Connect Newsletter (July 22, 2025)

Effective Immediately: 24 Hours to Report Suspected Abuse or Neglect

As a result of recent legislation, effective immediately Texas Family Code § 261.101 has been amended to require that a professional report concerns of abuse or neglect within 24 hours of awareness of the concern.  This is a change from the previous requirement to report within 48 hours.  Policy AD 120 - Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Suspected Cases will be revised to reflect this change.

Should you have any questions regarding your professional obligation to report concerns of suspected abuse or neglect, please contact the Cook Children’s Legal Department.

Update on Today's Security Alert

Earlier today, July 22, local law enforcement was in pursuit of an individual who abandoned a car in our north loading dock on our Fort Worth campus and left on foot. This individual was observed on surveillance camera by our Security Services department moving throughout campus. In an abundance of caution a Security Alert was initiated. Staff, patients and visitors were asked to remain in their work or treatment areas and report any suspicious behavior to Security. Once assured by the Fort Worth Police Department the individual was no longer on campus, we issued an All Clear notification.

When these events occur, please be mindful of the seriousness of the situation and we ask that you do not post on your social media channels. If incorrect information is shared, it could cause more harm than good. For more information on our social media networking and social media use, please click here to read our policy.

Thank you for working with us to make sure that safety is a top priority.

Flu Vaccines 2025

To help protect our patient families, fellow employees and the community, all employees are required to receive the annual influenza vaccine by Oct. 17.

To start the process, the electronic consent forms become available on Aug. 4 on the Enterprise Health portal. Additionally, onsite Flu Vaccine Fairs will kick off Sept. 16. 

To learn more about deadlines and how to get your flu vaccine, visit this page for complete details.

Save the date: August is Well-being Month at Cook Children’s

Well-being is a state in which people perceive their lives as going well, including aspects of their physical, emotional, and psychological health, productivity, and economic well-being.

We look forward to sharing the many benefits, resources, programs and classes available to help you thrive at work and at home. You can take part in Well-being Month no matter where you work!

Click here to get a sneak peak of all the planned activities and to start signing up for classes.

Each week, we’ll remind you on the CookNet Scroll and in Cook Children’s News about upcoming speaker sessions, classes and activities. 

Parking Update: Terrell and 8th Parking Garage Access

To our employees and staff who park in the Terrell and 8th Parking Garage on our Fort Worth Medical Center campus we wanted to remind you the 8th Ave entrance or exit of the Terrell and 8th Garage is CLOSED.

To help you navigate this change, please utilize these recommended routes to reach the north entrance of the garage:

 Traveling South on 8th Ave:

 Turn left at Rosedale St, left on 7th Ave, and left on Terrell Ave.

 Traveling North on 8th Ave:

 Turn right on Rosedale St, left on 7th Ave, and left on Terrell Ave.

 Traveling West on Rosedale St:

 Turn right on 7th Ave, and left on Terrell Ave.

 Traveling East on Rosedale St:

 Turn left on 7th Ave, and left on Terrell Ave.

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.

Thank you for your flexibility and patience.

For the Latest Traffic Updates

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.

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

Aim for Safety

The Aim for Safety campaign continues to educate our local communities by actively being a part of the conversation. Whether it be teaching summer safety tips, gun safety or their cable lock initiatives, the Aim for Safety team pushes to keep our children safe. 

 If you would like to be a part of the volunteer efforts with Aim for Safety, please view their newsletter and learn more here.

Pediatric Respiratory Critical Care Conference Open for Registration

We're excited to invite you to the 2025 Pediatric Respiratory Critical Care Conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug 8.

This conference is a great chance for doctors, respiratory therapists, RNs, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to learn about the newest advancements in respiratory care. We'll be covering best practices, current trends, and different therapies to help children with critical respiratory needs.

Registration includes breakfast and lunch.

• Cook Children's Employees: $50
• Non-Cook Children's Employees: $65
• Students: $25

Please make sure to register here or by using the QR code below by August 4 to secure your spot. We hope to see you there for a day of valuable learning and discussion!

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!

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 23 by 5 p.m.

*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.

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.