Connect Newsletter (July 15, 2025)

Breaking News: A Magnet Update

We just learned that our Magnet Journey for a fifth designation is moving forward as our appraisers have accepted our document with no deficiencies. We are scheduled for a Magnet visit from Sept. 22-24. 

The Magnet Recognition Program, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, is a designation that lasts for four years. Cook Children's has earned four consecutive Magnet designations since 2006, a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of hospitals nationwide.

Kaylan Branson, RN, MSN, Director of Nursing Quality and Magnet Program, said this award is given to the top health care organizations committed to excellent nursing.  “Magnet is the number one nursing recognition in the world,” she said. “To be recognized you must create a culture that builds a strong nursing profession and supports nurses." 

We will provide more updates on our newsletter when more information becomes available. 

Honoring our Heroes 

The Cook Children's Veterans Group proudly offers the Blue Star Banner Program, an initiative dedicated to honoring and supporting our employees and/or their immediate family members who have loved ones currently serving on active military duty.

If you know a co-worker who has a family member deploying or currently deployed, please let the Cook Children's Veterans Group know. Our mission is to honor our employees and their deployed loved one to ensure they feel recognized and supported throughout the deployment process. This can include:

• Presenting a Blue Star Banner before or at the start of the deployment. 
• Sending care packages and letters.
• Welcoming back our active members when they return to the local airports.
• And more!

To share information about someone who could benefit, or if you’re interested in joining the Cook Children’s Veterans Group, please contact CCVGLeadership@cookchildrens.org

Under the Peaks Anniversary Bash! 

Join us to celebrate Under the Peaks Anniversary Bash for the rest of this month! 

To mark the store's two-year anniversary, there will be promotions and giveaways available to you! 

They will be open for extended hours from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on certain dates this month. For more information on the extended hours click here. 

Your New Tech Hub is Coming: Faster Help, Smarter Self-Service, All in One Place

Information Services is excited to share a new digital intranet portal that provides Cook Children’s employees with a single point of access to request hardware/software, report issues, request optimizations, assess system status and see updates on their tickets.

This portal will also be home to an extensive library of tip sheets on topics from software tips to Epic and Workday guides. The system even uses AI to recommend helpful tip sheets to provide self-service-and avoid the need for a service ticket.

Additionally, we are excited to be one of the first health care systems to integrate this portal into Epic, allowing staff to report issues directly from inside Epic. With a few clicks, staff can auto-pull workstation and patient data into a service ticket to expedite issue reporting-all without leaving Epic. Staff can even live chat with an IS staff member in this Epic integrated window.

Continue to watch internal communications for more information as we get closer to this August go live of this digital employee portal. Information Services is excited to improve your technology experiences.

Annual Competencies Due Aug. 1

As a reminder, all assigned annual competencies in ULearn must be completed by August 1. Completing assigned competencies on time helps ensure your annual performance review is not delayed. We truly appreciate your attention to these important learning requirements.

To review and complete assignments, log into the ULearn system and check your curriculum tab. Competencies are assigned across the organization, so everyone should take a moment to verify their progress. 

Send Us Your Purr-fect Pet Photo!

We're creating a special video for our Connect Newsletter, and we want to include your beloved companions.

Please send us one purr-fect photo along with: 

Here's how to participate: 

1. Send us one high-quality photo of you and your pet(s) in PNG or JPG format.
2. Please include your pet(s) name
3. Let us know which location you work at within our system.
4. Send everything to InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org by July 22.

*Please note: To ensure your photo can be included, all requested information must be provided. Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not be able to respond to every email. *

We want to hear from everyone! Whether you are remote or right next door, we want to see your cute furry friends. 

Help Us Improve Clinical Pathways at Cook Children’s

Have you heard of our Clinical Pathways website? Whether you’ve used it before or it’s brand new to you, we want your feedback! Our goal is to make this website a widely used resource—not just for physicians, but for nurses, health professionals, and all members of our Cook Children's community but we need your help to make this more accessible and helpful for everyone. 

Please take two minutes to complete our short survey. Your input will help us build something that truly works for you.

Click here to take the survey.

IMPORTANT: Construction Updates

As we begin building 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 will be updated often and will include major street closures, pedestrian sidewalk closures and any potential reroutes.

There will be a three-lane closure on 8th Street impacting access to the Terrell and 8th Parking Garage. Drivers will NOT be able to use the 8^th Ave entrance or exit of the Terrell and 8th Parking Garage.

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

Employee Relations Popups Updates for McCart NHC and Burleson Primary Care

Our Employee Relations Team continues their tour in an effort to meet as many of you as possible. 

POPUPs are designed to IMPACT (Interactive Meetings Promoting Accountability, Communication and Trust) between “YOU” and human resources. We know your busy schedules don’t allow you to give us a call or send an email to ask your questions, therefore, we’re coming to you! This is your opportunity to engage in 1 on 1 private conversations with human resources, ask questions and spin the wheel to win Cook Children's Swag! Below is a list of our upcoming POPUPs. 

Don’t you fret, if you don’t see your location, we are working with your leaders to confirm a date. See you soon!

• Medical Center - Fort Worth: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., July 17
• McCart Neighborhood Health Centers: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., July 31
• Burleson Primary Care: 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Aug. 28