HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL

Dr. Mary Bowden, who worked for the health system as an ear, nose and throat specialist, was publicly criticized by Houston Methodist for opinions she expressed about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday filed by a former Houston Methodist doctor.

The nonbinding legal opinion states local elected and appointed officials can receive up to $25,000 for work done during the COVID-19 pandemic on top of their regular salaries. Unlike other pay raises, these “premium pay” bonuses don’t need to be declared to the public ahead of time.

The lawsuit accuses Methodist Hospital and Methodist CEO Marc Boom of making "false and defamatory" statements about Dr. Mary Bowden, an ear, nose, and throat doctor in River Oaks.

A physician who had her privileges suspended from Houston Methodist Hospital is filing a massive lawsuit.

As more people receive COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, some people with a compromised immune system or a history of bad reactions to vaccines may need alternate options.

Houston Methodist researchers stressed that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the hospital did not increase substantially, but the proportion of cases has.

A large number of U.S. consumers will have their medical debt wiped from their credit reports, the nation's largest credit reporting agencies announced.

Houston Public Media spoke with Dr. Wesley Long, director of microbiology at Houston Methodist, about a new study reporting decreased hospitalization rates among omicron patients.

In a statement, the hospital said that the omicron variant was doubling every two to three days among Methodist's COVID-19 patients.

Houston Methodist has seen four times as many positive tests this week, and Memorial Hermann has noted more hospitalizations.

Methodist researchers identified the cases through its genome sequencing surveillance project.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had called the mandate “an unprecedented federal vaccine decree” on health care workers.

Doctors and health officials in Texas say the omicron variant of COVID-19 could be found in the state within the next couple of weeks -- if it’s not already here.

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Mary Bowden is the latest doctor to face discipline after going against COVID-19 guidelines backed by leading health officials nationwide.

Touted as one of the best weapons in the battle to survive Covid 19

Forceful words don't always result in strong action. AP Photo/Damian DovarganesAre workplace vaccine mandates prompting some employees to quit rather than get a shot? A hospital in Lowville, New York, for example, had to shut down its maternity ward when dozens of staffers left their jobs rather than get vaccinated. At least 125 employees at Indiana University Health resigned after refusing to take the vaccine. And several surveys have shown that as many as half of unvaccinated workers insist th

Doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital have discovered cases of a new variant of COVID-19 among patients being treated for the virus, the hospital confirmed Monday to KPRC 2.

Houston Methodist is renewing its call for recovered COVID-19 patients to donate convalescent plasma.

Healthcare providers hesitate to require workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment, fearing a mandate could cause the resignations of staff they cannot afford to lose.

At least five more Texas hospitals have followed Methodist's lead, and hospitals in New York, Michigan and Kentucky have done the same.

Cases of the variant have popped up in several states. But neither the WHO nor the CDC considers it a variant of concern, and the fast-spreading delta variant continues to dominate U.S. cases.

The decision from Baylor comes months after Houston Methodist Hospital’s own mandate, which received backlash from some hospital workers who refused vaccination.

The Houston Methodist Hospital has temporarily changed its visitor policy due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Cases of the variant have popped up in several states. But neither the WHO or CDC consider it a variant of concern, and the fast-spreading delta variant continues to dominate U.S. cases.

Here are things to know for Tuesday, July 20:

Houston Methodist Hospital says it is seeing an “alarming spike” in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the Houston area.

On Monday, July 19, 2021, the City of Laredo Health Department received a delta variant...

More than 100 staff members at Houston Methodist Hospital who were fired for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19 appealed a judge’s ruling that sided with the hospital’s right to terminate their employment. The group now believes their fight will make it all the way to the Supreme Court.

Healthcare professionals say protecting patients is part of the job, and if some employees refuse COVID vaccination, they should be fired.

Houston hospital fires staff for refusing coronavirus vaccine, sparking anti-vax protests

Houston hospital fires staff for refusing coronavirus vaccine, sparking anti-vax protests

The Houston Methodist Hospital system said 153 employees either resigned or were terminated. Earlier this month, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit over the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

153 health care workers who refused to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate have resigned or been fired, the Houston Methodist Hospital confirmed Tuesday.Why it matters: The Texas hospital was one of the first in the U.S. to announce such requirement, and it suspended 178 employees without pay for 14 days for failing to comply with the rule. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.A federal judge on June 13 dismissed a lawsuit brought by 117 staff challenging

A federal judge in Houston tossed a lawsuit over a hospital's requirement that its staff be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a scathing ruling Saturday, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes deemed the lead plaintiff's contention that the vaccines are “experimental and dangerous” to be false and otherwise irrelevant.

