IN THE LOOP RGV NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2023
Driscoll's 30th Annual Pediatric Conference
Injury Prevention
In this issue:
Driscoll in the Community
Former Driscoll patient turned Physician
Letter from Eric Hamon President and CEO, Driscoll Health System
Driscoll's 30 th Annual Pediatric Conference
The end of summer typically means the end of fun and back to business as usual. But for Driscoll, fun and business will carry on. We had plenty of fun this summer and business continues to be busy and steady as we get closer to the opening of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley. Human Resources continues the good times with the ongoing recruitment and hiring of enthusiastic individuals ready to join the Driscoll team. We look forward to meeting and working with new employees and showing them the Driscoll Way. As we work to bring in new, eager employees, we are excited to share what is going on with construction and the development process of Driscoll Rio Grande Valley. Driscoll Brilla, a monthly television program offers the community an in-depth look at our progress. There we can share inspirational stories and remind our audience what we are doing for the children of South Texas.
The Rio Grande Valley community is vital to our growth. We cherish our fellow departments like Injury Prevention and Community Outreach who repeatedly get out into the community to help educate families. We are also grateful to former patients like Dr. Maria Garza Dill who live in the Rio Grande Valley and choose to give back to Driscoll to help us provide more care for more kids.
Maybe summer is ending, but I look forward to all the new beginnings with Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley.
God Bless and make it a great day.
On July 14 and 15, the 30 th Annual Pediatric Conference occurred at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi. The conference marked the return to an in-person meeting post-pandemic. The topics included mental health, drug addiction, pediatric emergencies, and human trafficking, just to name a few. The American Academy of Pediatrics president, Dr. Sandra Chung, was the keynote speaker. She presented updates on federal policies affecting children. Dr. Chung will meet with the Department of Homeland Security and is keenly interested in the needs of children on the border. We had an opportunity to chat, and as the daughter of immigrant parents herself, she is an excellent advocate for immigrant children. The conference provided an opportunity for networking with local pediatricians and beyond. Twenty-two physicians from the Rio Grande Valley attended the
conference. As providers, we often speak to referring pediatricians and sub-specialists but have limited opportunities to meet face-to-face. The conference provided a chance to meet in person. The Televisa news crew also made the trek to Corpus Christi. As part of their eight-episode series, Driscoll Brilla, they interviewed several physicians discussing continued medical education. We hope to bring educational conferences like this to the Rio Grande Valley.
Eric Hamon
Ana H. Almeda MD, FAAP, FCCM, CHCQM Chief Medical Officer Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley
Former Driscoll Patient Gives Back
Injury Prevention
Doctors and medical staff can affect lives well beyond health and wellness. For Maria Garza Dill, MD, a Family Practice Physician in the Rio Grande Valley, her childhood experience at Driscoll Children’s Hospital inspired her to help others. In 1971, Dr. Dill met James W. Simpson, MD, at Driscoll’s Rio Grande Valley outreach clinic. At 12, based on guidance from Dr. Simpson, she began a three-year journey to convince her parents she needed a lifesaving heart surgery. Her parents had already lost two other children and were not prepared to lose another. “I recall my first visit with Dr. Simpson sitting next to me and drawing a detailed heart with the blood circulating for me to keep. Every visit, he would get a piece of blank paper and redraw a heart for me with added details as I grew older and learned more with every visit. By age 15, I convinced my parents I fully understood the necessary procedure and agreed to our first trip to Corpus Christi for my heart catheterization and subsequent corresponding surgery,” said Dr. Dill.
“My recovery after the surgery and follow-up visits continued with Dr. Simpson and the team of resident doctors until I was 18. The 6 years of clinical care and interaction with Dr. Simpson, the pediatric residency doctors, the outreach clinic, and hospital nurses showed me that I, too, was destined to help people. After graduating from the DCH Cardiology program, I continued to graduate school, then medical school, and returned to the Rio Grande Valley to continue my medical career and serving others,” she said. In January 2022, after touring Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Dr. Dill and her husband Dan, established the Dr. Maria Garza Dill Cardiology Endowment for the benefit of children with congenital heart disease and other rare cardiac conditions. In June 2023, The Cardiology Conference Room at Driscoll Children’s Hospital was named in honor of Dr. Dill. Celebrating the special occasion were Driscoll Residents from the Rio Grande Valley, Giselle Ricoy, Doctor Osteopathic from Brownsville, TX, and Jannzeth Trevino, Doctor Osteopathic from Mission, TX.
As part of our Trauma Services Program, our Injury Prevention Team promotes critical safety initiatives through community education and car seat distribution. In a hospital setting, education is provided at the bedside. However, as we trend injury types in the pediatric population, we understand there is an opportunity to be proactive in educating our patients and families in the community. Currently, our team has a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. This grant was written by Karen Beard, Injury Prevention Supervisor at Corpus Christi. Although we are not designated as a Trauma Program at Rio Grande Valley, we have hired a team to begin these initiatives in preparation for the future and support this grant.
Alberto Rodriguez is our Injury Prevention Coordinator at Rio Grande Valley. Currently, the team has held numerous events in the community partnering with law enforcement and fire departments, and other organizations. From November 2022 through June, the team has given out 400 car seats and has held 154 car seat classes in different communities/counties. The Injury Prevention team has educated 42 families on hot car and pedestrian dangers. The injury Prevention team has also provided education to over 100 professionals in the community, including various law enforcement agencies. Injury Prevention has held one National Certification Class and will hold another class in August. They have also developed a mentorship program to help keep certified child passenger safety technicians certified.
