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Saturday, November 19, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 48
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MHGH celebrates
Heights Chamber encourages all to ‘Look local first’ By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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inside.
Home for the holidays? Only if you can share it. See how locals put thier touch on this holiday classic.
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Photos by Landan Kuhlmann Residents enjoy festivities at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital last weekend. The on-campus celebration commemorated MHGH’s 50 years in the community.
Memorial Hermann celebrates with community support By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com It is no secret the Heights has undergone its fair share of change as the years have passed, and its most prominent healthcare facility celebrated its own advancements while thanking the community for its support last week. This past Saturday, Nov. 12, Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital welcomed the community to a grand celebration commemorating half a century of serving the ever-evolving and booming greater Heights community, with face painting, games, a live DJ and balloon artists among the festivities greeting residents as they approached the facility’s main entrance. Adaptation, communication key to evolution Advancement remains a major key for any healthcare facility in growing metropolitan areas, and several recent developments (as well as the McKesson Quest for Quality award earlier this year) represent just a few of the hospital’s attempts to more efficiently and adequately serve those within a community mirroring the burgeoning area within which it sits—one which has experienced previously expected changes in about half the projected timeline. “We have to be able to adapt and
change in the same order they (the communities) are,� said Susan Jadlowski, senior vice president and CEO at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights. “We had to rethink our strategic plan for now and in the future to meet the demands of the changing environment.�
Along with expanded facilities, a TIRR Pediatric Outpatient rehab department (opened in August), hybrid operating room for more high-end vascular surgeries (opened Nov. 1), an electrophysiology lab (three months ago) and a new front entrance are just a few of the projects added to give the hospital a warmer, more welcoming look and residents a plethora of previously unavailable options within the heart of their community. “We support many physicians at Greater Heights, including physicians who have expanded their practice to the Greater Heights from the Texas Medical Center,� Memorial Hermann Director of Operations Jason Glover said. “Expanding our services and physician complement allow residents to stay within their community to access a high level of care, whether it be for
heart, neurological, orthopedic or other medical needs.� Jadlowski believes the give and take in conversation between Memorial Hermann Greater Heights and the community regarding such changes has been another major key to the hospital’s evolution and survival. “We’ve had a great time talking to people in our community, inviting them into our organization to ask them what they need from us, and that’s why you’ll see some of the changes you do,� she said. “We’re looking at what it is we need to do as a hospital to serve our children. People want to stay in their community for health care. What we hope we’ve done here is present ourselves in a different manner to the community, not only through our services, but also in the aesthetics of the hospital.� Glover echoed those thoughts. “It’s an honor to be a part of these great communities,� he said of areas such as Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, The Heights, Timbergrove and others. “They were some of the first communities in Houston, and they remain vibrant and relevant to this day. Providing high quality health care to the Greater Heights Community is a partnership that we look forward to continuing for years to come.�
Heights lifers are proud of their history, and the local chamber of commerce is encouraging residents new and old to help preserve it. The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce recently embarked on its now-annual Buy Local initiative, an effort dedicated to advocating keeping residents’ business within local independent and mom and pop shops. “Houston is broad and big and people are willing to drive, but we wanted to remind everybody that the community is stronger when you put your time, attention and money back into the community,� Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce President Jacob Millwee said. A few years ago, Millwee said the Chamber jumped at the opportunity to continue strengthening the local business community environment amidst the ever-evolving and burgeoning neighborhood through the posting of banners up and down 19th Street containing a simple logo saying “Buy Local first� to raise awareness of the impor tance of putting money back into the stores on which the Heights stakes its history. “Everybody knows the Heights has a specific character, and this is what makes our area so unique and a great place to live or shop — we wanted to preserve that,� he said. “We saw there was a chance for lots of commercial development coming in and wanted to emphasize the concept of keeping a residential shopping experience focused here at home.� Buy Local even has the ability to extend beyond mom and pop shops. When getting prescriptions filled at chain stores Walgreens or WalMart, Millwee encouraged residents to do business with those stores existing in the neighborhood, where the person next to them in the aisle is a neighbor or the cashier behind the counter goes to a local high school. “In doing so, the stores prosper, the mom and pop shops next to it prosper and the community as a whole gets a chance to thrive,� he said. Change has permeated the Heights, from new development to the recent decision to remove the area’s dry zone, and while change can be good, Millwee reiterated the importance of preserving the distinct character of the neighborhood through efforts such as Buy Local while adapting to the times. “Change left alone can be chaos, but guided change can become growth,� he said. “It gives the community an identity, and when the community has an identity, it’s easier for it to support itself and for it to change and expand in a way beneficial to everyone participating in it. As change comes in, if we’re able to do it in a guided way which preserves the spirit in spite of the ‘new-ness,’ whatever that may be, we don’t lose the character of the neighborhood that is important to the people living here.�
Heights senior earns scholarship for dedication, leadership efforts By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Ginger and Fork carries a little flare from the North.
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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 5A Classifieds.............................................. 5B Coupons. ................................................. 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 1B Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports. ....................................................... 7B
There are exceptional leaders, students and athletes—then there are instances where that perfect trifecta meshes to embody the terms to their fullest, as was the case last week when a local student was recognized. As Heights High School senior Dav’ion Zeno walked into the gym last Thursday morning, he was expecting another ho-hum school assembly; instead he was presented with a $5,000 Scholarship for Champions Award from Reliant (in partnership with the Houston Texans) for his leadership and student body efforts during his time at Heights. “I walked and saw my family and my grandpa sitting down, and I thought ‘Am I sleeping here, what’s going on?’ After that I kinda knew something was
Contributed photo Heights High School senior Dav’ion Zeno with friends and family after receiving a scholarship from Reliant. The scholarship was awarded based on Zeno’s leadership both on the field and within the Heights High student body.
up, and after hearing my name get called, I was so happy,� he said. “I had
butterflies because it was in front of a big crowd and a little bit of shock, but it
was amazing and I’m so blessed for it.� Reliant’s annual Scholarship for Champions recognizes Houston-area students for their athletic ability and leadership along with their community engagement. “We have students who are collegebound with great academic skills, great athleticism, but more importantly they give back to the community,� Reliant Vice President of Customer Care Operations Bill Clayton said. Zeno not only serves as a member of the football team, captain of the tennis team and stars in track and field, but has also taken leadership roles in various clubs and activities across the campus. “I do it so other kids can have all the opportunities that I’ve taken and use it to help them grow, adapt and help See Scholarship P. 7A
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