Week of June 5, 2023
SWEETWATER PAVILION CONSTRUCTION
Renovations continue this week in the Sweetwater Pavilion. The corridor that connects Main, Brazos and Sweetwater pavilions, as well as MOB 1 remain blocked. Construction is expected to be completed this week. If you need to access the main hospital, Brazos, Garden Café or the ED, signs will direct you through a detour hallway near the walkway tunnel. MOB 1 will only be accessible from the parking lot entrance. There will be signs inside and outside for reference. This part of the construction phase is expected to be wrapped up by Thursday, June 8. Construction will resume June 12. Weekly updates will continue in this newsletter. Please reach out to anyone on the Facilities team with any questions.
June Town Hall Meetings
Our second quarter town hall meetings begin June 13. The HMSL Senior Leadership Team will share important updates and answer your questions. You can submit questions, thoughts or topics you want addressed during these town halls ahead of time by clicking here.
- Tuesday, June 13 10-11 a.m. Brazos Conference Center
- Wednesday, June 14 1-2 p.m. Virtual
- Tuesday, June 20 7:30-8:30 a.m. Virtual
- Friday, June 23 9-10 a.m. Brazos Conference Center
- Saturday, June 24 Noon-1 p.m. Brazos Conference Center
- Tuesday, June 27 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 1636018, select "assign to me" and then "register now." Click here for a helpful flyer. We look forward to seeing you!
35th DAISY Award Winner
HMSL Labor and Delivery nurse Bernie Reyes is the 35th HMSL recipient of the DAISY award. She was nominated by more than one patient for her extraordinary care. Bernie was surprised by her team in the Labor & Delivery Unit, who celebrated her along with senior leadership. DAISY Award honorees personify our ICARE values. These nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and compassionate care. Read the patient nominations here. Congratulations Bernie!
Cancer Survivor's Day 2023
HMSL celebrated Cancer Survivor's Day 2023 at the Houston Marriott Sugar Land on June 1. An estimated 300 survivors, family members and caretakers were honored with a celebration and special gift from Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center. This year's theme was 'Let's Knock Cancer Out of the Park!' Former MLB pitcher and cancer survivor Dave Dravecky was the keynote speaker. His message was filled with laughter, hope, faith and love. A special thank you to Amy Sebastian-Deutsch, director of oncology services, and Yolanda Lopez, program manager of cancer survivorship, along with the many volunteers who contributed to this amazing event.
2023 Pride Parade
Houston Methodist is proud to be a first time sponsor of the Houston Pride Parade! Registration to walk in the parade and receive a Houston Methodist Pride Parade T-shirt is full and now closed, however you can still get involved! The 45th Annual Official Houston Pride Celebration featuring the Houston Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, June 24 at 7 p.m. in Downtown Houston on Smith and Milam. The parade is free and open to the public. Additionally, through I CARE in Action, eligible employees can volunteer at Houston Methodist partner organizations focused on supporting the LGBTQ+ community within Greater Houston. Register, review eligibility, learn more about our partner organizations, and view available individual and group opportunities here.
Where Healing Happens
Mark your calendars for the next two sessions of our new education series Where Healing Happens. This series connects, or reconnects, employees with service lines, departments and other resources on campus and across the system that help in the patient journey or your experience working at HMSL. On Thursday, June 8 we will cover the Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation and the role it plays in research, education and innovation across HM. On Thursday, August 10, the entire Senior Leadership Team will sit down for a candid conversation on leadership and their day-to-day work. Click here for a helpful flyer with registration information.
Celebrate Father's Day with Dr. Marc Boom
Join the Fathers in Health Care ERG for a virtual discussion with Dr. Marc Boom, Houston Methodist's President and Chief Executive Officer, as we celebrate Father's Day. Dr. Boom will talk about his career journey, his experiences as a health care executive and his duties as a father. The virtual discussion will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, June 13 from noon-1 p.m. Click here to register or email fathersinhealthcare@houstonmethodist.org for more information.
Disaster Preparation Guide
Hurricane season is officially underway. You never know when a natural disaster will happen and it's important to prepare your home when that time comes. COO Eliud Faz created a disaster preparation guide for his family and friends and is now sharing it with you. Download the guide here. Feel free to share it with your family and friends.
