Sudha Nagaraj, M.D. Joins Houston Methodist Primary
Care Group In Sweetwater

Houston Methodist Primary Care Group has announced Sudha Nagaraj, M.D. is now seeing patients in Sugar Land at 4660 Sweetwater Blvd., Suite 210. Nagaraj adds another board-certified internal medicine specialist to the team of primary care providers serving the Sweetwater community.

Nagaraj has a broad range of clinical expertise, including prevention and wellness, diagnosis and management of acute and chronic illnesses, health screenings, routine immunizations, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. Visit houstonmethodist.org/pcg/sweetwater or call 281-930-6639 to schedule an appointment with Nagaraj or another Houston Methodist Primary Care Group physician.

Dr. Asha Wurdeman Joins Houston Methodist
Sugar Land Hospital

Asha Wurdeman, D.O., has joined the medical staff at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital to develop a palliative care program that will provide specialized care and support to patients undergoing complex treatments.

Palliative medicine is a rapidly growing specialty that focuses on relieving the symptoms, pain and stress that patients experience during times of intense treatment. Wurdeman will work with Houston Methodist Sugar Land physicians and nursing staff to help patients and their family members cope more effectively with the care they receive.

Palliative care physicians also serve as liaisons between specialists and family members, explaining difficult concepts, answering questions and listening to concerns. Visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland to learn more.

Sugar Creek Country Club General Manager/Ceo Receives Professional Designation

Gordon Wagner, CCM, General Manager/CEO of the Sugar Creek Country Club in Sugar Land, has been awarded the Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation by the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA). Wagner was approved by the Certification Committee of CMAA after successfully passing an extensive certification examination on club operations. He joins more than 1,500 club managers worldwide who have attained this hallmark of professionalism in club management.

Wagner qualified for the CCM examination as a result of fulfilling specific requirements in club management experiences, education and Association activity. The CCM examination tests managers on 10 specific areas, including private club administration, marketing, food and beverage operations and sports management. The exam is prepared and administered under the direction of CMAA’s Certification Committee at various college and university campuses across the country.

Sports Clips Of Greatwood/ Riverpark Partners With Child Advocates Of Fort Bend

When Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) board member Jim Lockwood asked for an auction donation from Sports Clips of Greatwood/RiverPark for CAFB’s May 5 gala, he was surprised and delighted by the response that he received. Sports Clips manager Brittany Lodrigue not only offered to prepare a basket, if he was willing to wait a week or so, but she handed him a large stack of more than 100 coupons for free haircuts for the children served by Child Advocates of Fort Bend.

Lockwood had been getting his hair cut at the store for years, but when he met Brittany last year, they started talking about charities in Fort Bend and Sports Clips’ desire to get more involved. When Lockwood told Lodrigue about CAFB and its work with abused and neglected children in Fort Bend, she was eager to help. “I just love giving back to people. It makes me happy and it makes my team happy,” said Lodrigue.

“I am so grateful for their auction basket donation and was delighted by the free haircuts for the children. Little things like a good haircut can make a big difference in the way the children see themselves and can affect the way they approach school and their lives,” stated Lockwood.

Lotus Midstream, LLC And Insperity Open Offices In Sugar Land Town Square

Planned Community Developers, Ltd. (PCD) has announced Lotus Midstream, LLC, a crude oil logistics provider, leased its first office in Sugar Land Town Square, occupying 7,575 square feet of space. The lease began on Feb. 1. PCD also announced that Insperity, a provider of human resources and business performance solutions, opened a district office in Sugar Land Town Square, occupying 4,093 square feet of space.

Established in early 2018, Lotus Midstream, LLC focuses on the organic development of midstream infrastructure and services to transport crude oil and condensate from the wellhead to market. The company’s headquarters is located at 2150 Town Square Place, Suite 395, Sugar Land.

Learn more about Lotus Midstream, LLC at Lotusmidstream.com.

Insperity operates 68 offices throughout the United States and its business performance solutions support 100,000 businesses. Insperity delivers administrative relief, better benefits, reduced liabilities and a systematic way to improve productivity through its premier Workforce Optimization solution.

Learn more at insperity.com.

HOUSTON METHODIST SUGAR LAND HOSPITAL BREAKS GROUND ON WOMEN’S HEALTH EXPANSION

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has begun a $60 million expansion project that will significantly enhance its women’s health services.

