Connect Newsletter (April 7, 2026)

Important: Permanent Closure of Dillard Garden and Seventh Avenue Sidewalks

As we move forward with the West Tower construction—a vital expansion to serve our growing community—we are reaching a significant milestone. To allow for the seamless connection between the new West Tower and our existing South Tower, we must permanently close a portion of our campus footprint.

Starting April 14, Dillard Family Garden and Seventh Avenue sidewalks between Cooper Street and Terrell Avenue will be permanently closed.

We recognize that this change impacts the primary route many of you use to navigate between the north and south sides of our campus. While we understand this is a significant adjustment to your daily routine, this step is essential to building a facility that will allow our incredible team to care for even more families across DFW.

To ensure safety and facilitate construction, please note the following pedestrian impacts:

• Seventh Avenue: Sidewalks on both the east and west sides of this section will be permanently closed.
• Cooper Street: The sidewalk on the south side of Cooper Street will remain closed until further notice.
• Alternative Routes: Access to Medical Center-Fort Worth and Dodson Clinics from Terrell Avenue is available via the basement level of Cook Children’s Medical Center or Sixth Avenue.

Though construction brings temporary challenges, the completion of the West Tower will result in a much-improved experience for patient families. Thank you for your patience and for everything you do to provide world-class care. We will share more specific navigation details in upcoming internal communications to help you transition through these changes. For updates on construction impacts on traffic, parking and pedestrian routes, please visit the campus growth page on the Cook Children's website.

Cook Children’s Medicare Resources – Explore, Learn and Get Support

Navigating Medicare can feel overwhelming, but getting the right guidance doesn’t have to be. As part of your benefits through Cook Children’s, you have access to Medicare education and support through our partner, Medicare Choice Group. Here is what is available to you:

On Demand recordings- Learn at your own pace, anytime. These comprehensive webinar sessions are designed to help you better understand how Medicare works and what to consider as you approach eligibility. Once you register, you can access the recordings for the below topics at your convenience here: Medicare Guidance

• Understanding Medicare Coverage Recording
• Effectively Planning Your Medicare Transition Timeline Recording

Helpful Resources - Once you’ve had a chance to review the webinars, you can also explore additional resources through your Cook Children’s Medicare Learning Hub. 
Medicare Learning Hub

1:1 Support - If you’d like to take the next step and speak with a Medicare advisor about your specific situation, you can schedule a one-on-one appointment at no cost to you here:
Schedule an Appointment

Cook Children’s employees and their loved ones who may be approaching Medicare eligibility are eligible for this benefit. Whether you’re planning ahead, getting close to eligibility, or helping a family member, these resources are available to help you every step of the way. 

Recognize Someone Who Lives Out our Promise 

Help us celebrate our Promise in action! The Health Foundation is collecting nominations for team members who live out our Promise values every day—in big ways and small moments. Your responses may be featured in the annual Promise magazine and help shine a light on the people who bring our Promise to life!

Click here to submit your nominations. Please submit your nominations by Wednesday, April 15. 

Have questions? Reach out to Rachel.Hendricks@cookchildrens.org.

Attend the Operational Excellence Summit 

Join the Process Improvement Department in the 2026 Operational Excellence Summit between 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Monday, April 13 at the Medical Center - Fort Worth. 

This event is free to all Cook Children's staff and will feature guest speakers, food and presentations. 

To register, click here. 

Around the System: 

Our very own Diane Arnaout, M.D., a pediatrician at Cook Children’s Pediatrics – Forest Park, is featured on the cover of Fort Worth Magazine’s 2026 “Top Doctors” issue. To read her feature, visit page 62-67 in the Fort Worth Magazine digital issue. 

In the same magazine issue, there is a feature about Christos Papadelis, M.D., and his team of neuroscientists developing an AI-driven tool able to help identify the origin of seizures. To read more, visit page 60-61 in the Fort Worth Magazine digital issue. 

Research Administration and Medical Laboratory team members wore purple to honor International Epilepsy Day. We want to see how teams connect and collaborate throughout the system. Send us your photos to InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org. 

Share Your Content with Us

Do you have any tips, ideas or content you would like us to know about? We want to hear from you! Please view our SharePoint site and email us at InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org. 

To find more content about our employees and news you need to know, bookmark our Connect Newsroom website.