HMSL COVID-19 Updates

Friday, September 3, 2021 | 3:25 p.m.

As we head into the Labor Day Weekend, I wanted to give everyone a COVID-19 update. In the video below, I cover how many patients we have at HMSL and across the system, third (booster) shots, our positivity rate and how the data suggests we’re leveling off.

Thank you all for all your efforts over the last six weeks. Your resilience is inspiring and commended.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO

 

Tuesday, August 3, 2021 | 4:40 p.m.

As we head into the fourth surge of this COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to give you an update on what is going on at our hospital.

In the video below, I’ll go over some of the most recent stats, how being vaccinated has helped, and how our outpatient services are still open for business.

Thank you for all that you’re doing to help our community.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO

 

Friday, January 15, 2021 | 3:55 p.m.

Attention HMSL Employees, Medical Staff, and Volunteers:

We will be utilizing the Brazos Pavilion Conference Center starting Monday, Jan. 18, for our public vaccination efforts. We are also going to reserve some parking spaces near the Brazos Pavilion for vaccine patients. The map below shows the anticipated flow of traffic for the public. As a reminder, public vaccines are by appointment only. Walk-ins will not be allowed.

As a result, we will be moving vaccinations for employees and physicians to the smaller meeting room next to Brazos Pavilion Rooms E & F. The employee and physician check-in table will be in the hallway of Brazos Pavilion Rooms E & F, leading to the Sweetwater Pavilion. Employee and physician vaccinations are also by appointment only.

In an effort to reduce the amount of people in the Brazos Pavilion Atrium, we ask that all employees and physicians use the back hallways (by the mailroom) to get from the Main Pavilion to the Sweetwater Pavilion. It is boxed in yellow on the map below.

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Thursday, January 7, 2021 | 3:41 p.m.

In the video below, I’ll give a brief COVID-19 update, our focus on throughput, and how the vaccine distribution is progressing.

Follow our vaccine tracker for up-to-date numbers of people vaccinated at Houston Methodist.

You can also send an email with additional questions.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO

 

Tuesday, December 22 | 4:19 p.m.

If you have not already done so, I encourage everyone to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine.

In the video below, I’ll give a brief COVID-19 update, share my experience receiving the vaccine, and acknowledge some of the hard-working employees that made this possible behind the scenes.

Click here for the latest FAQ about the vaccine. You can also email askCOVID@houstonmethodist.org or call 346.356.3030 with additional questions.

Thank you all for your continued support. May you and your loved ones have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO

 

Monday, December 7 | 6:19 p.m.

The COVID-19 vaccine scheduling program is up and running and taking appointments. Employees that fit the criteria for tiers 1 and 2 have been notified. I urge those who are opting to take the vaccine who have not yet scheduled their appointment to do so as soon as possible.

Those that are in tier 3 will likely be given the opportunity to schedule starting Wednesday, Dec. 9. That means that front line staff in tiers 1 and 2 who did not schedule early, will likely have to wait to receive the vaccine until we physically receive more vaccines should we run out of our first allotment.

The scheduling email will come from COVIDVaccineScheduling@houstonmethodist.org so you can schedule your vaccination.

Click here for a COVID-19 vaccine FAQ.

You can always ask questions about the vaccine at askcovid@houstonmethodist.org.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO

 

Thursday, December 3 | 5:21 p.m.

Watch this video for this week’s COVID-19 update where I talk about our current status, recap the vaccine town hall, and discuss where we’ll be performing the monoclonal antibody infusions (which is the same drug President Trump received when he tested positive).

 

Tuesday, November 24 | 4:35 p.m.

As we enter into the holiday season, we are closely watching our volume of COVID-19 patients. However, I’m hopeful this will be our final surge before the vaccines are distributed. In the video below, I share the latest updates.

I am sincerely thankful to you for all of your dedication during this unprecedented year. For those of you working this holiday, thank you for being there for our patients. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

 

Friday, November 20 | 4:28 p.m.

