After a successful run that spanned five decades, the final Impact was published in January 2020.  Impact was UTMB Health’s employee newsletter. It evolved from a one color printed tabloid newspaper to a full color magazine with a digital component. We’ve archived the past several years on these pages for your review and enjoyment.

  • small thumbnail for care closet

    The Care Closet aims to provide essentials to patients and their families

    January 19, 2020, 19:34 PM by Erin Graham

    Located in the first-floor corridor connecting John Sealy Hospital to UTMB Health Clinics on the Galveston Campus, the Care Closet was initially funded by the UTMB President’s Cabinet and is the first resource of its kind located on-site in a hospital in the Houston-Galveston region.

  • CLCribbon177

    Opening the Clear Lake Campus Hospital—A five-month journey

    May 9, 2019, 11:10 AM by Jessica Wyble

    Five months after officially announcing it had signed a 15-year agreement to lease the facility formerly known as Bay Area Regional Medical Center, UTMB opened its new Clear Lake Campus Hospital on March 30.

  • group photo of CMC employees who provide best care

    Best Care part of culture within CMC

    March 14, 2019, 20:15 PM by Stephen Hadley

    Favour Onwukwe, a nurse in a Hospital Galveston facility known as 7A, is just one of the 3,000 CMC employees who provides constitutionally mandated levels of care to more than two-thirds of the state’s incarcerated offenders.

  • Graphic for UTMB Discover data application

    Driven by Data: Using UTMB Discover to reduce readmissions, deliver Best Care

    January 29, 2019, 14:09 PM by Jessica Wyble

    Defined as patients who return to the hospital within 30 days of their most recent discharge, 30-day readmissions at UTMB have been on the decline recently—boasting a 14.5 percent drop over the last two years. This notable trend has saved the institution nearly $2 million and was made possible in part by the development of programs and operational measures identified through the use of the Readmissions Explorer Application within UTMB Discover--an enterprise data warehouse and analytical toolkit that, through the use of various applications within it, aggregates real-time, accurate data generated by UTMB’s mission areas.

  • bestcare_novdecimpact

    Improving patient access

    December 27, 2018, 20:15 PM by Stephen Hadley

    Over the past couple of years, UTMB has changed how it approaches the delivery of care to patients, particularly as it relates to improving access. That work was recognized in October when UTMB’s Ambulatory Operations— medical care provided on an outpatient basis in primary and specialty care clinics—was ranked 12th of 48 academic medical centers nationally that took part in the FY18 Vizient Ambulatory Quality and Accountability survey and achieved four-star performance.

  • bloodclotstory

    Finding hope in tragedy

    September 8, 2018, 20:15 PM by Christopher Smith Gonzales

    Compassionate care delivered by UTMB health care professionals helped save a blood clot patient's life.

  • bestcareinaction

    Visiting by video

    August 21, 2018, 20:15 PM by Shannon Porter

    UTMB’s Ambulatory Care Management Team is always looking for ways to better serve patients. So when Information Services approached the team about participating in a video visits pilot program, they knew this was something that could benefit patients—especially those who live in rural areas.

  • LSTAR_photo2

    On the cutting edge

    July 12, 2018, 20:15 PM by Stephen Hadley

    While continuous improvement through lifelong learning has been a key part of UTMB’s culture for years, this tenet comes to life at the Sealy and Smith Laboratory for Surgical Training, Assessment and Research (LSTAR).

  • ALWAYSaward_environmental

    Always focused on providing Best Care

    June 7, 2018, 20:15 PM by Mary Feldhusen

    The focus on providing Best Care extends well beyond the unit or clinic setting, as every employee contributes—directly or indirectly—to providing top-notch care to patients across our institution.

  • The Lab Stewardship Team

    Right test, right time, right patient: Lab Stewardship Team focuses on appropriate medical testing, improving patient safety

    March 19, 2018, 19:16 PM by KirstiAnn Clifford

    Thousands. That’s how many different laboratory tests physicians may choose from when diagnosing, screening or monitoring a patient. It’s a vast menu—including common tests that measure glucose levels or specialty tests that screen for Zika virus. However, growing evidence shows that just because a test is available, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to have it done.

  • Texas 1115 Waiver

    1115 Waiver, Version 2.0

    March 19, 2018, 19:16 PM by KirstiAnn Clifford

    With just days to spare, UTMB leaders and participating health care providers were informed that a program providing funding for critical services for underserved patients will be extended another five years.

  • Dr. Abe DeAnda performs a heart surgery without blood transfusion.

    Rethinking blood transfusions: UTMB’s Patient Blood Management Program focuses on better blood use, better patient outcomes

    February 23, 2018, 16:23 PM by KirstiAnn Clifford

    When Dr. Abe DeAnda trained in cardiac surgery years ago, he was given some dangerous advice. “There were a lot of old rules of thumb such as, ‘If you need to give one (unit of blood), give two,’” recalled DeAnda, who is now professor and chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at UTMB. “Every resident memorized that about blood transfusions. It was probably the most dangerous rule you could learn in medicine.”

  • Amanda and Keith Johnson smile for a photo as they cut into their vow renewal cake.

    A second chance at life

    February 23, 2018, 16:21 PM by Shannon Porter

    UTMB liver transplant recipient celebrates 10th wedding anniversary after a journey from near-death to new life.

  • HG Length of Stay team members (L-R): Claudia Thomas, Paulicia Grimes, Kenia Latin, Oyebamiji Adebayo, Marjorie Kovacevich, Dr. Olubgenga Ojo, Veronica Kwarteng-Amaning, Nancy Ritzmann and Angel Male.

    Continuity of care behind bars: UTMB Hospital Galveston initiative improves average length of stay, patient throughput

    January 25, 2018, 13:31 PM by KirstiAnn Clifford

    On any given day, all 110 acute care beds in UTMB Hospital Galveston are full. While some patients are preparing for discharge, new patients are brought in by bus, ambulance and vans from prison units all over the state. As the state’s aging prison population requires increased medical care, the maximum security hospital on UTMB’s Galveston Campus often faces a challenge: there aren’t enough beds to go around.

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