Week of December 9, 2024
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
I want to start off this week by honoring someone who has been a cornerstone of our hospital community for more than two decades. As I announced last week, our chief nursing officer Janet Leatherwood will be retiring at the end of January after 24 remarkable years of service at HMSL.
Throughout her tenure, Janet has been an unwavering advocate for our nurses, our patients and our employees—always making sure our workplace feels like family.
We'll have plenty of chances to celebrate her in the next few weeks, but for now, I just want to say how grateful we are for everything she's done. If you see Janet around, be sure to thank her for all the ways she's made our hospital a better place.
On another note, I'm excited to share our new intranet has officially launched and it's off to a great start! As you read in Dr. Boom's email, we launched The HUB on Wednesday. Visit thehub.houstonmethodist.org to see all the exciting new features. We're also holding daily contests to allow you to win great prizes while familiarizing yourself with the new intranet. So if you haven't had a chance yet, take a few minutes to explore and see what's new.
Have a great week,
Michael Garcia
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land
2024 Holiday Bonus
This Tuesday, December 10, all eligible Houston Methodist employees will receive a $100 holiday bonus. Dr. Boom sent out the information last week, which you can read here. Thank you for all you do!
Are you ready to hear the sounds of Christmastime? The HMSL Staff Choir will host their annual holiday performance Tuesday, December 10 at noon near the Atrium. Music selections will include traditional and contemporary Christmas tunes and winter songs. All are welcome to attend. Enjoy!
HMSL Christmastime Staff Choir Performance
Sugar Land Holiday Lights - HMSL Employee Discount
Here's a holiday perk for being a Houston Methodist employee: you can receive a discount on regular priced adult tickets for Sugar Land Holiday Lights. HMSL has partnered with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys to offer $5 tickets to the Wednesday, December 11 hosting of Center Field Cinema at Holiday Lights. The movie that night is 'The Grinch'. Take in the 3.5 million lights, visit Santa, enjoy the new ice rink and get comfortable on the field as you watch the film. This discount is exclusive to HMSL employees and tickets are only available by clicking this link. Once you open this link, just change the number of 'Houston Methodist Sugar Land' discounted tickets you want. Houston Methodist is proud to be the presenting sponsor of Sugar Land Holiday Lights and the Official Health Care Provider of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Quick Eats: How the New Store Works
Have you visited the new food option at HMSL? Quick Eats is located just outside the Garden Cafe and is open 24/7. In the video above, COO Eliud Faz explains how easy it is to grab something you want, and just walk out. The store features Amazon's checkout-free technology. At this time, you will not be able to use your employee badge to pay. You will need either a credit card or your digital wallet to enter.
HealthyDirections+ Winners Announced
Two HMSL HealthyDirections+ winners have been announced. Congratulations to Pratibha Patel and Fredy Benitez. Both won $5,000 each! Both names were randomly chosen from employees who earned enough points to be entered in the drawing. This drawing is based on points earned in the HealthyDirections+ program from January through September. There will be a second-chance drawing for $500 in January for employees who earn at least 1,000 points from October through December. So keep those fitness trackers on and keep moving!
2024 Volunteer of the Year
HMSL is proud to announce the 2024 Volunteer of the Year, Joe Workman. He volunteers at the Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine outpatient clinic and consistently goes above and beyond for our patients, their families and our employees. His conversations are always warm and welcoming with the patients. Therapists say he brightens the day everywhere he goes. Joe, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. We appreciate you!
Rainbow Room Toy Drive Recap
Thank you to all of our HMSL staff who participated in the 2024 Rainbow Room Toy Drive. We helped nearly 150 children and seniors this year! Your generous hearts filled a landscaping trailer with bikes and five SUVs/pickups with other toys, games and more. Your support ensures these children and seniors smile this holiday season. We appreciate your kindness and generosity!
Growing & Developing in 2025
How do you want to grow and develop in 2025? The HMSL Clinical Education Department and the System Critical Courses Sub-Committee would like all employees and leaders to participate in a survey. The results of this survey will communicate what you are interested in learning. The survey will close out Tuesday, December 31. Click here to take the survey.
The HUB, Houston Methodist's New Intranet, is Live
After years of planning and developing the new intranet, The HUB officially launched on Wednesday, December 4. Every day, authors from around the system will be adding more content and updating information. The robust search function makes it easy to find what you need. The app bar gives you quick access to the apps you use most often – MARS, LaborWorkx and Outlook, to name a few. Watch this video to learn more about the site.
Campus Move - Human Resources
As our hospital campus continues to grow, several practices and departments have relocated. The latest department to relocate is Human Resources. HR is now in Medical Office Building 1, Suite 150. The HR Front Desk also moved to the same area.
Human Resources
16651 Southwest Freeway
Medical Office Building 1 - Suite 150
Please remember, If you encounter a patient who is lost and don't know where to direct them, please direct them to an information desk for a campus map. You can also view our campus map here.
Holiday Decorations Safety Guidelines
It's that time of the year again! We know many departments will be putting up holiday decorations. To maintain a safe environment for our patients and our staff, we ask that you please follow safety guidelines. Some of those guidelines include: all Christmas trees must be artificial and flame resistant. Do not install any decorations within 18 inches of the ceiling. For the full list of safety guidelines, click here.
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, December 10: HMSL Staff Choir Christmastime performance
Wednesday, December 11: HMSL discount at Sugar Land Holiday Lights. Get tickets here.
Thursday, December 12: HMSL Blood Drive
Saturday, December 14: Last day to use 2024 DEI personal day hours
Saturday, December 14: HMSL Holiday Party. More information.
Monday, December 15: First day to use 2025 DEI personal day hours
Wednesday, December 25: Christmas holiday
Tuesday, December 31: Last day to take 2025 Education Needs Assessment. Take survey here.
Wednesday, January 1: New Year's Day holiday
Monday, January 20: 2025 MLK Day Celebration
JUST FOR FUN DATES
Sunday, December 15: vs. Miami Dolphins
Wednesday, December 11: vs. Golden State Warriors
Thursday, December 12: Kenny G, Smart Financial Centre
Friday, December 13: Derek Hough, Smart Financial Centre
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Don't let the Monday morning quarterbacks stop you from being bold. You've got to set a high bar.”
- Antonio Villaraigosa
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.