Right now, with the scorching heat, none of us are really thinking about the upcoming fall. But guess what? It'll sneak up on us sooner than we realize, along with the persistent flu. Influenza is no joke – it can lead to some pretty serious issues, especially for kids, the elderly, and those with certain health problems. Stay vigilant! To help protect our vulnerable patients, their families, fellow employees, and our community, we require all employees to receive the flu vaccine each year.
Open enrollment is underway. If you have questions or want more information as you enroll, visit this helpful page with a helpful presentation, booklets, a newsletter and video.
Prosper: Anthony Anani, M.D., Named Chief Medical Officer
Congratulations to Anthony Anani, M.D., who has been named the Chief Medical Officer for Cook Children’s Medical Center – Prosper.
Dr. Anani has demonstrated himself to be an outstanding clinician and leader since he joined Cook Children's in 2019 from Texas Children’s Hospital – The Woodlands. He graduated from the University of Ibadan Medical School in Nigeria and holds a master’s degree in both Public Health and Business Administration from Emory University in Atlanta. His contributions to our organization extend beyond his service in Prosper, where he currently serves as Co-Chair on the Joint Credentials Committee as the CCPN Vice Chair – Subspecialties.
We know he will thrive in this new role and will continue to bring his compassion in leadership for the staff, physicians, and families on our Prosper campus and throughout the northern region.
Care Share Update: How You Can Help Our Patient Family Experience
We know you are working hard to sustain the incredible work that has brought us to this point in our patient and family experience journey. Families tell us they love coming to Cook Children’s for care through the feedback they provide and the outcomes they experience. We are so proud of the work you are doing.
Back-to-school is coming up and we are going to get busier. This time can be stressful for not only our patients and families, but for you, our amazing staff, as well. The areas known to improve the experiences of our families especially during these times also tend to be the things that bring us greater job satisfaction and improve our overall well-being.
What you can do: • Take care of yourself. You are important to us and the reason we are able to take such good care of children. • Focus on communication best practices, such as: o Listen attentively to concerns. Ask “what are you most worried about”? o Round; keep parents updated on wait times and next steps o Introduce yourself and your team members o Use plain language o Ensure eye contact, positive body language, and sit down when possible • Demonstrate empathy o If a patient or parent is expressing or showing concern, offer reassuring phrases. For example, “We are going to take great care of your child,” and “I will make sure the doctor is aware of your questions.” o Use phrases that acknowledge and validate emotions. For example, “I can see that you’re concerned.” Statements such as “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about” are well-intended but may make a patient or parents feel that their fears and anxiety are unfounded. o Acknowledge team members work and show appreciation for each other
When we survey families, the positive feedback we receive is almost always about you. How you connect with our families and work together as a team. This is also reflected in our overall fiscal year performance for Likelihood to Recommendation (LTR). We have already improved to 85.9%, which is very close to our CareShare goal of 86%.
As we move into the busier months, these tips are how we live our Promise. Thank you for the work you do every day.
Cook Children’s and the Aim for Safety program supported a proclamation Tuesday evening at Fort Worth City Council that designated August as “Gun Safety Awareness Month.” This proclamation made Fort Worth one of four Texas cities recognizing the new awareness month. The designation will serve as an annual reminder about the importance of keeping guns locked up and away from children. The Aim for Safety program is designed to help reduce the number of injuries we see every year among children through gun safety education.
Let's congratulate Daniel D. Guzman, M.D., Emergency Medicine Physician and Program Director of the Aim for Safety program, and thank him for his steadfast dedication to keeping children in our community safe. Read more about the proclamation and see a video on the Checkup Newsroom.
Your Voice Matters! Why You Should Complete the Patient Satisfaction Survey Too
If your child is treated at Cook Children's, you are part of our patient family. So, please don't hesitate to complete the survey that comes your way after a visit. Your honest feedback is invaluable. And let's not forget our extended family members – if they bring their child to Cook Children's, kindly encourage them to participate in the survey as well. Every single response counts in helping us understand how we are doing as a system.
PHOTOS: Cooling Off Together at Beat the Heat Sweet Treat Events
We're having a great time celebrating summer at ice cream social events. Here are employees at the main campus enjoying a variety of flavors of treats, and taking a moment to cool off and connect with your colleagues. Check out some photos of employees having fun together at the Rosedale Office Building and the Fort Worth Medical Center on Wednesday, as the temperature soared to 105 degrees.
Our series on the Cook Children's values continues. Today we are spotlighting how our amazing nurses are able to live our values every day in their special role by highlighting the value of Respect.
Meet Amber Harkey, BSN, RN, CPN, who has worked on the respiratory and infectious disease floor at the Fort Worth Medical Center for seven years. She cares for patients with cystic fibrosis and says she gets to know all about their lives and families. She says the most rewarding part is sending kids home after helping them through a particularly rough time, such as the babies with RSV.
Donating blood is an easy process. You can sit back and relax while you help save children's lives. Giving blood is a generous act that helps patients in our community get the blood transfusions they need.
Steve, from Sit…Stay…PLAY!, the Cook Children's facility dog program, made a special visit to the Cook Children's Medical Center-Prosper. The Sit...Stay…PLAY! team is a crew of happy and helpful golden retrievers, golden doodles and labrador retrievers who are professionally trained. A team of Cook Children's employees have been trained as the dogs' handlers, and each day the dogs come to work to serve as part of our therapeutic environment.
Steve believes he is a lap dog, loves to make people laugh and loves any opportunity to play fetch. See more photos of Steve's visit to Prosper on the Cook Children's Facebook page.
Your 2023-2024 Open Enrollment Information
Prosper: Anthony Anani, M.D., Named Chief Medical Officer 
VIDEO: Fort Worth Designates August 'Gun Safety Awareness Month'