In a five-page ruling issued Saturday, a U.S. judge upheld Houston Methodist Hospital's vaccination policy, saying its requirement that employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine breaks no federal law.

A federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by employees of a Houston hospital system over its requirement that all of its staff be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Houston Methodist Hospital system suspended 178 employees without pay last week over their refusal to get vaccinated. Of them, 117 sued seeking to overturn the requirement and over their suspension and threatened termination.

The lead plaintiff, Jennifer Bridges, likened her employer's vaccination requirement to forced medical experimentation during the Holocaust.

Health care workers at Houston Methodist Hospital are suspended without pay for two weeks.

Health care workers at Houston Methodist Hospital are suspended without pay for two weeks.

Texas hospital system suspends workers who won't get the COVID-19 vaccine

More than 170 Houston Methodist employees were suspended without pay for the next 14-days after not complying with the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

Fewer than half of adults have received the vaccine in some states.

‘The federal EEO laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19,’ the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says

The workers claim the mandate violates the Nuremberg Code

Several Houston Methodist nurses and employees protested the vaccine requirement that goes into effect after Monday, June 7.

Last year, Houston’s health leaders were stocking up supplies on personal protective equipment, which was hard to come by.

Virtual learning, severed social ties, and mental health complications on the rise are all difficulties teenagers were faced with during the pandemic.

Houston Methodist Hospital is now offering walk-in vaccines at all seven of its vaccine clinics.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist Hospital becomes one of the first big hospitals to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for everyone who works there. “As part of Houston Methodist management, we must lead by example and get vaccinated ourselves. At Houston Methodist, we’ve made a commitment to offer our patients unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation. You now have until April 15 to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or get an approved exemption. “The number of our employees getting sick with COVID has greatly reduced as the number of vaccines has increased,” Hackett said.

HOUSTON – Andrew Capen, 33, is the recipient of a miraculous double lung transplant after battling COVID-19. Houston Methodist Hospital said he is one of the longest surviving patients on ECMO, a machine that basically works in place of your lungs once they’ve been so damaged they won’t work anymore. Capen survived on ECMO for six months before receiving new lungs. While the end result is wonderful, Capen said it was a dark, lonely time in the hospital leading up to it. His surgeon, surgical director of lung transplantation at Houston Methodist Dr. Eddie Suarez, said it’s a difficult operation under normal circumstances but because Capen’s health was deteriorating it was almost impossible.

The hospital had already identified variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa. There are now four confirmed COVID-19 variants circulating in the Greater Houston area, according to Houston Methodist Hospital. “I think that the identification of these variants in our community of 7 million people once again teaches us that we need to be vaccinating, vaccinating, vaccinating,” he said. Houston Methodist has a long history of large-scale pathogen genomic sequencing, according to Dr. Wesley Long, medical director of clinical microbiology at the hospital. That’s allowed Methodist to compare Houston's primary strain to other strains that may be in the country, and around the world.

HOUSTON – Tens of thousands of additional coronavirus vaccines are headed to the Houston area this week. More than 60,000 doses will be sent to vaccine hubs in the Houston area. The Houston Health Department said nearly 6,400 doses will go to the department’s Area Agency on Aging. City and state leaders came together Saturday to discuss vaccination distribution efforts in high risk and vulnerable communities. AdMayor Sylvester Turner said the city plans to fight racial inequities and disparity by targeting minority communities in vaccine distribution.

HOUSTON – On Friday, Houston Methodist Hospital answered questions about the vaccine rollout during a virtual town hall. Health experts covered a range of topics but wanted to focus on helping educate communities of color about COVID-19. They have programs in the works, that include partnering with minority organizations and churches in to help spread the word about the vaccine. “Really the goal is to bring death down and ultimately control the pandemic,” said Dr. Marc Boom, the president and CEO of Houston Methodist. Arianne Dowdell, VP and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, was the moderator of the town hall.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist Hospital, the largest vaccine provider in Texas at the moment, is no longer taking COVID-19 vaccine appointments after slots have been filled shortly after launching Monday. The public vaccine sign-up went live Monday afternoon. We have had an overwhelming response, and due to the limited vaccine supply, we unfortunately have no more appointments available at the present time. “Then we go into, kind of targeting zip codes, to make sure we’re reaching all of Houston.”Patient databases include anyone with any connection to Houston Methodist. Anyone who has visited the emergency room or any employed or private doctors, or who has undergone any test at a Houston Methodist facility.

Greg Abbott held a roundtable discussion and deliver remarks alongside health care professionals on Tuesday at Houston Methodist Hospital. Following the roundtable, Abbott held a brief news conference and provide an update on COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Some Harris County vaccinations were supposed to start today. However, Harris County officials say they were delayed until Wednesday because of logistical issues. Chambers County officials said they have a limited number of vaccines and pre-registration will be required.

Before this week, providers in Liberty County had been given small one-time shipments of the vaccine. On Sunday, the Texas Department of State Health Services named the provider one of 79 hubs in the state. TMC institutions have now administered more than 195,000 vaccine doses. Hubs now include Galveston County Health District and UTMB, as well as providers in Fort Bend, Montgomery, Liberty and Chambers counties. —Updated Monday 6 a.m. CTGalveston County is petitioning the state to get on the next list of vaccine hubs.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist Hospital was organizing a vaccination event on Saturday and said it worked with state officials to find those who need it most. “We’ve already vaccinated over 41,000 Houstonians and so we’re proud of that,” said Cathy Easter, Senior Vice President of Community Development at Methodist Hospital. Methodist Hospital plans to vaccinate 4,000 more people on Saturday. Memorial Hermann opening vaccine clinic at NRG ParkMemorial Hermann is set to open a coronavirus vaccine clinic at NRG Park this week and opened registration for appointments to the public. On Wednesday evening, officials said all available appointments for Memorial Hermann’s vaccine clinic at NRG Park are full.

Houston Methodist's 26,000 workers can look forward to some extra cash in March — as long as they get a COVID-19 vaccine. Eligibility criteria to receive the award include getting a COVID-19 vaccination, "fulfilling our obligation as health care workers to lead the community," he stated. Houston Methodist also gave employees $500 bonuses about six weeks ago for their work during the pandemic, which has killed nearly 35,000 Americans. For now, vaccination isn't required for Houston Methodist employees, but "will be eventually" for most workers, Boom wrote. "I think people are more wanting it than not wanting it," said a spokesperson for Houston Methodist, who received her second dose of the vaccine on Monday.

HOUSTON – Houston Methodist Hospital, UTMB in Galveston, Ben Taub, Memorial Herman, and Texas Children’s Hospital all say they plan to begin vaccinations next week. “Our personnel are ready to accept vaccines as early as this weekend, should it arrive, but we probably anticipate it arriving on Monday or Tuesday,” said Roberta Schwartz, executive VP of Houston Methodist. Memorial Hermann said with two effective vaccines likely coming to their doorstep, they’ll eventually be able to vaccinate every employee. Key dates:- Dec. 14 is when the state says they could begin rolling out the Pfizer vaccine to hospitals. AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are two other companies that could be following close behind them but they have yet to apply for EUA.

HOUSTON – The Houston Methodist Hospital is now administering the FDA emergency use authorization drug, bamlanivimab. There are three sites where the hospital offers monoclonal antibody infusions: Houston Methodist Hospital at the Texas Medical Center, Houston Methodist Sugar Land and Houston Methodist Continuing Care Facility near the West campus in Katy. Since the hospital system started this therapy on Friday, they said 50 patients have been treated. Sandy Zeluff said she was one of the first patients to receive this treatment. After her symptoms were getting progressively worse last week, she says she made a recovery within a day of infusion.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked a promising drug to treat COVID-19 patients and it is in trial at Houston Methodist Hospital. The drug is called RLF-100 and is also known as aviptadil. It has been approved by the FDA for emergency use at multiple clinical sites in patients who are too ill to enter the FDA’s Phase 2/3 trials. According to a press release from the drug maker NeuroRX, independent researchers have reported that aviptadil blocked replication of the SARS coronavirus in human lung cells and monocytes. The drug has been successful in reducing lung inflammation and so the FDA now says any doctor at any hospital can request this treatment to help severely ill COVID-19 patients.

HOUSTON – If Harris County continues on the same new case trajectory as it is on at present, Houston could become the worst affected city in the U.S., according to nationally recognized infectious disease expert, Dr. Peter Hotez of the Baylor College of Medicine. In a tweet Saturday morning, Hotez said if things continue as they are, Harris County could rival the situation that is currently being seen in Brazil. Finally, his third prediction in his tweet was that the county “would need to proceed to red alert.” As of Sunday night, Harris County is listed at Orange Level 2 on the COVID-19 Threat Level System. Current situation in Harris CountyHouston and Harris County saw a steady increase in cases and hospitalizations last week and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called the county the “epicenter” of the virus in Texas. In a Friday press conference, Houston Health Authority Dr. David Persse said that Houston and Harris County was not experiencing a second wave of the virus.

Across the Texas Medical Center, 18% of all ICU beds are being used by COVID-19 patients and 43% from non-COVID-19 patients. While they are still waiting to see a possible surge in cases, Houston Methodist Hospital said they're down 75% in the emergency room department. “Hospitals are very well equipped in separating patients with suspected COVID versus the other emergencies that we have dealt with,” Zoghbi said. Even the CDC is reporting flu data comparisons from 2019 to 2020 should be interpreted with caution because they say people staying home during this pandemic are prohibiting them from keeping an accurate count of flu cases. On the other hand, Shane Magee, MD, from Kelsey-Seybold Clinic said flu cases are simply down this year.