As we come to the final weeks of 2020, I’m hopeful we are coming to the final COVID-19 surge before the vaccines are widely distributed. In the video below, I’ll give you the latest updates.

There is a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, but I truly am thankful for such an amazing team. Thank you for your continued support.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

 

Tuesday, July 14 | 4:44 p.m.

Starting July 16, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital will have a dedicated location in Main Conference Rooms A & D for employees to receive COVID-19 testing.

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or meet criteria for exposure testing listed below, please contact the Employee Health COVID-19 hotline at 346.356.3030 and an employee health nurse will determine your need for testing.

Daily appointments will be made from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Walk-ins will not be accepted and social distancing will be practiced to keep a safe environment.

Be sure to inform your manager or director if you will be out for testing so they can plan accordingly.

Jameka Means
Employee Health
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

 

Friday, June 26 | 5:51 p.m.

I would like to stress that the executive order Gov. Greg Abbott issued yesterday does not include Fort Bend County. Therefore, our hospital will continue normal operations while also assisting other hospitals in our system who are affected.

Please watch this video for a message about the current state of our hospital.

I want to extend my appreciation for everything you are doing. Your willingness to help where necessary, tenacity and resilience speak volumes.

Thank you,

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President and CEO
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

 

Wednesday, May 13 | 5:13 p.m.

As we continue to resume services, we have made some changes regarding our screening station entrances.

Our Main Pavilion screening station will now open at 5:30 a.m. with all other screening stations opening at 6 a.m.

To aid staff with enforcing the updated systemwide essential visitor policy, entrances will be closed to all essential visitors at 7 p.m., daily.

Patients coming in for outpatient imaging services will use the in-car waiting process in our Sweetwater Garage until 9 p.m. where they will be able to enter through our Breast Care Center entrance. Registration and check-in at the Main Pavilion will no longer be available after 6 p.m.

Other COVID-19 related updates can be found in this email that went out from the Office of Dr. Rob Phillips, which I encourage everyone read.

Thank you for all the work you’ve done during this time. Your hard work is greatly appreciated.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

 

Friday, May 8 | 3:44 p.m.

As we continue to ramp up our services, we are instituting a few changes to allow for those departments to open.

We are asking staff to park in the designated employee parking areas to allow ample parking space for patients coming back for physician appointments and services in the medical office buildings.

In order to provide screening services to staff in the most efficient manner during peak times, we are moving away from providing dot stickers. Temperature screenings will still be conduction. Houston Methodist badges and the wearing of masks will be your ‘passport’ to travel while on campus.

We will be transitioning to the daily use of reusable microbial masks for employees instead of distributing disposable surgical masks at screening entrances. Starting the week of May 11, we will be issuing two reusable, microbial masks to employees. Employees will be responsible for washing their masks after each shift and wearing a clean one to work every day. Distribution information will be communicated with your management team.

Current points of entry will remain unchanged and will be evaluated as patient volume continues to grow.

Thank you,

Eliud Faz
Chief Operating Officer
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

 

Monday, April 27 | 11:27 a.m.

We have started the process of resuming medically necessary surgeries and procedures and non-urgent diagnostic and ancillary services. We are thankful to be at a point where we can safely care for patients, while not putting additional strain on hospital resources, such as ICU beds, ventilators and appropriate PPE. Please read this FAQ we’ve developed about resuming some of our services.

We are taking additional measures to ensure a safe patient experience. These measures include:

• Modified in-car check-in for imaging procedures (more details below)
• Screening at all entrances
• Face covering required for all patients
• Minimal waiting in public areas
• Thorough cleaning in between each exam
• Strict visitor policy, only essential visitors
• Surgical patients will be tested for COVID-19

Now open:

• Outpatient imaging including mammography
• Physical, occupational and speech therapy at the Neuroscience & Spine Center
• Physical and occupational therapy at Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
• Surgeries and procedures

 

Friday, April 10 | 4:24 p.m.

