Latest news with #TexasChildren'sHospital
Business Wire
a day ago
- Automotive
- Business Wire
HGreg Donates $5,000 to Texas Children's Central Texas Flood Hope Fund to Support Families Affected by Floods
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the wake of the devastating flooding that has impacted families across Central Texas, HGreg announces a donation of $5,000 to the Texas Children's Central Texas Flood Hope Fund, created by Texas Children's Hospital to directly assist victims and support emergency response programs. As a proud member of the Houston community, HGreg stands in solidarity with those affected by this natural disaster. The donation will help fund essential support services and recovery programs for children and families who have been displaced or impacted by the floods. 'Our thoughts are with the families across Central Texas whose lives have been upended by this disaster,' said John Hairabedian, President and CEO of HGreg. 'We are committed to supporting the communities we serve — not just in times of celebration, but especially in moments of hardship. We are grateful to Texas Children's Hospital for launching this critical initiative and for the incredible work they are doing to provide care, comfort and hope to those in need.' The Texas Children's Central Texas Flood Hope Fund was created to deliver immediate relief and long-term support for families affected by the floods. Every dollar raised will go directly toward emergency care, essential supplies, mental health resources and recovery services provided through Texas Children's robust network of pediatric care. About HGreg Founded in 1993, HGreg is committed to simplifying the vehicle purchasing process through its values of excellence, transparency, technological innovation, and a refreshing customer-focused philosophy. With a passionate team of car enthusiasts, HGreg operates dealerships in the United States and Canada, offering new and used vehicles. Learn more by visiting or follow the company on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @HGregAuto.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SeaStar Medical Expands QUELIMMUNE Adoption for Critically Ill Pediatric Patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
Nationally Recognized Texas Children's Hospital Adds First-In-Class Therapy as a Potential Life-Saving Treatment in Ultra-Rare Cases of Pediatric AKI DENVER, July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: ICU), a commercial-stage healthcare company focused on transforming treatments for critically ill patients facing organ failure and potential loss of life announced today that the QUELIMMUNE therapy has been adopted for use by the nationally recognized Texas Children's Hospital. The QUELIMMUNE therapy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024 under a Humanitarian Device Exemption application for pediatric patients with AKI due to sepsis or a septic condition on antibiotic therapy and requiring Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT). Clinical data from the FDA application and subsequently published in Kidney Medicine showed a 77% survival rate in patient treated with QUELIMMUNE versus standard of care, representing an approximate 50% reduction in loss of life compared to historical data in this patient population. No dialysis was required for survivors at Day 60 after ICU discharge. 'We are thrilled that Texas Children's Hospital has begun adopting QUELIMMUNE as another potential means to save lives and help young patients avoid life-long dialysis,' stated Kevin Chung, MD, Chief Medical Officer of SeaStar Medical. 'Since QUELIMMUNE's FDA approval, we have maintained a post-marketing registry, which has provided encouraging reports from multiple children's hospitals, highlighting organ-sparing and life-saving outcomes for pediatric patients who previously had little hope of survival.' SeaStar Medical introduced its Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD) therapy under the brand name QUELIMMUNE to the pediatric market in mid-2024 based on the serious unmet need for organ-sparing and life-saving therapies in this patient population. The SCD therapy is designed to be broadly applicable as a disease-modifying device that neutralizes over-active immune cells and stops the cytokine storm that yields destructive hyperinflammation and creates a cascade of events that wreak havoc in the patient's body. SeaStar Medical is currently conducting the NEUTRALIZE-AKI pivotal trial that is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the SCD therapy in 200 adults with AKI in the ICU receiving CRRT. It has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for this indication and five others, including: Systemic inflammatory response in adult cardiac surgery Systemic inflammatory response in pediatric cardiac surgery to prevent post-operative adverse complications and outcomes Adult cardiorenal syndrome awaiting left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation End-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring chronic dialysis Adult hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS) About Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and Hyperinflammation AKI is characterized by a sudden and temporary loss of kidney function and can be caused by a variety of conditions such as sepsis, severe trauma, surgery and COVID-19. AKI can cause destructive hyperinflammation, which is the overproduction or overactivity