METHODIST MOMENTS METHODIST HOSPITAL | METROPOLITAN ENCOURAGES EARLY LITERACY WITH READ -A-THON

In honor of March being National Reading Month, Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan’s NICU hosted a read-a-thon! Staff and families read books to the hospital’s tiniest patients throughout the month, which was therapeutic for all involved!

Having a child in the NICU is stressful and overwhelming for families, especially as they come to terms with their baby’s special care, the skills they need to learn, and the details of their child’s illness. Reading to babies daily can strengthen their senses, promote brain growth, and increase their language and listening skills by enhancing their memory. Research proves that the earlier you begin reading to your children, the more prepared they will be once they start school.

The hospital encourages families to instill a lifelong relationship with reading and books into their children’s lives, starting as newborns. Families were - gifted books as a keepsake and were eligible to win prizes for reading to their little ones.

Texas Nurse Day At The Capitol

The Texas Nurses Association hosted ‘Nurse Day at the Capitol’ in February, and nurses of all backgrounds came together to advocate for policy that betters the nursing profession. Many nurses from across our healthcare system attended; they heard about nursing issues, identified opportunities to influence healthcare policy, and more.

Attendees heard about Texas’s current public health landscape, the nurse’s role in health policy, and the nursing legislative agenda and heard from a legislative panel. The event also included visits with individual legislators.

“Nursing is a profession that touches people throughout their lifespan. The value nurses bring to our communities cannot be underestimated. Nurse Day at the Capitol provided an opportunity for nurses to be heard by those who have the legislative ability to make changes – whether it is improving educational funding to help grow more nurses or creating laws to protect our front-line nurses. We opened doors and conversations together,” shared Mary Lee Potter, Director of Professional Nursing Practice at Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan.