Week of September 4, 2023
Service Award Honorees
Last week, 3,635 Houston Methodist employees were honored at our annual Service Awards ceremony. Here in Sugar Land, we had more than 400 celebrating milestone anniversaries, including five big honorees. Kay Johnson, in our finance department, is celebrating 51 years with Houston Methodist. We also have four employees celebrating 30 years of service: Deion Cross (Education), Maria Cuesta (Brazos ICU), Jackie Trotter (Quality Care Mgmt) and Rosie Herrington (Post Partum). These five employees showcase great passion and commitment to our patients and hospital. Congratulations to all the employees marking 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50+ years of service. HMSL will celebrate our honorees this November. More to come!
HMSL EMPLOYEE PARKING CHANGES
Thank you to everybody who registered their vehicle under the new parking guidelines. The barrier arm gates are now active. You will need your badge to access employee parking, so please have it ready when approaching the gates. Only one vehicle can enter at a time. If you registered your EZ Tag, it may take a couple of weeks to be active. We thank you in advance for your patience. To read more about our updated parking guidelines or if you have questions about the new parking policy, please read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document here. Available parking is highlighted below.
New Project Manager - Nursing Administration
HMSL is pleased to announce Diana Kreidie, MBA, as a project manager in Nursing Administration. She is transferring from HMH where she worked since July 2021. Click here to read more about her and her new role. Welcome Diana!
Manage Unconscious Bias In-Person Learning
The Office of DEI is hosting another session in their Managing Unconscious Bias learning series. Unconscious bias can affect interactions between caregivers, their patients and co-workers. The session is Tuesday, Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. in Main BC Conference Room. Sign up through LMS with item #1605003.
HMSL IN THE MEDIA
Dr. Tram Tran, a primary care physician with Houston Methodist Primary Care Group at Aliana, recently spoke to FOX 26 - Houston's Morning Show about preventing back to school illnesses. If you missed the LIVE segment, you can watch the segment here. Feel free to share with anybody – it’s back to school season and Dr. Tran shared a lot of great reminders.
Mark Stephens, HMSL Outreach Athletic Trainer at Ridge Point High School, spoke to a Fox 26 reporter for their 9 p.m. newscast about playing football in the extreme heat. If you missed the segment, you can watch the segment here.
Thank you Dr. Tran & Mark for representing Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital!
CPAM Bloom project
HMSL and the Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM) invite all staff to take part in the Bloom Project. This initiative offers employees a chance to draw or paint a native Texas flower, which will be digitally collected and turned into a vinyl mural. The mural will be installed in the skybridge between Garage A and Garage B. Our goal is to have 200 submissions by the end of October. The first opportunity to contribute is a drop-in session on Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. in the Main Pavilion Garden Café area. We look forward to having you join us! Click here for a helpful flyer.
MOM ERG Meet & Greet
The Moms of Methodist ERG is inviting you to their upcoming Meet and Greet on Monday, Sept. 18 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Brazos Pavilion Conference Center. The come-and-go event is open to current members and to curious mothers interested in forging new friendships and expanding their horizons. Click here for more information.
'Voices' Album Release Ceremony
Last weekend, the Center for Performing Arts Medicine celebrated an inspiring and heartwarming labor of love, three years in the making. HMSL music therapist Ashley Lundquist and HMH music therapist Sarah Rossi from HMH hosted a ceremony to unveil a special music album titled 'Voices'. This collaborative album contains 15 original songs created by patients undergoing cancer treatment at Houston Methodist, with support from music therapists. The songs showcase their lives, cancer journeys and faith. You can listen to the album for free here. Below are photos from the album release ceremony at HMSL, where patients and loved ones gathered to listen to the songs and honor the patients who contributed to the album.
Excellence in Nursing Award
Do you work with a nurse who is OUTSTANDING? Now is the time to nominate a colleague for this year's Excellence in Nursing Award. The deadline has been extended and all nominations are now due by Friday, Sept. 9. Click here for more information on how to nominate.
Graduate Nurse Winter Cohort Registration Now Open
Houston Methodist Nurse Residency Program is now accepting applications through September 15. This is an amazing opportunity for newly graduated nurses to enhance their skills, build confidence and experience professional growth. Our campus will offer specialties in Acute Care Medical/Surgical, Emergency and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Click here to register and see application requirements.