of inflammatory effector cells and other molecules that can be toxic. Damage resulting from this destructive hyperinflammation in AKI can progress to other organs, such as the heart or liver, and potentially to multi-organ dysfunction or even failure that could result in worse outcomes, including increased risk of death. Even after resolution, these patients may face complications including chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis. Extreme hyperinflammation may also contribute to added healthcare costs, such as prolonged ICU stays and increased reliance on dialysis and mechanical ventilation. About QUELIMMUNE The QUELIMMUNE™ therapy is being commercialized for children with AKI and sepsis or septic condition weighing 10 kilograms or more who are on antibiotics and being treated in the ICU with Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT). It was approved in February 2024 under a Humanitarian Device Exemption application. Data from two clinical studies of the QUELIMMUNE therapy, published in Kidney Medicine, showed a 77% survival rate in patient treated with QUELIMMUNE versus standard of care, representing an approximate 50% reduction in loss of life compared to historical data in this patient population. No dialysis was required for survivors and 87.5% of survivors had normal kidney function at Day 60 after ICU discharge. In January 2025, SeaStar Medical was awarded the 2025 Corporate Innovator Award by the National Kidney Foundation for its significant contribution to improving the lives of pediatric patients with AKI based on the approval and introduction of the QUELIMMUNE therapy. About NEUTRALIZE-AKI Pivotal Trial The NEUTRALIZE-AKI (NEUTRophil and monocyte deActivation via SeLective Cytopheretic Device – a randomIZEd clinical trial in Acute Kidney Injury) pivotal trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the SCD therapy in 200 adults with AKI in the ICU receiving CRRT. The trial's primary endpoint is a composite of 90-day mortality or dialysis dependency of patients treated with the SCD therapy in addition to CRRT as the standard of care, compared with the control group receiving only CRRT standard of care. Secondary endpoints include mortality at 28 days, ICU-free days in the first 28 days, major adverse kidney events at Day 90 and dialysis dependency at one year. The study will also include subgroup analyses to explore the effectiveness of the SCD therapy in AKI patients with sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. About the SeaStar Medical Selective Cytopheretic Device Therapy The Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD) therapy is designed as a disease-modifying device that neutralizes over-active immune cells and stops the cytokine storm that yields destructive hyperinflammation and creates a cascade of events that wreak havoc in the patient's body. The SCD therapy has broad applications in multiple acute and chronic kidney and cardiovascular diseases, representing patients who today have no FDA-approved options for treating their disease. Unlike pathogen removal and other blood-purification tools, the SCD therapy is integrated with an existing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) hemofiltration system to selectively target and transition proinflammatory monocytes to a reparative state and promote activated neutrophils to be less inflammatory. This unique immunomodulation approach may promote long-term organ recovery, eliminate the need for future RRT, including dialysis, and prevent loss of life. About SeaStar Medical SeaStar Medical is a commercial-stage healthcare company focused on transforming treatments for critically ill patients facing organ failure and potential loss of life. SeaStar's first commercial product, QUELIMMUNE (SCD-PED), was approved in 2024 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is the only FDA approved product for the ultra-rare condition of life-threatening acute kidney injury (AKI) due to sepsis or a septic condition in critically ill pediatric patients. SeaStar's Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD) therapy has been awarded Breakthrough Device Designation for six therapeutic indications by the FDA, enabling the potential for a speedier pathway to approval and preferable reimbursement dynamics at commercial launch. The company is currently conducting a pivotal trial of its SCD therapy in adult patients with AKI requiring continuous renal replacement therapy, a life-threatening condition with no effective treatment options that impacts over 200,000 adults in the U.S. annually. For more information visit or visit us on LinkedIn or X. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1955. