Connect Newsletter (Aug. 5, 2025)

A New Beginning Takes Flight: Inside the Landmark Collaboration Bringing Las Vegas Trail a One-of-a kind Community Health Care Hub

We made history on Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of our newest neighborhood health center serving the Las Vegas Trail community. Please take the time to click here and read the article, watch the video and look at the pictures for this health care hub that connects individuals and families to services that support every facet of well-being, from personal safety and medical care to food security, financial stability, and strong family foundations.

Your Feedback Driving Change at All Levels

Please take the time to watch this recorded session, available through the links below, to learn about the results of the most recent systemwide "Your Voice Matters" Survey. Your feedback is crucial, informing efforts in various parts of the system well beyond your department. 

Click the links below to hear how we are using your insights to influence changes in Experience, Safety, and Human Resources. We encourage you to watch the recordings to stay up-to-date on these important discussions and our path toward continued growth and success.

• The Role We All play in Driving Change with Megan Chavez, Vice President of Cook Children's Experience
• Our Pinky Promise Starts With Our Team with Kathy McLean, Vice President of Brand and Team Experience
• Connecting the Dots Between Patient and Staff Experience with Michele Mitchell, Director of Patient Relations
• Understanding our Culture of Safety with Lorrainea Williams, Vice President of Quality of Patient Safety
• Your Voice: Informing HR Efforts with Merridth Simpson, Vice President of Human Resources and Occupational Health

Benefits Team Hosting In-person Q&A Sessions

The Benefits team will host in-person Q&A sessions to answer any questions you have about open enrollment. Come visit us at the Medical Center in the Family Support Meeting Room A during the following times:

• 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 6  
• 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 13 
• 10 a.m. – Noon, Thursday, Aug. 14 
• 9 a.m. –12:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 18 

You may also Contact the Benefits team at AskBenefits@cookchildrens.org with any questions!

To learn more and to see this year's Benefits Guide, click here.

Notice of Privacy Practices Updated 

Please view the latest version of our notice of privacy practices. This notice describes Cook Children's practices and those of: 

• Any health care professional authorized to enter information into a patient's medical record;
• Any volunteer allowed to help patients in our care; and 
• All Cook Children's employees, staff and personnel. 

For more information, please click on the link or view the downloadable versions on the upper right side under our “documents” tab. 

https://www.cookchildrens.org/about/compliance/notice-of-privacy-practices/

IMPORTANT: Construction Changes This Week

As we build the new West Tower, impacts on local roads and thoroughfares are to be expected. To ensure a smooth journey, it is highly recommended to plan ahead for your commute and allow extra time to reach your destination and report for your shift at your scheduled time.

To ensure you know the most current traffic updates, please bookmark this page. It is updated often and includes major street closures, pedestrian sidewalk closures and any potential reroutes.

For more general information on the growth and development across the system, visit our "We're Growing” page.

August is Well-being Month 

Begin with You and Be Well!  

August is Well-being Month at Cook Children’s. It’s important to first take care of ourselves so we in turn can care for others. When we take time for personal and professional well-being it’s easier to find the energy and motivation to show up as our best selves each day.

We’ve brought together different teams from across the system to plan a variety of meaningful well-being activities including speaker sessions, self-care classes, connection events, and a fun way to try out some new well-being activities: Well-Bingo. Our goal is to connect you to the programs, benefits, and resources offered at Cook Children’s to help you thrive at work and home. 

The best way to learn about everything happening in August for Well-being Month is to visit the Well-being Month page on the Team Experience site on CookNet. Find links to register for classes, more details on activities and the Well-bingo card there.

This Week

Well-being Classes:

• Nicole Porter Webinar: Think You Know Stress?
  • 11:30 a.m., Aug. 5 - Virtual: Register Here
• Vitamin Be: Using Mindfulness and Responding to the Present Moment
  • 11 a.m., Aug. 6 - Zoom: Register Here
• Health & Stress Management: Making the Connection
  • 11:15 a.m., Aug. 6 - Zoom: Register Here
• Vitamin Zzzzz: Getting the Rest You Need
  • 11:30 a.m., Aug. 7 - Zoom: Register Here
• Fidelity: Social Security Basics of When and How to Claim Social Security
  • 11:30 a.m., Aug. 7 - Virtual: Register Here

Go to the Well-being page on CookNet for dates, times, and registration links for all classes offered during Well-being Month.