I cannot express how deeply grateful I am for all of you. Everyone has been working tirelessly to help our patients, physicians, and staff. We have truly come together as a team and shown what our I CARE values really mean.

During this Easter and Passover holiday weekend, whether you are resting or working, I want you to know how much you are appreciated.

Taking Care of You

Should you need help during this time, know that you have resources available to you. You are also able to reach out to Tim Madison and our spiritual care team.

Dedicated COVID-19 Units

We are still preparing for a surge of patients in the next few weeks and are planning accordingly. On Monday, April 13, Brazos 6 will open as an additional COVID unit. In addition, we have converted parts of the PACU into a non-COVID ICU with 10 beds, which will open when the need arises. We also have plans to expand to the west units of the Main Pavilion, if necessary.

Employee PPE Reminder

We are utilizing PPE at an unsustainable rate even with our recycling program. We must be diligent and not overuse our PPE so we know we have ample supply for higher volumes of patients.

• Use one mask per day, unless soiled or wet. Utilize face shields while interacting with patients to preserve those masks.
• Surgical tie-back and N95 masks are being recycled. Please drop them in designated recycling bins.
• Only one disposable gown should be worn at a time.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we remain dedicated to the health and safety of our staff, physicians, patients and community.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Thursday, April 9 | 10:37 a.m.

It’s natural to feel afraid right now for ourselves and our families as we navigate these new waters. Sometimes fear manifests itself into behavior we normally don’t see in our hospitals. As employees come back to work after recovering from COVID-19, a few have been treated poorly by some colleagues after being diagnosed. Although this is not widespread, and only happening to a few, even one case of shaming or bullying is too many. Aspiring to be unparalleled includes how we behave toward one another.

We must always live our I CARE values and be compassionate and respectful. This organization has a long history of overcoming crises and shining brightest when we fully embrace our I CARE values. Most recently, we overcame the challenges brought by Hurricane Harvey, when we banded together and stood tall supporting our community. We can accomplish great things when we remember to live these values.

If you are feeling afraid or overwhelmed, we have a new resource for you – a peer support team, made up of licensed mental health professionals from Houston Methodist. It is available for short term individual or group support by telephone or telehealth appointment. To access this support team, simply fill out this form.

One of the reasons we’ve been able to pivot so successfully as we’ve transitioned from business as usual to dealing with this pandemic, has been the extraordinary teamwork you have all displayed. We can’t allow our fears to disrupt this amazing teamwork. Let’s continue to display on our I CARE values and treat each other with compassion and respect.

As we continue this battle against COVID-19, I’ve been reminded of a slogan used by the British government during World War II. “Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution… will bring us victory.” This is excellent advice as we wage war against this virus. While we’re depending on science and our training to defeat it, we can’t underestimate the power of remaining positive and hopeful either.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Wednesday, April 8 | 12:48 p.m.

The Houston Methodist Sugar Land leadership team meets every day to plan next steps in our fight against COVID-19. During those meetings, we are briefed on anticipated patient loads using modeling tools that can predict hospital resource use.

The models tell us that we may experience a surge of new COVID-19 cases in the days ahead. And while models are not always 100 percent accurate, it makes sense to begin preparing now for an increase in patients.

Currently, we are using Brazos 4, 5 and ICU to cohort patients that are either suspected of having COVID-19, or who have already tested positive. We have added more negative pressure rooms on those units and staffed them with dedicated teams that have been trained to care for patients with COVID-19.

We have opened our emergency department (ED) tent as an extension of our ED. The tent is designed for non-acute COVID-19 patients.

Should the anticipated surge occur, we plan to add Brazos 6 to our current COVID-19 units to handle the new load. In addition, we are making plans to convert the PACU into another ICU and expand to the west units of the Main Pavilion if necessary.

We are also exploring how best to reposition employees where needed. And we’re enlisting the help of our physician organization and system labor pool to ensure we have adequate staffing.