HOUSTON – Like many local hospitals, Houston Methodist Hospital opened a special unit to treat critically ill coronavirus patients. They’re calling it the “Coronavirus ICU,” and right now there is a revolving door of 88 patients total in the Houston Methodist system, 24 patients at the Texas Medical Center campus. Nurses working inside the unit said when they manage to discharge one, the next patient comes in. The Texas Nurses Association supports what Carnahan and Catalan said, the number of patients has remained relatively low considering the size of Houston. Houston Methodist Hospital says their ICUs across all eight campuses are at 70% capacity.

HOUSTON – A Houston woman is mourning the death of her parents after they died within hours of one another. Abdul Ahad Wahab, 74, and Tazroon Wahab, 71, both died at Houston Methodist Hospital in Sugar Land from complications related to Coronavirus, according to Waheeda Hussain, the couple’s daughterHussain said her parents moved to Houston in January to be closer to family. As she recovers, she is also mourning the loss of her parents. There was nothing we could ever do that would be wrong.”Hussain said her parents decline was quick. Coronavirus is taking lives,” Hussain said.

Houston Methodist Hospital is one of them. The news was disappointing for Michael McBride, who is awaiting a kidney transplant. But his kidney transplant was derailed again in 2019, when his donor, Kris, was diagnosed with breast cancer. “My first thought when it happened was not ‘oh my gosh, I have breast cancer’… it was, ‘oh my gosh, no transplant’,” Kris McBride said. Transplant Center at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Houston coronavirus updates: What you need to know about April 5DPS checkpoints are now being set up on all roads entering Texas from Louisiana as of Sunday, April 5, according to Louisiana State Police. Photo: Louisiana State Police/Twitter Photo: Louisiana State Police/Twitter Image 1 of / 58 Caption Close Houston coronavirus updates: What you need to know about April 5 1 / 58 Back to GalleryChron.com is compiling the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area. There are now 652 positive COVID-19 cases in Harris County, according to Harris County Public Health. 8:19 a.m.Texas coronavirus cases have now climbed to 6,762 people who have contracted coronavirus, with a death toll rising to 124. There are currently 2,084 COVID-19 cases in the Houston area, according to local data, and 26 have died from the virus.

HOUSTON – A hundred-thousand people insured by UnitedHealthcare are scrambling to find new doctors and hospitals after the insurance company and Houston Methodist Hospital could not come to terms over reimbursement rates. The contract expired at midnight, meaning the seven Houston Methodist hospitals and its outpatient clinics are no longer in-network as of Jan. 1, 2020. "90%, probably more than that, of the doctors (in Baytown) are Methodist doctors," Thompson said. UnitedHealthcare released the following statement:“Care at Houston Methodist Hospital is significantly more expensive than care at other top-ranked hospitals in Texas as well as some of the most prestigious hospitals in the entire country. United’s unfortunate decision – and disruption to their members’ in-network access to Houston Methodist -- is forcing employers and consumers to pick different health care options for this year.

Six Houston-area hospitals make Texas Top 20, Houston Methodist ranked no. Houston Methodist ranked no. Houston Methodist ranked no. Photo: Pat Sullivan, STF Photo: Pat Sullivan, STF Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Six Houston-area hospitals make Texas Top 20, Houston Methodist ranked no. Other Houston hospitals that made the Top 20 list included Memorial Hermann- Texas Medical Center, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center.

Jen Para/Community Impact NewspaperHouston Methodist leadership, Houston Methodist West Hospital leadership and board members stand in front of the Centennial Wall. Jen Para/Community Impact NewspaperFrom front, Wayne VossHouston Methodist West Hospital CEOand Kyle StanzelHouston Methodist West Hospital chief operating officerinteract with the Centennial Wall while Houston Methodist board member Don Chaney watches. Jen Para/Community Impact NewspaperWayne Voss, Houston Methodist West Hospital CEO, checks out the Centennial Wall. Jen Para/Community Impact NewspaperHouston Methodist West Hospital celebrated the Houston Methodist Hospital systems 100th anniversary July 26. For the next few weeks, Houston Methodist West will host the Houston Methodist Centennial Wall, an interactive digital exhibit showcasing the hospitals achievements over the past 100 years.

George H.W. Bush hospitalized for shortness of breath The 90-year-old former president is under observation at Houston Methodist Hospital. Jeremy Desel of Houston affiliate KHOU reports.