Beat the Heat Treat Events

Join us for fun, connection and a special treat to beat the heat this August. This week Home Health (Aug. 6) and Child Study Center (Aug. 8) will host their employee events. Click here to see all upcoming dates/locations.

Click here to learn how off-site and fully remote teams can get funds to host their own Beat the Heat Treat event. We have suggestions for some “cool” treat vendors for you.

Benefits Fairs

 Learn more about the benefits and resources offered at Cook Children’s:

• Medical Center- Fort Worth – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 7 in the Atrium 
• Medical Center- Prosper – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8 in the 1621/22 Classrooms 

Well-being Events & Activities:

Personify Health app: Learn more about the app and how it can help you with your well-being goals. There’s a chance to win a gift card for signing up in the month of August. Or if you’re already signed up, there’s a chance to win a gift card after you complete a Journey of your choice in the Personify Health app. Visit the Well-being page on CookNet for more details.

Well-Bingo: Find a work buddy or invite your team to do Well-bingo, plus take part in a variety of well-being activities and the chance to win a gift card. Go to the Well-being page on CookNet to download your bingo card to get started!

Next week – save the date!

Well-being Speaker Series:

• Jennifer Zientz, University of Texas at Dallas, Center for Brain Health – Brain Health & Well-being in a Fast-paced Work Environment
  • 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 12, live in Hochberger Auditorium or via livestream
• Sarah Bentz, MA, LPC-S – Surviving & Thriving in the Sandwich Generation
  • 11 a.m., Thursday, Aug 14, live in Hochberger Auditorium or via livestream

Visit the Well-being page on CookNet for more details and the livestream link.

Well-being Classes:

• Nicole Porter Webinar: Train Your Brain for Habit Change
  • 11:30 a.m., Aug. 12 - Virtual: Register Here
• EAP Lunch & Learn: Self-care for Health Care Professionals
  • 11:30 a.m. Aug. 13 - Virtual: Register Here
• Vitamin Zzzzz: Getting the Rest You Need 
  • 11:30 a.m. Aug. 14 - Zoom: Register Here
• Health & Stress Management: Making the Connection
  • 11:15 a.m., Aug. 13 - Zoom: Register Here

Go to the Well-being page on CookNet for dates/times and registration links for all classes offered during Well-being Month.

Be sure to watch for weekly updates and reminders for Well-being Month on Cook Children’s Internal Communication channels.

Congratulations to our 2025 Pharmacy Internship Graduates 

These hard-working student pharmacist interns completed their four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree at their respective schools. While completing a rigorous academic program, they have also worked with teams across the Pharmacy Department at Cook Children’s, providing operational, administrative, and clinical support. As a program, we take pride in seeing our graduating classes move into a wide range of careers and postgraduate training programs at some of the top hospitals and industries in the country.

To these graduates -- thank you for all you have done around Cook Children’s and congrats on this incredible accomplishment. Cook Children’s will always be cheering you on and we cannot wait to see all the lives you will impact in your career. 

Click here to view our graduates.

Our Pet-scription for Happiness

When we leave our Cook Children's campus, our pets may be the ones who greet us when we get home. Each week, we're showcasing all the pets who make us better humans, with videos featuring   photos of pets that have been submitted by you, Cook Children's employees. We will be posting these videos periodically, so if you do not see your pet right away, they will be showcased in a later video. 

Help us show some love to our furry friends at home. 

Click here to view this week's video 

Don't Miss Events in August 

This August we have lots of fun events happening across our system. Please view our list of events happening this week, below. To view more events coming up visit the calendar on CookNet. 

• Aug. 4 - Start your employee influenza electronic consent form on the Enterprise Health Onsite Flu Vaccinations. Click here.
  • Learn more about our onsite flu fair on Connect Newsroom 

• Aug. 6 – Beat the Heat Treat at Home Health*
• Aug. 7 - Benefits Fair at Fort Worth Medical Center*
• Aug. 7 - Fidelity Webinar at 11 a.m.: please register here.
• Aug. 8 - Benefits Fair at Prosper Medical Center*
• Aug. 8 – Beat the Heat Treat at Child Study Center*

* These events are put on by Team Experience to celebrate Well-being Month. For more information and to view future speakers visit the Team Experience CookNet page. 

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.