Survey ends

Friday, Oct. 27: HMSL Employee Fair. More information.

Saturday, Oct. 28: Leukemia Lymphoma Walk. More information.

Tuesday, Oct. 31: Patient satisfaction bonus payout.

Thursday, Nov. 2: Deadline to comply with flu policy. More information.