Please take 3 minutes of your valuable time to watch this important video from Cook Children’s President and CEO Rick Merrill and Wini King, SVP, Chief of Communications, Inclusion, Equity and Diversity, to learn about our new Employee Resource Groups at Cook Children’s. We have also provided a transcript of the video for your convenience.
The Best: Trauma Nurse Leaders Receive National Award
Let's give a huge round of applause for our team of Trauma Nurse Leaders who have won the 2023 Emergency Nurses Association Team Award. The Trauma Nurse Leaders have been present in the Emergency Department for 10 years, and the program has improved trauma care at Cook Children’s by decreasing disposition times, increasing safety awareness in the community, and involving all staff in trauma training. Trauma Nurse Leaders are involved in continued advanced trauma training and they volunteer in our community to bring awareness of prevention and treatment of pediatric injuries.
We are so proud of this accomplishment! Thank you all for your commitment to the very best trauma care for our patient families and beyond.
Making a Difference: Cook Children's Physician Receives Global Impact Award
This just in – our very ownPaul Stephen Thornton, M.D., MBBS, is the 2023 recipient of the Global Impact Award by Fort Worth Sister Cities International. Dr. Thornton is Medical Director of the Endocrine and Diabetes Program. This prestigious award is based on an individual’s role in promoting Fort Worth globally, developing international partnerships and networks, and establishing connections, particularly in the areas of business, culture, education, immigration and tourism. This award recognizes the recipient's support of providing understanding of other cultures, which can help create a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The award will be presented at the Mayor’s International Dinner on Nov. 1 by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. Dr. Thornton, your achievement is an inspiration to us all — congratulations!
Chelsee Greer, D.O, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 12 years old. While she went through six rounds of chemotherapy at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, she shared that she wanted to become a pediatric oncologist. A little over two decades later, she’s living that dream in the same place where she received treatment.
We’re so grateful to have Dr. Greer on our team! And thank you for being willing to share your incredible story with the community in the Fort Worth Report.
Congratulations to the very first DAISY Nurse Leader Award winner: Samantha Corkum, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, Neonatal Program Coordinator. She works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The award was presented to Samantha during Nurses Week.
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. The DAISY Nurse Leader Award recognizes nurses who are extraordinary in the impact they have on compassionate patient care.Read more about Samantha. Samantha, we are so proud of you for being such an enthusiastic role model and living our values of respect and collaboration.
On Friday, June 2, the seventh annual Hospitals Against Violence day, you are invited to a special event for employees and visitors to learn all about various types of violence, including domestic violence, social media safety, human trafficking, workplace violence and firearm safety. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Atrium at Cook Children’s Medical Center–Fort Worth. Both employees and patient families are welcome to attend.
Each attendee will be given a passport, and if they visit five of the 10 stations, will be entered into a raffle for either a gun safe or a self-care basket.
It's Pride Month: A Time to Recognize Inclusion of All
Cook Children's is dedicated to our values of Kindness and Respect. This is a reason why we put Inclusion first, then Diversity and Equity. We're using the #prIDE hashtag this month as a way to show support to our LGBTQ+ employees and reinforce our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. We've compiled a list of resources and FAQs in recognition of national Pride Month.
An Important Update about Occupational Health Requirements
As we prepare to move to the Workday human resources platform and the temporary absence of a performance evaluation process to monitor Occupational Health annual requirements, we have put in place a system to help ensure that employees are being compliant with these requirements.
We have added a TB Questionnaire to everyone’s annual ULearn required courses. Everyone must submit a new form via ULearn during June 2023 and again in June 2024. If you answer YES to any of the questions regarding symptoms or risks of tuberculosis, you will need to email Occhealth@cookchildrens.org for an evaluation.
All patient-facing staff are required to complete respiratory mask fit testing every 12 months. Please schedule this through the Occupational Health page on CookNet in a timely manner. (Navigate to the Quick Links on the right side of the page and find the document “Respiratory Protection & Mask Fitting.” You must be on the network to view it).
