Cook Children's Health Care System

We are thrilled to see our collaboration with Artisight highlighted, as it directly translates to Cook Children's ability to achieve our promise by empowering our nurses and elevating their ability to deliver exceptional care.

Sunday is National Doctor’s Day! Cook Children’s doctors work every day to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities.   Many of our Hematology & Oncology doctors will be at Panther Island Pavilion for The Blast tomorrow, to walk alongside Cook Children's patients living with cancer and their families. It’s not too late to join us and show the world that at Cook Children’s, no one walks alone.   Visit www.BlastWalk.org to sign up!

This Child Life Month, we celebrate our amazing Child Life Specialists at Cook Children’s Medical Center - Prosper who are masters at providing support for our patient’s emotional well-being. They use their specialized skills to help children understand their medical journeys, manage anxiety, and rediscover the simple joys of childhood. They're more than caregivers; they're essential partners in our mission to provide family-centered care. We're incredibly proud of their dedication and the positive impact they have on our patients and their families. #ChildLifeMonth #PatientExperience #ChildDevelopment #PediatricCare

Hip, hip hooray – it’s Cook Children’s 107th birthday!   For our patients and families at Cook Children’s, birthdays are more than just another year. They’re milestones. They’re victories. The right treatment working, a successful surgery or a discovery that brings them one step closer to going home. Every birthday they experience is a reminder that they’re supported every step of the way.   When you become a Miracle Maker, your monthly gift is more than a donation; it’s a chance for kids to grow up and change the world. Visit https://shorturl.at/MzP3p to learn more. Don’t forget to ask your employer if they will match your gift to double your monthly impact!   Let us know in the comments – what is your favorite birthday memory?

In Episode 10 of Untold: The Stories of Cook Children’s, we sit down with Megan Chavez,MS,FACHE,CPXP, Vice President for the Cook Children's Experience, to explore the deeply personal and evolving world of patient experience. Megan shares her journey from growing up in hospitals as the daughter of a dedicated nurse to becoming a leader in the movement to humanize health care.  She discusses the critical balance between clinical expertise and emotional connection, how patient outcomes improve with strong therapeutic relationships, and why caring for caregivers is just as important as caring for patients. With powerful personal stories—including a touching moment with her own mother—Megan highlights the importance of protecting the well-being of health care workers so they can continue to give their best to the families they serve. Join us as we uncover the humanity behind health care and learn why patient experience is more than a profession—it’s a calling. https://lnkd.in/gxNxVPPf

Calling all new graduate nursing students! Located in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, we are excited to share with you our nationally accredited pediatric Nurse Residency program. The Cook Children’s Nurse Residency program is a 12-month program designed to support new baccalaureate graduates as they grow from student nurse to competent professional nurse. Our unique program aligns with the Cook Children’s Values and Pinky Promise of Everything for the Child. With two exciting tracks to choose from, our nurse residents experience a wide variety of clinical units where they develop clinical knowledge, skill, and confidence to provide exceptional care for every child. Throughout the program, nurse residents experience over 1800 supervised clinical hours, 200 classroom hours, and are eligible to sit for the Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) exam at the time of graduation. Applications for our upcoming October 2025 cohort will be open March 18 – April 9, 2025. To learn more about our program and upcoming Zoom information sessions, please visit our website: https://rb.gy/7arnik

March is Child Life Month! Child Life specialists work with kids and families to make their visit to the medical center easier and more comfortable.   At Cook Children’s, the Child Life Department includes: Activity coordinators to facilitate play opportunities for patients, including exploring real medical equipment to reduce anxiety. Sit…Stay…PLAY facility dogs for distraction, motivation and emotional support. The Child Life Zone, a treatment free area with games, events, broadcast studio, recording studio and a library. The Creative Arts team, made up of music therapists, a resident artist and a movement therapist who help create expression through artistic media.   These programs are supported by donor funding. You can help bring comfort and joy to a child facing the difficult challenges of a hospital stay, illness or injury. Reach out to corporatepartners@cookchildrens.org to learn how you can support our Child Life patient activities each month.

For the second year in a row, Newsweek named Cook Children's one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women. We're introducing you to some of the women who make Cook Children's such an amazing place. Jennifer Fuester-Reynolds ("JFR") is known for going the distance. Whether it’s building marketing campaigns that champion Cook Children’s, cultivating a community garden, running an ultra-marathon or trekking the Grand Canyon, she digs deep and goes the extra mile to overcome every challenge. “I think the biggest challenge I face every day is fitting everything in,” Fuester-Reynolds said. “There are so many projects to work on, people to talk to, ideas and possibilities bouncing around in my head. Sometimes finding a balance is a challenge. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s an ultra-marathon, not a sprint.” As manager of Marketing, Fuester-Reynolds spends her workdays collaborating with partners and members of her team to craft creative ad campaigns, produce engaging videos and podcasts, and write and edit print and digital content – all to strengthen and uphold Cook Children’s brand. Her career began in marketing and advertising, but the passion for caring she saw in her mom, a nurse, and her grandmother, a nursing assistant, led her to a career in health care. Her professional philosophy is inspired by the wisdom of her grandfather who would say, “Work like you own the place.” “It’s a great lesson because, in fact, everyone’s workplace is theirs in a way. And when you own your work, you give your best energy, attention and passion,” she said. “I continue to work on this lesson, aspiring to learn, develop and improve all the time.” Read more of Jennifer's story and those of the women that make Cook Children's a special place to work, here: https://lnkd.in/gdgRyKVr

Did you know over 3,500 Cook Children’s employees donate through our workplace giving program? Each year, the Employees Care program raises over $1 million to help fund patient experiences and meet critical medical needs.    Join us in generosity! Your employer could match your automatic payroll deductions donation made to Cook Children’s. This means you can double the impact of your gift at no extra cost to you. Unsure if your employer has a workplace giving program? Simply click the link below to learn more. https://bit.ly/4iLw4Uj Special thanks to a few of our long-time workplace giving partners: Bank of America, BNSF Railway, Lockheed Martin, PepsiCo Foundation, Sewell Automotive Companies

In Episode 9 of Untold: The Stories of Cook Children's, we dive into the fascinating world of pediatric neurology with Scott Perry, M.D., head of Neurosciences and director of the Institute for Mind Health. From childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut to unraveling the mysteries of the brain, Dr. Perry shares his personal journey into medicine, his passion for understanding epilepsy, and how storytelling plays a crucial role in diagnosing and treating patients. Discover how rare genetic epilepsies led him to international recognition, why Cook Children's stood out as his perfect home, and how his dedication to research is transforming the future of neurological care. Plus, we explore how art and neuroscience intersect in a way that heals, inspires, and brings the community together. Join us for a powerful conversation about innovation, perseverance, and the human connection behind medicine. Listen Here: https://lnkd.in/gxNxVPPf