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, SeaStar Medical's expectations with respect to anticipated patient enrollment and the expansion of the clinical trial sites; the total addressable market for adult SCD applications; the ability of SeaStar Medical to gain market share and generate sales with respect to the total addressable market for adult SCD applications; the ability of SCD to treat patients with AKI and other diseases; the expected regulatory approval process and timeline for commercialization; and the ability of SeaStar Medical to meet the expected timeline. Words such as 'believe,' 'project,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'estimate,' 'intend,' 'strategy,' 'future,' 'opportunity,' 'plan,' 'may,' 'should,' 'will,' 'would,' 'will be,' 'will continue,' 'will likely result,' and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside SeaStar Medical's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause actual future events to differ materially from the expected results include, but are not limited to: (i) the risk that SeaStar Medical may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of its SCD product candidates; (ii) the risk that SeaStar Medical may not be able to raise sufficient capital to fund its operations, including current or future clinical trials; (iii) the risk that SeaStar Medical and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize its products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so, including failure to achieve approval of its products by applicable federal and state regulators, (iv) the risk that SeaStar Medical may never achieve or sustain profitability; (v) the risk that SeaStar Medical may not be able to secure additional financing on acceptable terms; (vi) the risk that third-party suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations, (vii) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to SeaStar Medical's products and services, (viii) the risk that SeaStar Medical is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property, and (ix) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in SeaStar Medical's Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those under the 'Risk Factors' section therein and in SeaStar Medical's other filings with the SEC. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and SeaStar Medical assumes no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact: IR@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Journals
27-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Table of Experts — Artificial intelligence in enterprise: Houston Tech leaders on what's real, what's next, and what's at risk
On June 4, the Houston Business Journal gathered a panel of Houston-area CIOs and digital strategy experts for a roundtable discussion on artificial intelligence. This group of industry leaders explored how AI is already being applied across business verticals, the risks and limitations they're navigating, and what leaders should be doing now to prepare for the exponential pace of change. Heather Orrico, Vice President, Comcast Business: What's one way your organization is using AI that sets it apart, but that also keeps you cautious as you scale? Atif Riaz, CIO/CTO, Murphy Oil Corporation: Besides general productivity use cases, one novel use case for my team was utilizing AI to pick high performing teams for different projects. We already had the personality assessment data, and AI helped us figure out who might be best suited for certain roles on a project. Of course you always have to watch out for hallucinations. AI has huge potential for building better teams, but you have to set boundaries. Randy Volkin, CIO, Perry Homes: It's not important that every step forward has to be an innovation. There are a lot of commoditized tools and practices in AI that we are adopting that can make us better. There's a sense of shared exploration across industries right now, especially at the corporate level. If you can tap into that, you can make a real difference without high degrees of risk. Ashok Kurian, AVP of Data and AI Innovation, Texas Children's Hospital: HIPAA has very rigid rules about data, but we're further along than many other healthcare institutions. We have many examples of AI uses that improve care, reduce administrative overhead and ultimately allow our world-renowned clinicians to spend more time with patients and patient families. That's why people come to Texas Children's Hospital, we explore every avenue to ensure our patients are treated with the best possible quality of care. Jeff Green, CIO, Strike, LLC: We use AI to speed up risk assessments on bids. That process used to be a six-week, five-figure engagement. Now we feed the info into our AI model and get what we need in a fraction of the time. That frees up time and employee resources to go fix problems rather than just diagnose them, and it has reduced our legal cost. Everyone's happy about those benefits. Keith Tomshe, Manager of Digital Video, KHOU: We're experimenting with AI for news production, automatically generating versions of a story for broadcast, digital, and social. It's helped in places like SEO tagging and repackaging content. But adoption is slow unless it's built into existing tools. If you tell people 'go try this on your own,' it rarely happens. Viet Dang, Director of Data Services, Houston-Galveston Area Council: We're still in the early stages of our AI journey. We created a safe space for staff to explore the potential and possibilities of three large language models—Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. As a public-serving organization, our adoption has been thoughtful and cautious. We're especially mindful of protecting sensitive information and ensuring that nothing is shared inappropriately. With most of our funding coming from the federal government, we see AI as an opportunity to improve efficiency, and we're exploring how these tools can complement and streamline the way we serve the region. Traci Pelter, President & Publisher, Houston Business Journal: What's a tech decision you've made recently that felt like a real turning point? Ashok Kurian: About five years ago we decided to move more of our workload onto the