Connect Newsletter
June 12, 2025 |
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 Connecting with Jonathan Nedrelow, M.D.
We had the honor of sitting down with Jonathan Nedrelow, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Cook Children's and asking him a few questions. Please take a few minutes to watch this video to hear Dr. Nedrelow's perspectives on a vareity of topics and get to know him a little better. Can you guess his favorite value? |
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 The event reporting system, RLDatix, has a new look
Our event reporting system, RLDatix, has a new look and additional features. The vendor will still be RLDatix, but we moved to a cloud-based, more standardized platform. The cloud-based platform will apply quarterly upgrades without downtime. The new features and functionality allow for enhanced data extraction and improved workflows. Please view our page on Connect Newsroom to learn more about these changes and tips on navigating the platform. If you have any questions, please email EventReporting@cookchildrens.org |
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 Make the Most of Your HR Employee Essentials Site
Please take the time explore our Employee Essentials site on CookNet! It's packed with resources designed to help you succeed, all in one convenient place. You'll find key information like: - HR Policies
- Employee Handbook
- Attendance Policy
- Employee Benefits
- Employee Assistance Programs
- How to verify Your Employment or Income
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Assistance
We encourage you to utilize the Employee Essentials site as your go-to resource for all things HR! |
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Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Alert Mode in Microsoft Teams To enhance the security of our network, users, and systems/data, Information Services will enable a security feature in Microsoft Teams starting July 7, 2025. This feature, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) “Alert Mode”, will notify you when protected data (PHI, etc.) is sent to contacts outside of Cook Children’s. DLP Alert Mode protects Microsoft Teams chats between you and people outside of Cook Children’s. For example, Teams chats or meeting chats with users at another health care organization or a vendor. Alert mode will not impact your chats or communication with anyone internal to the Cook Children's organization. Starting on July 7, 2025, if your Teams chat is flagged for review (Figure 1), click “What can I do?” to access the action pop-up (Figure 2). If you believe your message has been flagged incorrectly, click “Override and unflag” to enter a business justification for audit purposes. This option will allow the message to be sent to the recipient (Figure 3). Figure 1 
Figure 2  Figure 3 
If your blocked message is red (Figure 4) and does not contain the “What can I do” indicator, please click “Report it to my admin. This message doesn’t violate organization policy”. Once this step is completed an Information Services team member will be notified and will contact you to assist with sending the chat message. Figure 4 
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 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 are up to date on 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. |
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 West Tower Construction: Staff Talking Points for Families
Please take a look at our talking points for staff to use when communicating with families during West Tower construction on our Connect Newsroom site. Communicating early and often helps ensure families are prepared for the changes. Thank you for your patience and help during this time. We are excited about the future expansion that's ahead for our Fort Worth campus. |
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Skype Ends on June 20, 2025As part of Cook Children's ongoing efforts to streamline communication tools and align with Microsoft’s retirement of Skype, Cook Children’s will officially retire Skype across the organization on June 20, 2025. Microsoft has announced that support for Skype for Business Server will end in October 2025, and we are moving away from the platform early to ensure a smooth and secure transition. Most Cook Children's employees are already using Microsoft Teams. However, if you have any remaining Skype meetings or use Skype for messaging, please transition those meetings and chats to Teams before June 20. Thank you for your cooperation as we complete this transition. |
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Help us save lives. Please join us in our drowning prevention efforts. Together, we are asking everyone to Lifeguard Your Child around water. Please read about all the efforts that are a part of our Lifeguard Your Child campaign here. You will find: - Locations of our Cook Children’s Loaner Life Jacket Stations;
- Distribution sites for drowning prevention tools; and
- Exciting new partnerships.
Please direct families to our website www.lifeguardyourchild.org if they have any questions or want to learn more about our efforts. |
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 Walking in Style! Embrace Comfort and Style While Making an Impact and Showcasing Our Patients' Artwork
Get ready to walk in something special! In an exciting collaboration with Twisted X Feather X™, Cook Children's will launch two brand-new, patient-designed shoes on June 17! You can purchase these inspiring new shoes for $65 at The Enchanted Gift Shop at the Fort Worth Medical Center and at My First Rodeo gift shop at the Prosper Medical Center. Please note: Employee discounts will not be available on these shoes and only adult sizes are available. Join us at the Fort Worth Medical Center in the Atrium for the official launch event on June 17, from 11 a.m. - noon. Learn more on Connect Newsroom. |
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 Employee Relations POPUP!!
Get Ready to meet your Employee Relations Team! POPUPs are designed to IMPACT (Interactive Meetings Promoting Accountability, Communication and Trust) between “YOU” and Human Resources. We know your demanding schedules don’t always 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 giveaways! Below is a list of our upcoming POPUPs. Don’t worry if you don’t see your location, we are working with your leaders to confirm a date for your location later this year. See you soon! - Dodson – June 25
- Medical Center - Fort Worth – July 9
- Burleson Primary Care – Aug. 28
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 Employee Appreciation Cookout at Cook Children's - Prosper
We had fun in the sun to celebrate YOU, our incredible team! Your dedication, compassion, and hard work make Cook Children's - Prosper a beacon of hope for our young patients and their families. Check out these great photos from our Employee Appreciation Cookout at Cook Children's - Prosper! |
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 Join us for an Employees Care Event
Temperatures are rising and a treat is headed your way! Join us for an Employees Care Coke Float thank you event. We want to celebrate and express our gratitude to YOU, our current Employees Care donors. Find dates and locations below: Friday, June 13
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Child Study Center – Maddox Room Wednesday, June 18
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Calmont – 3rd Floor Break Room Tuesday, June 24
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Night shift
Fort Worth Medical Center – Atrium Haven't signed up to be an Employees Care donor yet? Come be a part of something big!
Donors who haven't received your t-shirt? We'll have it ready for you. |
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 New Education Space Opening at Calmont in July
The Education and Professional Development Department is thrilled to announce the opening of new, dedicated classroom spaces at our Calmont building beginning in July. Located on the first floor of the west side, this expansion includes a spacious multipurpose classroom, several smaller classrooms, a computer lab, lactation room, reception area, and break room. We are eager to support high-quality learning experiences in a beautiful environment.
Starting this summer, Patient Care Orientation (PCO) and many educational events will transition to the Calmont location. While the drive is about 10 minutes from the main medical center, parking is plentiful and easy - a big win for speakers and participants alike!
We recognize this change will require some planning as team members and guests adjust travel times, but we’re confident the benefits will far outweigh the inconvenience. These dedicated education spaces provide flexibility to grow and manage programs, while freeing up space at the medical center for other meetings, councils and committees. This will help teams across our System make the most of available resources. The Simulation lab will continue to operate in the 901 Building, and selected events will still be held at the medical center when appropriate. We can’t wait to welcome you to Calmont! |
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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. |
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