The centerpiece of the plan is a new three-story, 30,500-square-foot building and renovation of the existing Sweetwater Pavilion that will house the significantly larger Houston Methodist Childbirth Center at Sugar Land and an expanded Breast Care Center. The new building will connect to the existing Sweetwater Pavilion, the Cancer Center and Medical Office Building 2, and will house Houston Methodist Sugar Land’s women’s health “center of excellence” – featuring labor and delivery, breast care and cancer care in one convenient, easily accessible location.

“Fort Bend continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., and that growth is driving demand for women’s health services, especially labor and delivery,” said Chris Siebenaler, CEO of Houston Metho­dist Sugar Land Hospital. “In addition, we are seeing an increasing number of patients coming to Sugar Land for health care from communities outside of Fort Bend, including Waller, Austin, Brazoria, Wharton, Victoria and beyond. This expansion will not only increase our overall capacity for women’s services, but it also enables us to create a connected, collaborative center of excellence that benefits both patients and physicians.”

Construction of the new building began in February 2018. Renovation of the existing Sweetwater Pavilion will be handled in stages to minimize impact on patient care.

“This expansion of our physical space and our service offerings is yet another example of our commitment to meeting the health care needs of the community and delivering the best possible care close to home,” said Siebenaler. “We are excited to see this plan begin to take shape.” To learn more, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland.

___________________________________________________________________________________

MAGPIES GIFTS CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN SUGAR LAND

Magpies Gifts’ family-owned boutique’s Sugar Land location marked its 20th anniversary on April 26.

Magpies got its start in 1983 when sisters Maggie Farrar and Alexis Ofczarzak began selling handmade dolls, antiques and fun market finds in Houston’s Museum District. The public took notice and, after a move to a larger space in Bellaire, the boutique continued to grow and thrive.

Fifteen years after that initial opening, the family set its sights on Sugar Land for a second location. Megan Beauchamp and Sarah McMeans, daughters of the original owners, opened their doors at 4837 Sweetwater Blvd. on April 6, 1998. Today Magpies Gifts operates locations in Bellaire, Sugar Land and Cypress, and the family’s focus on community holds strong.

“Our plan was to make this a fun chance to get together, look back at how far we’ve come and take time to enjoy our wonderful customers who have supported us through the years,” she said.

For more information, call 281-277-9777.

___________________________________________________________________________________

FORT BEND ISD’S MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Fort Bend ISD has once again been designated as one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education, as named by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. This is the ninth consecutive year that FBISD has earned the award for demonstrating outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, FBISD was required to answer detailed questions regarding funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

“In FBISD, music education is an integral part of equipping students with skills outlined in the FBISD Profile of a Graduate. These skills include creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, which are essential for future success,” said FBISD Director of Fine Arts James Drew. “This award confirms the quality of our music education programs and supports the Fine Arts Department vision to be the premier school district for Fine Arts education in the U.S.”

___________________________________________________________________________________

OAKBEND MEDICAL CENTER HOLDS RECORD-BREAKING STROKE WALK

OakBend Medical Center’s annual “Stepping Out Against Stroke 3K” is growing and going strong. This year over 400 people registered to walk the 3K and support the stroke program at OakBend.

The Stroke Walk, held at George Park in Richmond, included breakfast snacks, health screenings for blood pressure and a DJ to entertain the crowd while they visited with the stroke walk sponsors. Many of the sponsors included games for children and adults along with educational materials about their businesses. The crowd began the walk with a series of stretches lead by Reagan Packard and Blake Burlingame from OakBend’s physical therapy department.

For the third year, there were specific stations along the walk geared toward children. At each of the four stations, the children were asked to perform certain tasks.

Throughout the walk signs were strategically placed representing FAST, the 4 warning signs of stroke: Face Drooping, Arm Weak­ness, Speech Difficulty and Time to call 9-1-1.

For the eighth consecutive year, OakBend Medical Center’s Jackson Street campus has been honored with the Gold Plus Perform­ance Award for its “Get With The Guidelines” program, which promotes consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines for stroke victims. This is the first Silver Plus Award for the Williams Way Campus.

By participating in the “Get With the Guidelines” program, OakBend is reviewed for 12 consecutive months and must have maintained a performance level of following key measures in treatment guidelines for at least 85 percent of the time. This year’s award was given at OakBend’s 2017 Stepping Out Against Stroke Walk with Allison Capetillo from the American Heart Association making the presentation. To find out more, log onto oakbendmedcenter.org.