HR Update
It’s no secret that hiring the right people is essential to building a successful team. This is why our leadership team strives to hire extraordinary people. From exceptional nurses to clinical and non-clinical staff, they want to ensure our new hires will provide the highest level of care at Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley. Our recruitment events continue to attract quality candidates. These events have expanded our talent pool and have helped enhance the Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley brand. Staffing a new hospital is no easy task. It requires a good recruitment strategy and working together as a team. As a reminder, Driscoll offers a referral incentive of $2,000 for each successful hire you refer. Contact the HR team – Alfredo Galan or Betty Salinas for details and eligibility.
TIFT Play Day 2023 Driscoll at Texas International Fishing Tournament “TIFT Play Day” and First Aid Station at South Padre Island. Another great event for the Children of South Texas! Driscoll received the Hockaday Memorial Service Award at TIFT 2023 Awarded to the individual or group selected by the Executive Board for outstanding service.
Alfredo Galan Human Resources Manager alfredo.galan@dchstx.org Cell: (956) 346-3936
Betty Salinas Human Resources Business Partner betty.salinas@dchstx.org Cell: (956) 632-8389
DRISCOLLCAREERS.ORG
South Texas Cattlemen's Roundup
Driscoll Brilla
Driscoll Brilla is a 30-minute, monthly television program dedicated to informing the community about the different services and benefits Driscoll has to offer the children of South Texas. The broadcast of the program generates greater awareness of the critical healthcare needs of children in the Rio Grande Valley. Viewers will learn about the specialized services that the region’s first freestanding designated children’s hospital will offer. Driscoll Brilla offers viewers an intimate and detailed look at the construction and development process of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley (DCH RGV), from planning to the grand opening, where the audience will be able to follow every exciting step. The program will inspire support from our community. The story behind the creation of DCH RGV will touch the hearts of the audience and will motivate people and institutions to provide their support and contribute to the success. The program reaches a bilingual audience in the Texas Valley Televisa/Vallevision, a leading programming company, and broadcasts the program to a combined North Tamaulipas and South Texas Valley market with a potential audience of 2,900,356 people. Driscoll Brilla is broadcast on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. with a repetition on the following Saturday morning, on XHAB CANAL 8.1 in Northern Tamaulipas and the Rio Grande Valley. The program allows a unique connection between Driscoll Health System and the local community, where viewers are able to feel part of the process and see how their support can make a difference in the lives of the children in South Texas.
South Texas Rio Grande City Cattlemen’s Roundup took place on Friday, July 14, 2023, at the Triple G. Livestock Auction
Through love, care, and healing, we get kids back to being kids! At Driscoll, we never stop working toward expanding our programs and accessibility, bringing more services to children and families closer to where they live, regardless of their ability to pay. Sponsored by Lyssy & Eckel Feeds, the annual South Texas Cattlemen’s Roundups are auctions held at local cattle auction barns throughout Driscoll’s 31-county service area. Thank you to the Local 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America chapters, county extension agents and business participants for “RoundUp” Donations for Driscoll. Edinburg Cattlemen’s Roundup will take place on August 12 at 10 a.m. at the Edinburg Livestock Auction, Inc. Join the fun!! Special thanks to Sarah Garza, Vice President for Clinic & Physician Practices for joining us in Rio Grande City.
Letter from Matt Wolthoff President, Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley
We have a lot of wins to celebrate this summer at Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley. With the opening less than a year away, the entire Rio Grande Valley continues to demonstrate incredible support and excitement for the region’s first freestanding designated children’s hospital. Internally, we are building a world-class pediatric healthcare team that will aim to raise the bar in terms of quality outcomes for children here at home. We continue to recruit the best and brightest clinical staff across South Texas while also expanding our search for critically needed pediatric specialists worldwide. These passionate healthcare professionals are the key to our success along with efficient operations and exemplary service. We continue to engage with the dedicated pediatricians across the Valley, many of whom are Driscoll residency program alumni, through pediatric town halls, local CME events, and most recently our extremely successful Pediatric Conference. The RGV was very well represented with twenty-two physicians in attendance.
The DCH RGV hospital team and Driscoll Health Plan have collaborated on several community events over the summer and continue to do so with back- to-school activities. Thanks to the health plan’s joint sponsorship at The Texas International Fishing Tournament, the state’s largest saltwater tournament, ninety-five children under the age of seven were able to participate free of charge. That, coupled with the Driscoll team's participation in the tournament’s play day for children, led to Driscoll receiving the annual Hockaday Community Service Award. Driscoll’s role in the tournament was featured on CBS Sports nationwide and covered by all the local news stations. Thanks to the marketing team, the Health Plan, and all the members of our team that put in the work on these community events, the Driscoll brand is stronger than ever. Without fail, and in every social setting we find ourselves in, there is always a personal connection to Driscoll. These stories provide us with inspiration and help us connect to purpose daily. The Rio Grande Valley knows Driscoll and knows what we are bringing. As we close out summer and enter a new school year, there is tremendous anticipation for what is to come.
• Camp Freedom STJDA • Casa 5K Run • Cystic Fibrosis 5K Run • Hook It 2 Cook It • McAllen ISD Back to School • Vipers Back to School Expo Driscoll in the Community
Thank you for all your support and most importantly for all that you do for the children of South Texas.
Matt Wolthoff
Rio Grande Valley
driscollchildrens.org
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