Employee Morale Committee
Do you know somebody at HMSL who has gone above and beyond? The HMSL Employee Morale Committee wants to hear about it. The committee awards stellar employees each quarter. It is now being lead by Melodie Woodard and Majeedah Pacha. Any employee at HMSL can email them to inquire about joining or to send nominations. The HMSL Employee Morale Committee also partners with internal groups to help support wellness, fairs, and various hospital celebrations across campus. Join the fun!
Fit Club Challenge
Employee Wellness is hosting a summer Fit Club challenge and you could earn 2,000 points. Assemble a team of three to five co-workers and compete in various events to determine who is the fittest team at Houston Methodist. Events include: longest plank, most push-ups in one minute, furthest distance walked/run, furthest distance biked and more. Click here to register your team. The challenge runs from June 12 to July 28. Competition will be held in the Employee Fitness Center.
New Digital Library Additions
Thank you to everyone who voted on which nursing certification review book should be added to our digital library. The winner was the CNOR Certification Express Review and is available for checkout now. Based on feedback from staff, we also added new titles from Houston-based author Brene Brown:
- Braving the Wilderness (audio and e-book)
- Daring Greatly (audio and e-book)
Other new titles include:
- What My Bones Knew: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
- When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
Don’t forget that free checkouts at your fingertips await you on the Libby app. Connect using your HM credentials. Click here for a helpful flyer. You can share your library suggestions at any time using the link at the bottom of the newsletter.
Ready, Set, Grow Your Career! Join us for Career Week - June 26-30
“I want to grow but don’t really know what’s out there for me.”
“I’d like to apply for this role, but my resume is a mess!”
“How do I approach my leader about development opportunities?”
If you’ve said anything like this to yourself or others, you should attend Career Week 2023. It is packed with events focused on boosting your professional development. Find inspiration and ideas as fellow employees share their success stories on growing their career within Houston Methodist. Join experts across the system as they reveal career hacks, tools, resources, and programs available to support your career journey. Choose what works for you with daily online sessions as well as local programming at each entity.
Check out our Career Week 2023 site for more information. You can also find us by texting CareerWeek2023 to 45991.
May is Migraines and Headache Awareness Month. The headache, migraine and cluster communities are working together to increase awareness during National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month (#MHAM). More than 42 million Americans live with migraine disease and headache disorder. Click here to read about others raising awareness or celebrating this month.
PATIENT COMPLIMENTS
Brazos 6 Patient: "Of all the people who were involved in my care, an RN, named Christian, 6th floor, went above and beyond. He needs to be recognized for his sparkly personality, dedication and dedication to his duties as an RN. He's an asset to your staff."
Main 4 West Patient: "The nurses are angels on Earth. I was definitely in competent and compassionate hands."
Main 6 East Patient: "I am very grateful to the nursing staff and assistant caregivers for the outstanding attention that I was given my entire stay. Their professionalism and care was beyond reproach."
IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, June 7: Women in Academic Medicine and Surgery panel discussion - Career Journeys & Leadership Lessons Learned. More information.
Thursday, June 8: Where Healing Happens Education Series. Topic: Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation. More information.
Saturday, June 10: 2023 Texas Virtual Walk for Sjögren’s. Click here to register.
Tuesday, June 13: Town Hall meetings begin. More information.
Tuesday, June 13: Celebrate Father's Day with Dr. Marc Boom. Click here to register.
Monday, June 19: Black Ties for Culture ERG Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday, June 24: 2023 Pride Parade
Monday, June 26: Career Week begins
Wednesday, June 28: Eid al-Adha
Friday, June 30: Deadline for telecommuting staff to acknowledge agreement
Tuesday, July 4: Independence Day
Friday, July 7: Due date for staff self-evaluation to be complete in MARS. More information.
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Monday, June 5 - Thursday, June 8: @ Toronto Blue Jays
Friday, June 9 - Sunday, June 11: @ Cleveland Guardians
Tuesday, June 6 - Sunday, June 11: @ Albuquerque Isotopes
Friday, June 9: Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers & Bastille, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Saturday, June 10: Mika Singh (Bollywood), NRG Center
Saturday, June 10: Best Night Ever: Taylor's Version, White Oak Music Hall
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."
- Albert Einstein