Mask fittings will now take place at Occupational Health, 901 7th St. Suite 4200, Fort Worth. If your department is outside of Cook Children’s Medical Center-Fort Worth, including employees at Cook Children’s Medical Center-Prosper, a mobile mask-fitting team will continue to travel to your location for completion each year.
Employee completion of these requirements will be monitored through ULearn and supervisors will be notified if their staff are not compliant. Human Resources and Occupational Health will obtain a list of non-compliant staff at the end of June and those individuals will be contacted.
Cook Children’s has partnered with Weight Watchers to help employees (and spouses) reach weight-loss and wellness goals. With Weight Watchers’ most personalized program and app, you can lose weight, eat healthier, move more and develop a more positive mindset. If you join now you’ll get half off the retail price. The cost is as low as $8.48 per month. Sign up by July 31 and get a $25 WW Shop credit! Click the link above for all the details.
Togetherness: Here's How We Celebrated Employee Appreciation Month
We gathered for campus cookouts and a Texas Rangers game, used our imaginations to dress up for spirit days, and generously shared our favorite recipes for an employee cookbook, all to share moments of connection with one another. Employee Appreciation Month, held every May, is an opportunity to celebrate the amazing work and dedication of our staff members and say, “thank you.”
Please view select photos from the events around the System, as well as the winners of the Brain Break word search activity on CookNet.
A Quick Update about Team Sites and Reminder about the New CookNet
With the soft launch of our new CookNet, we’ve been asked a lot about the Team Sites. We wanted to provide some quick information to let you know that Team Sites will be coming your way in the very near future. We will be updating you with much more information soon, and please continue to use the Legacy CookNet Team sites.
The New CookNet
While we're now in the soft launch phase of the new site, it's time to begin populating the site.
We need representatives from our various departments, locations and teams to begin populating the site. Please choose who from your area will be responsible for uploading the new CookNet information.
If you have any content that resides on the original CookNet (legacy/old site), click here for the Content Request Form - PowerApps, to begin the intake process of building out your new pages and presence on the site.
Let's Welcome Our Junior Volunteers: They're Here to Help and to Learn
Please give our Junior Volunteers a warm welcome when you see them on campus and help them find their way around Cook Children's Medical Center-Fort Worth. They will start on June 5 and will be with us until Aug. 5. And, if there are any specific service projects that our Juniors can help with over the summer, please notify Marian DeMott, Volunteer Program Coordinator.
Your Summer of Magical Moments
It's the season of graduations, vacations and other fun summertime events with friends and family. As members of your “work family” here at Cook Children's, we want to celebrate with you. We invite you to share your snapshots of special activities, and we will post them on the Connect Newsroom.
Please send:
A photo
Your name and department/unit
A sentence or two explaining where you are and what you are doing, even if you are enjoying your “staycation.”
As always, please ensure that you have permission of others in the photo and do not include photos of any patient families or private health information.
Making a Difference: Cook Children's Physician Receives Global Impact Award 
Chelsee Greer, D.O, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was just 12 years old. While she went through six rounds of chemotherapy at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, she shared that she wanted to become a pediatric oncologist. A little over two decades later, she’s living that dream in the same place where she received treatment. 
Congratulations to the very first DAISY Nurse Leader Award winner: Samantha Corkum, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, Neonatal Program Coordinator. She works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). 
On Friday, June 2, the seventh annual Hospitals Against Violence day, you are invited to a special event for employees and visitors to learn all about various types of violence, including domestic violence, social media safety, human trafficking, workplace violence and firearm safety. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Atrium at Cook Children’s Medical Center–Fort Worth. Both employees and patient families are welcome to attend. 
We gathered for campus cookouts and a Texas Rangers game, used our imaginations to dress up for spirit days, and generously 
It's the season of graduations, vacations and other fun summertime events with friends and family. As members of your “work family” here at Cook Children's, we want to celebrate with you. We invite you to share your snapshots of special activities, and we will post them on the Connect Newsroom.