cloud. It's given us the scale and flexibility we need for AI. The GPU access alone is game-changing for our algorithms. Jeff Green: We're working on making our unstructured data more usable. Right now, we have documents all over the environments. This DLP project will allow us to get Microsoft Copilot deployed for the company, but we've got to clean up the document sprawl first. Randy Volkin: We view it as important to continuously improve processes in addition to adopting technology to position the company for continued growth. We recently undertook a major project to transform our ERP platform and felt like we were able to achieve both. It was a very large undertaking but we couldn't be happier with the result. Keith Tomshe: What's interesting is how some people at the station have gone full steam ahead with AI—like building their own apps to adapt content for different platforms—while others barely touch it. If it's integrated into a platform, people use it. Otherwise, it doesn't stick. Justin Galbraith, Senior Manager Enterprise Sales, Comcast Business: I've got a customer using AI in video monitoring to prevent theft — like catching suspicious activity before it happens. Anyone else doing things like that? Permit processes, inspections, medical procedures? Ashok Kurian: We're testing computer vision and image recognition in the field of pediatric radiology, to ensure our radiologists are focused on the most complex situations, and create efficiencies with the common ones. Atif Riaz: Oil and gas uses cameras for remote monitoring: detecting leaks, fires, or missing safety gear. And now, with software overlays, we don't need specialized cameras. Any video feed can become intelligent through use of AI software. Heather Orrico, Vice President, Comcast Business: How do you align with leadership on innovation and data security when there are competing priorities? Atif Riaz: I have learned to reframe digital and security initiatives in terms of exploration, production, or operational success. Once you link IT to business goals, alignment and funding follows. Randy Volkin: Reputation matters a lot at Perry Homes. But we also know there's no such thing as zero risk. Even the federal government gets breached. So we talk about making good, measured decisions rather than chasing everything shiny. You need to take calculated risks to progress any business but we won't make compromises with customer data or other matters that impact our reputation. Viet Dang: Our CEO is very much in tune with emerging technology and its adoption. He recognized the value of AI early on and established—and now chairs—our internal AI Governance Committee. We're focused on organization-wide implementation, encouraging our team to explore the best uses of AI, develop effective prompts, and understand how these tools can support their work. At the same time, we're committed to educating staff on responsible use and maximizing the benefits AI can offer. Jeff Baker, Chief Technology Officer, Socium Solutions: We always bring it back to opportunity cost. What's the ROI of this versus doing nothing? At a certain point, the next thing isn't worth the price. Traci Pelter, President & Publisher, Houston Business Journal: I'd love to hear a challenge or win from this year. Something that went wel l— or didn't. Atif Riaz: A few years ago, we made a very intentional decision to empower the business more—to encourage citizen development and give non-IT teams the tools and freedom to innovate. And it worked. More people started building solutions, bringing up ideas, and moving fast. This has been a big win for us. The challenge with democratizing technology, though, is that not everyone wants to follow the governance process. It's a double-edged sword. You want a technically literate business, but also want to make sure there's agreement for them to stay within the guardrails. Randy Volkin: Education will be reshaped. AI can personalize learning, give every student the exact input they need in ways that teachers can't. In one of my kid's university classes they had to use AI and show their work, keeping track of each prompt they used to get to the result. Another kid at a different university banned AI entirely. It's such a wild contrast Keith Tomshe: Copilot is useful, but it lags behind some other tools. That's part of the expectation gap. People think AI is magic. Casey Kiesewetter, Vice President, Houston Business Journal: What ripple effects are you seeing across your organization? Jeff Baker: We can respond to anomalies faster. Yesterday, we flagged a potential issue in real time. That kind of agility didn't exist a year ago. Ashok Kurian: We are exploring the use of natural language processing technology, which allows our clinicians to spend less time behind the computer, and more time with the patient. This also boosts provider satisfaction, as they are spending less time having to document, and more time with their families. Jeff Baker: Bias is a concern, but it's not unique to AI. It exists in human providers too. At least with AI, we can audit those biases and make better decisions. Heather Orrico, Vice President, Comcast Business: Fast forward 20 years: What does the balance between humans and AI look like? Keith Tomshe: I got a Tesla. The self-driving is amazing. I even talked to ChatGPT on the way here to prep for this conversation. It's part of my workflow now. Ashok Kurian: Artificial Intelligence has come a long way, but what's on the horizon