It is still vitally important that you continue to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE). Part of these conservation efforts includes recycling tie-back surgical and N95 masks. We have placed collection bins at every nurse’s station for employees to dispose of the masks that we plan to recycle.

We must remain vigilant and continue to practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. And please, if you have ideas for improving our processes or reducing PPE usage, let us know. You can submit suggestions to hmslnews.org/covid-19-questions/.

Once again, thank you for your continued commitment, dedication and flexibility as we all work together to overcome this challenge. We are still in the thick of things, but together we will persevere.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Sunday, April 5 | 10:56 a.m.

Wednesday, April 1 | 12:48 p.m.

Saturday, March 28 | 12:07 p.m.

Over the past several weeks, we have been carefully following CDC guidelines on the use of PPE to keep patients, staff, and physicians safe. As a result of the growing number of COVID-19 patients across the region, we have decided to take an extra step to protect our workforce by implementing a universal masking initiative. Many of you have raised concerns about this subject. We believe that this change in practice helps address your concerns.

Starting tomorrow, you can pick up your daily surgical mask and paper bag to store it at the Sweetwater and Main screening locations only. You must show your hospital badge to receive the mask.

Medical Office Building screening sites will not have masks available for employees. Physician office staff should check with your office manager about masks.

Clinical staff should wear one surgical mask all day. You will be provided a face shield on your unit that should be worn on top of your mask and be cleaned thoroughly after every patient.

Staff who have no patient contact can wear a mask if desired; however, if you travel through areas frequented by patients, then you could opt to wear a mask and use the paper bag for storage if necessary.

As a reminder, the best way to protect yourself and patients is through proper hand hygiene, not touching your face and social distancing.

See this FAQ for more detailed information.

Thank you for the dedication and resilience you have shown over the past few weeks. These times are unprecedented and I want to take a moment to hear from you. How are things going in your department? Do you need more clarification on anything? How can I or a member of the administrative team help? Please send me any questions you would like addressed on this website.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Friday, March 27 | 6 a.m.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TENT

We have begun assembly on a tent outside of our emergency department that will help with the flow of patients presenting with COVID-19 symptoms.

More details will come as we structure the flow of this tent site in the coming days.

DINING SEATING CHANGES

For your safety, and in accordance with Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-08, the Garden Cafe and Sweetwater dining areas are limited to hospital staff only. Guests will only be permitted to grab & go food at this time.

Staff should follow social distancing guidelines, with only one person per table.

SYSTEM LABOR POOL

In an effort to support employees through these challenging times, a system-wide labor pool process has been created. We are incorporating this process effective immediately to identify available employees from across the system that are not able to fill their hours in their unit. This standardized approach is essential for effectively sharing employee resources across the organization. Even if you have previously submitted a form for HMSL, please carefully follow the new guidelines provided here.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we remain dedicated to the health and safety of our staff, physicians, patients and community.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Thursday, March 26 | 10:30 a.m.

I would like to thank you all for your hard work and dedication these past few weeks. I hope you all are taking the time to recharge and practice resiliency during this stressful time. Our system has also provided information for emotional and wellness care on the HR website.

DEDICATED COVID-19 TEAM

Our teams throughout the hospital continue to do an outstanding job of caring for our patients. Today, in order to help flatten the curve, we are instituting a dedicated interdisciplinary COVID-19 team on Brazos 4 to assume care of both suspected COVID-19 patients as well as patients who have already tested positive. This interdisciplinary team will include hospital staff such as nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, and others. They will work alongside with our dedicated medical staff.

Patients who were admitted prior to the COVID-19 team being in place, will remain under the care of their admitting physician.

Implementing this dedicated team brings the following advantages:

• More efficient care for COVID-19 patients
• Reduces waste of valuable PPE supplies and ensuring the staff has the most up-to-date guidelines from the CDC
• Reduces potential exposure to other patients by treating our COVID-19 patients in a dedicated space with newly added negative pressure rooms, if required

Physicians who would like to join this team should email Dr. Jeff Jackson.