Idea Ticket Tank
Congratulations to the winners of the first drawing of idea tickets from the Idea Ticket Tank. 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 Bianca Barrientos in Ultrasound, Sapana Desai in Pharmacy, Jessica Orduno in Central Scheduling and Rachel Bullard in OR. You can stop by the Idea Ticket Tank to read about their ideas. The next drawing will be at the end of September. Please continue to submit ideas to your huddle boards and only place tickets in the tank once they've been resolved.
Hurricane Preparedness
As you might have seen in the news, Hurricane Idalia recently pummeled Florida, destroying thousands of homes. This is a good reminder for all of us to stay ready and prepared, should this type of weather happen here.
- Update contact information in the MARS portal. This is a good time to register for text messages.
- Know your role for Ride-Out and Recovery. HMSL has a comprehensive hurricane preparedness and response plan. Ask your manager for your role and responsibilities.
- Stock up on essentials early. You should stock a three-day supply of the basics for your home.
Office of Sustainability News
The Office of Sustainability has three highlights to share with all Houston Methodist employees.
- The Center for Health & Nature was awarded a top ranking with NIH R01 Grant
- Introducing new sustainability service line: Center for Critical Care Green ICUs Initiative
- Receive a home composting pickup program discount through YouDecide
To read more about each of these topics, click here.
Join Houston Methodist Race for the Cure Team
Houston Methodist is once again joining the Komen Houston Race for the Cure, the largest gathering of breast cancer advocates, survivors and supporters in Houston. This year’s event is Saturday, Oct. 7, at Sam Houston Park. All T-shirts will be mailed for this year’s event, so registering early is important. Register by Sunday, Sept. 10, to receive your shirt before the event day. Houston Methodist welcomes anyone to walk on our team – feel free to bring your friends and family with you. Click here to join the team or make a donation.
- 6 a.m. - Race Day Registration Opens
- 7:45 a.m. - Opening ceremonies and memorial bird release
- 8 a.m. - 5k start
- 9:30 a.m. - Post race celebration
Pathway to Unparalleled
Pathway to Unparalleled (PTU) sessions have begun. 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.
September is Sepsis Awareness Month. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. When it comes to sepsis, take the TIME to learn the signs:
· Temperature: higher or lower than normal
· Infection: may have signs and symptoms of infection
· Mental Decline: confused, sleepy, difficult to rouse
· Extremely Ill: severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath
Click here to read about others raising awareness or celebrating this month.
PATIENT COMPLIMENTS
Main 5 East Patient: "All staff, from the doctors to EVS, were efficient, professional and friendly. The nurses were especially kind. The entire team made an uncomfortable situation a relaxing and healing one. Thanks to all."
Childbirth Center Patient: "Excellent and amazing staff: from the reception to the triage doctors, every nurse, physician, pediatrician and discharge nurse. They are a wonderful team/set of people."
Brazos 5 Patient: "My nursing staff was super. The food was always hot/warm and delivered very timely. Plus, it tasted good."
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, September 4: Labor Day
Wednesday, September 13: CPAM Bloom Project drop-in session. More information.
Friday, September 15: Hispanic Heritage Month begins
Friday, September 15 - Sunday, September 17: Rosh Hashanah
Monday, September 18: MOM ERG Meet & Greet. More information.
Thursday, September 21: DIY Class - Candle Making. More information.
Sunday, September 24 - Monday, September 25: Yom Kippur
Friday, September 29 - Friday, October 6: Sukkot
Saturday, September 30: Deadline for DIY and New Hire Track participants to earn 20,000 points
Saturday, September 30: American Diabetes Association Walk. More information.
Saturday, October 7: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. More information.
Saturday, November 11: Walk to End Alzheimer's. More information.
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Monday, September 4 - Wednesday, September 6: @Texas Rangers
Friday, September 8 - Sunday, September 10: vs. San Diego Padres
Tuesday, September 4 - Sunday, September 10: vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers
Sunday, September 10: @ Baltimore Ravens
Friday, September 8: Sin Bandera, Smart Financial Centre
Friday, September 8: Sam Smith, Toyota Center
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Maya Angelou