Luming Li, MD, MHS, FACHE, FAPA, ACC’s Post

Hurricane Beryl hit Houston hard on July 8th. The impacts have been devastating, deadly, and worrisome, especially with heat rising to the 90s today. Communities and families continue to be challenged. My neighborhood of Sugar Land, TX is where the eye of the storm passed (thankfully our family is doing reasonably well under the circumstances). We had fences down, debris throughout the community, and electricity continues to be widely unavailable. Many clinics, daycares and stores are still closed. Throughout Houston, 1.7M (yesterday, it was more than 2M) are without power and connectivity. Cooling centers, shelters, and even gyms have opened throughout the greater Houston area to help provide air conditioning, food, and showers. I am so proud and grateful for our teams across the facilities, security, pharmacy, medical, and many others for working arm-in-arm to get through the storm - ensuring clients are getting medications, responding to critical facilities issues, and working to support those directly in our care. Our dedicated clinic staff are also working to reschedule appointments and ensuring critical clinical needs are met, as our clinics/administrative areas have been closed for yesterday 7/8, and today, 7/9. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD's 24/7 programs, access/crisis lines, and residential programs continue to operate and are available to help those in need. To access mental health services, please reach out to 9-8-8 or 713-970-7000 to be connected. Houston Public Media has been updating about facilities nearby for essential services: https://lnkd.in/gQTmrdWp

We’re looking for to an inspiring medical leader to join us as the VP level for our crisis and forensic programs in Harris County. I’m excited to partner with The Meyers Group on this executive search. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is based in the beautiful and multicultural City of Houston. We do impactful work each and every day, serving the needs of many who need behavioral health and IDD services. You’ll be joining a very talented executive team, led by one of the most visionary behavioral health leaders out there - Wayne Young, MBA, LPC, FACHE. I’ve appreciated that we are a diverse leadership team, representing the county well with an inclusive focus and servant-leadership mindset to provide high quality, excellent care to the community

I really enjoyed the incredible team-building retreat at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. We do quarterly offsite as a leadership team, where the organization invests in having leaders connects, rejuvenate, and deepen knowledge about key aspects of leading - all while having fun! This quarter, we had fun with (can you guesss?) an 80s theme!! It was so nourishing and meaningful to connect with leaders, share ideas, and learn about important topics of emotional intelligence, burnout, and how to move toward thriving and success. I loved seeing the colorfulness and self-expression highlighted by all those who enriched the space with color, comments, and insights. During a time of “quiet quitting” and disengagement, it’s empowering to talk through skills and strategies to bring joy and trust back to the forefront, and support the “how” in getting things done. We had practical tips and discussed strategies we can use as leaders. It was helpful to acknowledge vulnerabilities and share ideas about how to overcome barriers when navigating challenging situations. Although we may not all agree on the decisions, it’s important to listen deeply, seek to clarify, and support each in delivering exceptional healthcare to those who need it. I wanted to share a note of gratitude and appreciation and for the company, connections, and creativity in imagining a different vision for leadership. Big shout-outs to Tanya White Angie Babin - BS Pharmacy, MBA Juan Rios, MBA, PMPI for being raffle and Kahoot winners from my broader teams. I just had a lot of fun connecting with everyone and am already looking forward to the next one! Thanks Joe Gorczyca, Ninfa Escobar, Ph.D., and so many others for helping make these retreats a success! I truly cherish getting to see colleagues and friends across our agency and love the community we build together.

We had a great time working with Texas’s HHSC to envision approaches to care for Children Without Placement (CWOP). In joining the conversation, I was struck and grateful for agencies and groups coming together to support children in need. I heard about the challenges around engagement and related opportunities and creativity to do “out-of-the-box” thinking, specifically to meet kids where they’re at to support linkages and connection to care. I am so thankful for the HHSC leadership including @Dr Sylvia Muzquiz and by The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD’s @Tiffanie Williams-Brooks for guiding the session! It was terrific getting to connect with various practice managers for child/adolescent clinics from across our clinics, and hearing about the needs for this high-need, important group of children/adolescents.

Conferences are a great space to connect, inspire, network, and deepen relationships. This week, I was delighted to see a large presence by The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD at the Texas Council’s Annual Conference in San Antonio! We had such a big group that we didn’t all fit in one table for an informal team gathering… At this year’s conference, I was particularly grateful for the exchange of ideas, including on balancing the community-emphasis amidst technology advances, linking to trend analysis of program administration, and following a deeper dive into AI application and ethics. I also loved being able to connect with Harris Center team members about their observations and learnings, as well as have conversation about career development and strengthening leadership skills. It was great to connect with so many friends and colleagues, including Charles Mathias, Ph.D., Vanessa Schick, Amber Pastusek, MD, MSHA, Sylvia Muzquiz, Carolyn Rekerdres MD, Carol Nati, Meena Vyas, Mark Janes, John Burruss, M.D., Sonja Gaines, MBA, Sarah Melecki, and so many others! On a fun note, I also got to explore the San Antonio Riverwalk, which is a long, shaded pathway in downtown for running and walking. It was so enjoyable to see the artwork and history of the place. I found it deeply memorable to be immersed in reflection along the Riverwalk and be gently reminded of how despite being a battle place some time ago, the space is now peaceful and supports inclusion in its colorful displays and beauty. #communitycenters #lifelonglearning #wellbeing

June is such a great month of transitions, especially in resident education. We had the last monthly CMO Roundtable with our Residents Clinic The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD earlier in the week, where we got a chance to talk about systems factors impacting care and discuss opportunities for improvement. We especially captured the need for specializing services for individuals from a Latinx/Hispanic background. We partner closely with Baylor College of Medicine & UTHealth Houston Psychiatry to support training the next generation of public psychiatry leaders, and are committed to evolve providing exceptional clinical education for those invested in serving our population. I also had a great time connecting with residents, faculty, and department leadership for the 2024 Baylor College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry’s Residency Graduation. I always enjoy conversations and catching up with colleagues and friends to share in celebration of the graduating trainees. It was especially touching to see all the family and friends in the room, and those who supported the graduates in their journey through medical school and residency. Lindsey Pershern shared important reflections about the special challenges today’s graduates faced in COVID-19 and the resiliency it took to train during a global pandemic. I loved hearing the rich experiences and backgrounds of the graduating class. Graduations are inspiring and energizing; I found the trainees’ commitment and focus on community and underserved populations. It’s truly exciting to see how many graduates are staying in Houston, and share passion around strengthening the practice locally in Texas. I’m delighted to support improving access and educational leadership, and looking forward to partnering with many as we evolve mental wellbeing and psychiatric care innovations in Harris County!!