Week of May 6, 2024
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
Across America, there are more than five million registered nurses. And here at HMSL, we have hundreds of those nurses - the best of the best. I am honored to extend my heartfelt appreciation to each and every one of our incredible nurses, especially during National Nurses Week. This annual celebration gives us an opportunity to recognize their unwavering dedication to our patients and our community.
As a fellow nurse, I understand the dedication, compassion and expertise that define the nursing profession. They provide comfort and support to our many patients, their loved ones and our community.
I also want to take the time to recognize the 19 HMSL nurses who are nominated for this year's Nurses Week awards. These finalists represent the highest qualities in nursing. They all seek excellence through fostering accountability, demonstrating leadership and participating in continuous learning. We will share the winners next week.
I also promised you all a link to this year's special edition of the Houston Chronicle's Salute to Nurses. Click here to read more about our nurses who are honored.
To all of our nurses, thank you for your service and your commitment to excellence. Please join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to our nurses during National Nurses Week. We are fortunate to have you as part of our Houston Methodist Sugar Land family.
Have a great week,
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
Interim CMO/CQO
Dr. Jeffrey Wood has been named interim chief medical officer and chief quality officer at HMSL. Wood, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, has been with Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine since 2008, when he joined as an orthopedic spine surgeon. He was a founding member of the Houston Methodist Neuroscience and Spine Center at Sugar Land. In 2019, Wood became the chairman of the department of surgery at Sugar Land. Wood will work together with senior leaders to uphold our commitment to excellence in patient care in Fort Bend County.
Congratulations to the following 15 nurses from Houston Methodist Sugar Land who have been included as part of the Top 200 Outstanding Nurses list by the Houston Chronicle as part of their annual Salute to Nurses:
Komal Ali
Diane Anderle
Barbara Cox
Laura Hall
Ancy John
Cristina Martin (Top 15)
Aneel Mohammed
Bobbi Arrambide-Owens
Amber Ross
Candy Salazar
Rose Sullivan
Jennifer Sy
Donna Timmer
Peyton Villarreal
Theresa Walters
Click here to read more about the Top 15 nurses, including our Childbirth Center Director Cristina Martin.
Leapfrog "A" Safety Grade - Spring 2024
Congratulations to everybody at HMSL for earning an "A" in the spring 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, the gold standard measure of patient safety for U.S. health systems. This is the only rating solely focused on a hospital's ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 publicly available hospital safety data measures to assign grades to nearly 3,000 U.S. acute care hospitals twice per year. Once again, all Houston Methodist hospitals received an "A" grade this spring. Thank you for putting patient safety first!
Mothers of Held Angels 2024 Gala
Several members of the HMSL team attended the Mothers of Held Angels gala over the weekend, which was co-chaired by Dr. Nick Desai. The organization supports mothers and families of stillbirth or neonatal loss, starting in the hospital. Our HMSL Childbirth Center embeds this bereavement care into their workflow to support those when needed. Thank you to this special group who truly put our patients first and live out our I CARE values.
Access Transformation Initiative
To make it easier for our patients to schedule their appointments for specialty care, the Houston Methodist System Access Team is launching the Access Transformation initiative across the system. On Tuesday, May 7, the team will launch the first phase of its scheduling initiative with radiology services, which include ultrasound, mammography, bone density and X-ray/fluoroscopy. When a provider puts an imaging order in Epic, the patient will be notified via text message to schedule an imaging appointment online, by phone or through their MyChart account. Once patients are notified, they can call our new access center agents or log into their MyChart accounts to schedule appointments across the system. This new process is designed to streamline appointment scheduling and to ensure patients are scheduled for the right imaging service. Centralized scheduling for MRI/CT is slated to go live on Oct. 15, and cardiac diagnostics is planned to go live in 2025. We will provide updates as we continue to make progress on this initiative.
Recognizing the Impact of Microaggressions
Microaggressions can lead to strained relationships and breakdowns in trust, as well as present barriers to promoting inclusivity. There will be another in-person DEI learning series on microaggressions Thursday, May 9, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Brazos BC. Click here to register.
Muffins for Moms
Join the Fathers in Health Care ERG in celebrating Mother's Day. Their Muffins for Moms event will be held Friday, May 10. Come grab a muffin and a Mother's Day card across the Main Starbucks from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Cheers to all of our HMSL moms!
Hospital Week Employee Gift
To say thanks for all you do this National Hospital Week, we are giving all employees a Houston Methodist-branded Back Country cooler. HR department members at each hospital will coordinate the gift distribution over the next few weeks. Your leader will inform you on how to get your cooler. We hope you enjoy this eco-conscious gift and use it to spend time outdoors with your friends and family this summer!
March For Babies
Houston Methodist is once again supporting the March of Dimes. Join family, friends and colleagues in a fun-filled walk Saturday, May 18 at Constellation Field to help make a world of difference in the health of babies. By participating you’re highlighting the importance of health equity, opening the door for all moms to have access to care and protecting the health of families in the community.
Excellence in Nursing Awards
Nominations for the Good Samaritan Foundation 2024 Excellence in Nursing Awards are now open. Please take a moment to nominate your incredible colleagues. You can use previous award nominations such as Daisy, Houston Chronicle, or Nurse Week Awards to name a few. If you need help submitting a nomination, email Magnet Director Whitney Adams. Once you write your nomination please send Whitney a copy for our awards database. The deadline for nominations is May 31. Click here for more information.
Back-up Child Care
If your regular child care arrangements fall through, you can access a national network of high-quality, back-up care solutions for your children (and adult/elderly family members). Using Bright Horizons back-up care can be very helpful if your child care center is closed, your regular caregiver is sick or you are transitioning between care arrangements. Click here for more information.
This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. All month long, the HR Hub will highlight the resources that we offer to employees to support your mental well-being. For example, did you know that you can get up to 10 free visits with a counselor through LifeMatters, our employee assistance provider? Take some time to review our mental health calendar and links to engage with the activities happening this month. We will host webinars on many mental health topics, including daily practices to help you feel better and how music can affect our mental health. On May 15, we invite you to wear green to show your support for those struggling with mental health concerns. Click here to read about others raising awareness or celebrating this month.
IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, May 8 - Tuesday, May 14: Nurses Week 2024. More information.
Thursday, May 9: Recognizing the Impact of Microaggressions. More information.
Friday, May 10: Muffins for Moms. More information.
Sunday, May 12 - Saturday, May 18: Hospital Week 2024
Tuesday, May 14: Patient satisfaction bonus payout
Friday, May 17: HMSL blood drive
Saturday, May 18: March of Dimes walk. More information.
Saturday, May 18: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walk. More information.
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
Friday, May 31: Nomination deadline for The Good Samaritan Foundation 2024 Excellence in Nursing Awards. More information.
Saturday, June 1: Atlantic hurricane season begins
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Tuesday, May 7 - Thursday, May 9: @ New York Yankees
Friday, May 10 - Sunday, May 12: @ Detroit Tigers
Tuesday, May 7 - Sunday, May 12: vs. Oklahoma City Baseball Club
Thursday, May 9: Nicki Minaj, Toyota Center
Saturday, May 11 - Sunday, May 12: Aventura, Toyota Center
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse."
- Florence Nightingale
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.