is even more exciting. Innovations are being made today that will lead the world to potential Artificial General Intelligence, where AI will be able to learn on their own, with reasoning capabilities. The uses cases are endless, but we need to also ensure safety and protections with these new discoveries. Atif Riaz: Some estimates put Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) just 12 months away. That's AI smarter than the smartest human alive. Whether you believe that or not, the urgency is real. Heather Orrico, Vice President, Comcast Business: What does this mean for soft skills and people leadership in the future? Randy Volkin: Education will be reshaped. AI can personalize learning, give every student the exact input they need in ways that teachers can't. In one of my kid's university classes they had to use AI and show their work, keeping track of each prompt they used to get to the result. Another kid at a different university banned AI entirely. It's such a wild contrast. Jeff Baker: I teach a cybersecurity certificate course at UT. The best students aren't always the most technical. They're the ones who can communicate, think critically, and work without a prompt. I hope that skill set is still important in 20 years. Jeff Green: I hire for critical thinking, not credentials. We once hired an art major who couldn't use Excel, but she became our best business analyst because she was great at problem solving and critical thinking. She knew how to ask the right questions and interpret those answers to produce business outcomes. That is going to set you apart in the future of the job market. Atif Riaz: We see younger generation nowadays is losing social skills as they are glued to their devices. But if the argument is that robots will get more human-like, that means they'll want social interaction too. So relationships and social skills will still be paramount; that's how you 'get along' with AI. Moderators Panelists
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New safety standards coming to child car seats
HOUSTON - Parents need to know about new child car seat regulations coming soon. New seats will have to meet new federal safety standards to help keep kids safer in crashes. Nicole Peake, Health Education Specialist with Texas Children's Hospital, showed us what to look for when choosing a child safety seat. Big picture view The new standard, called Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213a, states that all harnessed car seats that carry children under 40 pounds must also hold up in a 30-mile-per-hour side collision test. Timeline This side collision testing is the manufacturer's responsibility. The deadline for manufacturers to make seats meet these standards was June 30, 2025, but has now been extended to December 5, 2026. However, Peake says many seats already meet these standards and are being tested for side impact crashes. What you can do Peake says that if parents already own a car seat, there's no need to replace it, as long as it hasn't expired, is correctly installed, and has not been recalled. Additionally, these new guidelines change the weight guidance for various seats: Infant car seats must now have a maximum weight limit of 30 pounds. Forward-facing car seats must have a minimum weight limit of 26.5 pounds. Booster seats now have a minimum weight limit of 40 pounds. Texas Children's Hospital has a dedicated, bilingual phone number parents can call to ensure their child's seat meets standards and is installed properly. Families can call and leave a message to chat with a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician with any questions: (832) 822-2277. Or parents can make an appointment through this link. The Source Information in this article is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Texas Children's Hospital.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Inside the Texas Children's Hospital trans care whistleblower case: One year of fallout and unanswered questions
Credit: X/Vanessa Sivadge It's been exactly one year since nurse Vanessa Sivadge ignited a political and legal firestorm by accusing Texas Children's Hospital—America's largest pediatric care center—of secretly continuing gender transition treatments for minors in violation of state law. What began as a whistleblower interview has since spiraled into FBI visits, criminal indictments, legislative inquiries, and the quiet departure of a once-revered CEO. Here's how the case unfolded and what has happened since the revelations came to light. June 2024: Vanessa Sivadge goes public On June 23, 2024, the New York Post published an interview with Vanessa Sivadge, 31, a former nurse at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). In the interview, Sivadge alleged that doctors at TCH continued to perform gender-affirming care on minors despite state law and public assurances that the program had been shut down. 'These doctors are driven by a political agenda, like an ideological agenda,' she told the Post. 'And I truly believe that they think that they're doing the right thing.' She further alleged that doctors manipulated parents into consenting to medical transition by invoking suicide threats. 'Parents were manipulated by doctors with an ideological agenda to go down this path of medical transition for their child,' she said. 