Connect Newsletter (Aug. 31, 2023)

The Stigma Surrounding Suicide: What You Should Know

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, but the tragedy of suicide should not be contained to a single month. We hope to bring attention to mental health and suicide prevention on a more regular basis. The numbers are too large to ignore. 

Spiritual Care has compiled some key facts and stats about suicide. But the stigma surrounding suicide leads to underreporting, so while the numbers we provide today are accurate, we anticipate the number of attempted and completed suicide is actually even higher than what's reported. 

You are not alone. If you are struggling, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or call or text 988 to be connected to the Lifeline.

Click here to read more.

Dodson Specialty Clinics Update: Retail Pharmacy Adding New Location

The Retail Pharmacy is adding a new location to the expanded Dodson Specialty Building.

At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, Cook Children’s will open its third Retail Pharmacy location for the system. The new Retail Pharmacy is located on the first floor of the building next to the Tech Zone, and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

Read more from the Pharmacy team.

Take Control: National Preparedness Month

September has been designated as National Preparedness Month to raise awareness about the significance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that can happen at any time, before they happen. 

It is important to have an emergency kit and a plan in place so that you and your family know what to do, whether you are at home or work. 

Our Safety and Emergency Management team will be sharing safety tips each week in September to get you started on preparing you and your loved ones for any kind of disaster.

Congratulations July 2023 Peak Performers

Congratulations to the hard-working and dedicated employees who have been named Peak Performers for July. Thank you for your outstanding contributions to Cook Children's and for striving to go the extra mile to help our patient families and colleagues. 

Who is on the list? Find out here and give them a high five next time you see them to acknowledge their accomplishment.

Back-To-School Fair

Interested in going back to school to further your career as a healthcare professional? Whether you are just starting out or looking to advance your career, this education fair is for you. You'll be able to meet with representatives from several schools to learn about their nursing and allied health programs.

The fair is 4-8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18 at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth in the main atrium. See you there!

Here are the educational institutions we're expecting:
• Baylor University 
• Chamberlain/Walden University 
• Post University 
• Southwestern Adventist University 
• Tarleton University 
• Texas A&M University 
• Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth 
• Texas Tech University 
• Texas Wesleyan University 
• University of North Texas Health Science Center 
• University of Texas at Arlington 
• Weatherford College 
• West Coast University 
• Western Governors University 
 

Operational Excellence Conference 2023: Journey to Preeminence

The Cook Children's Operational Excellence Conference is a one-day event for Cook Children's employees to learn about the latest strategies and techniques for improving operational excellence. The event is sponsored by the Process Improvement department.

Attendees will learn all about: 
• Short-term and long-term strategies for operational excellence 
• Principles and concepts of continuous improvement 
• Benefits of applying process improvement tools 
• Frameworks of process improvement for transforming health care 

The keynote speaker for the conference is David Reed, Director of Production Design, Restaurant Experience and Marketing at Chick-fil-A. Reed is a leading expert in operational excellence and has helped Chick-fil-A become one of the most successful restaurant chains in the world. 

The conference will also feature breakout sessions led by experts in process improvement, quality improvement, and health care operations. These sessions will provide attendees with the knowledge and skills they need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their own organizations.  Employees will give poster presentations to share their successes with using process improvement principles to address various process issues.

 Register today to secure your spot.

Nursing: Tips for Making Your Discharge Instructions Easy to Understand

When our patient families leave the hospital, it is important that they understand what they should do next. But when the instructions are complex and include medical jargon, it can be overwhelming, making it difficult for patient families to understand and follow them. This can lead to problems such as medication errors, complications, and even readmission to the hospital. Clear and concise instructions can also reduce the amount of time nurses spend explaining the instructions. 

Here are some tips on simplified discharge instructions you can use to help ensure that your patient families can follow them safely and effectively. 

Please click here to watch a ULearn module about how to simplify your writing further: Writing for Health Literacy.
 

Rebranding of Library and Health Literacy Services

Over the last six years the Cook Children’s library team has experienced more change than ever before. The team now has a website, new staff members, and a refreshed name that better aligns with its mission and purpose.

“Library Services” became “Library and Health Literacy Services” in 2022. The name change aims to raise awareness of ongoing health literacy work that includes editing, formatting, and centralizing access to patient education handouts. The team strives to meet dual goals: educating staff on best practices and supporting patients and families with health information that is easy to find and use. 

Retirements have allowed the library to add new librarians to their team, which provides peer-reviewed journal articles for nurses and doctors, makes presentations to colleagues, teaches courses to staff about literature searching and health literacy, maintains access to high quality databases and research resources, and much more. And now, with a new website and a single sign-on solution, they have streamlined services and access to staff members wherever they work. 

Learn more about this team on their page on the new CookNet.

Hut, Hut: Wear Your NFL or College Football Jersey 

Are you ready for the National Football League and college football season? From September 7-10, employees can wear their favorite football jersey to work. 

We're also asking employees to send in photos of themselves or their coworkers in their jerseys. We'll compile the photos into a gallery and share it on the Connect Newsroom. Send in a photo of yourself or your coworkers to Amy.Smith@cookchildrens.org. 

We hope to see you all decked out in your jerseys, so get ready to show your support for your team and your alma mater. But be warned, there may be some friendly team rivalry involved. 
 

Kids' Place Curriculum Fair

Bright Horizons Kids' Place Child Development Center has space for children in its Preschool and Kindergarten Prep programs. Kids' Place is onsite child care available to Cook Children's employees and is located adjacent to Cook Children's Medical Center-Fort Worth. Do you want to learn more about their educational programs? Make plans to attend a Curriculum Fair on September 12. 

Retirement Announcement for Karen Kimberling

Karen Kimberling, Telephone Triage, retired from the system on August 20 after 13 years of service to Cook Children’s.

"Prior to coming to Telephone Triage, Karen was the Director of Perioperative Services from 2013-2018, which grew to Perioperative Services-Anesthesia from 2018 to 2022. Aside from the countless contributions to the teams in her departments, she led our Homeless Initiative Task Force. 

Karen always showed caring and commitment to our patients, families, and peers. She will be greatly missed. Congratulations on your retirement! Enjoy spending time with your family and new grandbaby."

Information provided by Gina Hernandez, Director of Nursing Administration and Andrea Holliman, Nurse Manager, Telephone Triage 
 

Find Upcoming Events in the Calendar on the New CookNet

Keep tabs on important deadlines and upcoming events. Be sure to check the Cook Children’s calendar for system-wide events. If your team would like to add an event to the calendar, please reach out to us in the weeks leading up to your event by emailing us at InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org.

The calendar is here or at the bottom of the CookNet home page. You may also add the calendar to “My Important Places” using the tagged URL.