Nurses who would like to join this team should email either Tiffany Bell or Lisa Sheckler.

NEW VISITOR POLICY

To further protect our patients, staff, physicians, visitors and the community, Houston Methodist facilities will no longer permit visitors until further notice effective tomorrow, March 27.

There are compassionate exceptions for visitors over the age of 18 that meet our screening guidelines and the criteria listed here.

We also discourage outpatient visitors unless absolutely necessary. Please advise your patients to use electronic communication, such as a smartphone or tablet for video chat, in place of in-person visitation whenever possible.

SYSTEM COVID-19 VIDEOS

I also strongly encourage you to view the videos located at the bottom of Dr. Rob Phillips’ email, especially the round table video with Dr. Marc Boom, Dr. Ashley Drews and Firas Zabaneh where they discuss keeping staff safe and the proper use of PPE.

Your continued commitment to our patients, our community, and to each other as colleagues and caregivers, is truly inspiring to me. As always, thank you for your commitment to our patients.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Thursday, March 19 | 5:40 p.m.

Effective Saturday, March 21, at 5 a.m., we will be limiting our entrances in an effort to better control our entry points.

Employees, physicians, hospital patients (non-emergency), and essential visitors must enter through the 1st floor Main or Sweetwater North entrances. Both sky bridge employee screening areas will be closed.

Medical Office Buildings (MOB) 1 & 2 tenants, patients, and visitors should enter through the Sweetwater North entrance.

Note: The connectors from the hospital and the MOBs will now be open.

ED, Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, Cancer Center, Childbirth Center and MOB 3 employees, patients and physicians will be screened through their respective entrances.

OB patients, essential visitors and OB physicians and Childbirth Center staff will be able to access the Childbirth Center through the Sweetwater Garage sky bridge. We ask that employees leave the second level parking available for laboring mothers.

Vendors and contractors without Houston Methodist badges must enter through the loading dock.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we remain dedicated to the health and safety of our staff, patients and community.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

 

Wednesday, March 18 | 5:23 p.m.

To help our staff enforce the new visitor policy, we have made two important changes regarding elevator access starting Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m.:

• Elevators will go into lockdown mode and require badge access
• Visitors will be required to sign in at the Main and Brazos elevator lobbies in order to gain access to an elevator

While you will still have access to the public-facing elevators, we strongly encourage that you use the staff elevators to mitigate wait times.

As always, thank you for your commitment to our patients.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Tuesday, March 17 | 6:32 p.m.

We continue to make improvements to our restricted access and screening measures.

Effective tonight, we will be utilizing one entrance for employees from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Employees should enter through the designated 2^nd floor Sweetwater Pavilion sky bridge. OB patients, their partner, and OB physicians will also be allowed to use the Sweetwater Pavilion sky bridge or north entrance. Physicians responding to emergencies and OR staff may enter through the ED during this time.

We are also asking that all other patients and visitors enter through the 1^st floor Main Pavilion from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Heart and Vascular Center entrance will no longer be open for screening purposes. Employees and physicians should enter through the 2nd floor sky bridge at Main or Sweetwater parking garages when arriving for your morning shift.

I’d like to thank everyone that helped with executing and manning the screening checkpoints. I am proud of our team, and as your leader, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with each of you.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Monday, March 16 | 9:25 p.m.

To protect our patients, visitors, and staff, we will begin level 2 restricted access and screening measures across our system. Beginning at 5 a.m. tomorrow, March 17, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital campus will have restricted entry points. There are two, main mandatory screening sites for HM employees through the 2nd floor sky bridge at Main or Sweetwater parking garages. Please arrive 30 minutes earlier than your scheduled shift to account for wait times. Badge readers should be available at these entry points and employees should be on the clock if there is a line.

ENTRY POINTS

Friday, March 13 | 7:24 p.m.

We are moving into phase 2 of our preparation. Phase 2 will allow our Emergency Department to implement a split process flow of patients entering the ED, allowing the ED staff to split persons under investigation (PUI’s) from the general emergency patient population.