'And I do think that doctors would use manipulative language to suggest that if they didn't do this their child would commit suicide or they would harm themselves.' According to Sivadge, doctors bypassed Texas' Medicaid restrictions by misdiagnosing minors with hormone deficiencies so that puberty blockers and hormone therapies would be covered. 'There was just no discussion of what are the risks, what are the long-term effects,' she said. 'Many of [the patients] had previous ER visits for attempted suicide, many of them are autistic, many of them are depressed and anxious, and that's really devastating because it's really clear there's something else going on.' The FBI shows up Following her public disclosures, Sivadge said she was visited by two FBI agents. Video footage shared by Christopher Rufo on X (formerly Twitter) shows two plainclothes agents at her door. One agent can be heard saying: 'I'm sure you're aware of some of the things that have been going on at your work lately.' Sivadge told Rufo, 'They threatened me. They promised they would make life difficult for me if I was trying to protect the leaker. They said I was not safe at work and claimed that someone at my workplace had given my name to the FBI.' Sivadge's revelations came a year after Dr. Eithan Haim, a surgeon at the hospital, released documents in May 2023 showing that Texas Children's continued providing gender-affirming care after claiming it had ceased operations in March 2022. Haim was later indicted by the Department of Justice on four federal charges—three of them for HIPAA violations. Haim denied any wrongdoing. 'They wanted to intimidate me into silence using every technique the federal leviathan had at their disposal. But they failed,' Haim said. 'The only way to lose is to submit to corruption. It's time to fight back harder than ever!' Haim claimed the leaked files did not contain personal health information. And like Haim, Sivadge also had to pay the price for bringing the truth out in the open. Sivadge in a tweet revealed she had been fired in August 2024, just two months after coming forward. 'I had low expectations when I went public, doubtful and uncertain if anyone would notice or care,' she wrote. 'Imagine my shock when people I had never met overwhelmed my Legal Defense Fund with financial support.' She added: 'After I was fired in August 2024, these early contributions by generous supporters enabled us to retain [@BurkeLawTweets] as our legal counsel. They are the most qualified, tenacious group of attorneys I have ever had the privilege of working with.' However, Sivadge points out that the two journalists she accused,- David Pauls and Dr Richard O Roberts- have since vanished from the scene. Jonathan Choe, a reporter known for investigating gender medicine practices, visited the physicians' listed residences. Despite attempts to make contact, neither doctor was found at home, and no public statement has been issued by them regarding the allegations to date. Amidst the controversy, the CEO of the Texas hospital, Mark A. Wallace, stepped down after 35 years at the helm. The announcement was delivered without fanfare and did not reference the whistleblower case or ongoing investigations. Credit: X/Vanessa Sivadge However, internal memos obtained by reporters showed that Wallace had previously circulated communications stating that the hospital's gender program had been fully shut down following the February 2022 directive from Attorney General Ken Paxton, which categorized gender-affirming care for minors as potential child abuse under Texas law. Contrary to those assurances, whistleblower claims and leaked documents showed that the program had continued operations in various capacities well into 2023, with medical records indicating the ongoing prescription of puberty blockers and hormones. The disconnect between internal messaging and actual medical practice is now a focal point in both legal and legislative reviews of the hospital's conduct. June 2025: One year later, still no closure The Texas Attorney General's Office, under Ken Paxton, is actively investigating the allegations involving Medicaid fraud and misrepresentation of gender-related diagnoses for billing purposes. State Rep. Brian Harrison and Sen. Mayes Middleton submitted a joint letter urging Texas Health and Human Services to conduct a full audit of Medicaid/CHIP funds used by Texas Children's Hospital from 2021 onward. Credit: X/Vanessa Sivadge In their statement, they wrote: 'There is perhaps no more important responsibility we all share than to be good stewards with tax dollars... If true, not only do the actors involved know they are perpetrating a fraud, but they are doing it to engage in child abuse.' Meanwhile, federal prosecutors continue their case against Dr. Eithan Haim. He faces four charges—three for alleged HIPAA violations and one for unauthorized access of medical files. Haim maintains that no protected health information was leaked and that his actions were protected whistleblowing under federal law. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has since launched an official investigation into the hospital's use of Medicaid funds and the allegations of child abuse. State Rep. Brian Harrison has called for emergency hearings. Meanwhile, Dr. Eithan Haim's legal case continues, as does fundraising for both whistleblowers' legal defenses. For her part, Vanessa Sivadge remains defiant and resolute. 'They tried to silence me,' she said. 'But if telling the truth costs me everything, I can live with that.' One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