We are asking that only ED patients and ED staff use the ED entrances and exits to limit the possibility of exposure throughout the hospital.

We are also directing the public to enter through three entrances: the Main Pavilion, Sweetwater Pavilion, and the Heart and Vascular Center.

Yesterday, the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital incident command center was activated to address the COVID-19 situation. Incident command will be led by a clinical leader, supported by the executive team and key subject matter experts to address issues such as supply chain, infection prevention, human resources, and public safety. I, along with other members of our executive leadership team, will be participating in daily calls with the HM system COVID-19 incident command center.

You may contact our local incident command team by emailing hmslincidentcommand@houstonmethodist.org or call 281.274.7865 with questions regarding COVID-19 and they can escalate to the appropriate unit.

Please note that the visitor policy has been updated again as of today.

HOSPITAL POLICY:

• Limit visitors to two per day. High-risk areas may have more restricted visitation.
• No visitors under 18.
• If a patient is in the ED for COVID-19 evaluation or has tested positive for the virus, no visitors are allowed.

OUTPATIENT POLICY:

• If possible, we are asking patients to please avoid bringing visitors for testing and doctor appointments.

One of the best sources for employee information is the COVID-19 employee portal, which includes our comprehensive FAQ on the right-hand side of the page.

Thank you for your patience as we navigate through this evolving situation and your continued commitment to offering our patients unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Tuesday, March 10 | 4:29 p.m.

I want to thank each of you for your hard work this past week. This is an unusual time as we do our best to keep our patients and ourselves safe from COVID-19. We’ll continue to receive updated information as necessary from President and CEO, Dr. Marc Boom and Chief Physician Executive, Dr. Robert Phillips. I am taking part in regular phone calls with both leaders to ensure they are aware of any current or potential issues in the community, and that we stay informed on the latest news.

As some of the communication has stated, we have a new inpatient visitor policy. With the exception of extraordinary circumstances, all inpatients should be limited to two visitors at a time during the course of their stay in the hospital. Also, patients in contact isolation are restricted to one visitor during the course of their stay. Posters stating this will be placed throughout the hospital and flyers will be distributed to the management team this week.

Any employee returning from travel outside the United States must complete this online questionnaire and await a response from Employee Health before returning to work. Please do not go to Employee Health for clearance, as they will contact you directly for follow up. Contact your supervisor if you have additional questions.

In addition to those corporate policies, HMSL has decided to pull self-serve items from the Garden Café in order to better ensure quality of food and avoid any concern under current COVID-19 developments. To offset, there will be a corresponding increase in grab-and-go production.

The FAQ on COVID-19 continues to be updated on a regular basis. I encourage you to read it if you have any questions. The HR team has also created a resources for employees website that has similar information.

If you have any questions for me, please feel free to email me at your convenience. I’ll do my best to reply to all questions.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer

 

Thursday, March 5 | 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday evening, Fort Bend County Health & Human Services held a press conference confirming the first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 – also known as novel coronavirus – in the county. This patient is not at HMSL.

As Dr. Robert Phillips, chief physician executive at Houston Methodist mentioned in his email yesterday, should we actually have a confirmed case of COVID-19 at any Houston Methodist entity, you will be one of the first to know as we will share this news with you.

The safety of our patients, visitors and staff continue to be at the forefront of our preparedness plans. You can protect yourself and others by using correct personal protective equipment (PPE) demonstrated in this presentation provided by our infection control team as well as by practicing proper hand hygiene. Our infection control team is also offering extra education should your departments need it.

At the same time, we must remember not to overuse or misuse PPE to ensure that we have the supplies we need. To help, Houston Methodist has prepared the attached FAQ document that I urge you to read thoroughly today.

As an integral part of the Fort Bend community, we’re offering our support to the agencies and hospitals who are associated with this matter. We also extend our thoughts and prayers for the affected patient.

As always, thank you for your commitment to our patients.

Chris Siebenaler
Regional Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer