Connect Newsletter (March 20, 2025)

Coming Soon: 2025 ‘Your Voice Matters’ Employee Survey

Throughout the month of April, we ask that you share your feedback about your work experience through the System-wide “Your Voice Matters” Employee Survey. 

To learn more about the survey and to watch a special message from Mr. Merrill, please click here. 

Are you ready for Slime-A-Doc?

Cook Children's Slime-A-Doc 2025 will take place at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, on the South Tower Lawn.

This year, we've added a special category that includes our incredible volunteers!

Visit this page to place your vote for which physician, nurse, child life specialist, leadership team member, advanced practice provider and volunteer you want to see covered in green slime! Voting ends at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25.

Keep an eye on our social media accounts – the ballot will be released there soon! Once it’s out, please share with your friends and family so they can vote too!

Untold: Megan Chavez

In this episode of Untold: The Stories of Cook Children’s, we sit down with Megan Chavez, Vice President for the Cook Children's Experience, to explore the deeply personal and evolving world of patient experience. Megan shares her journey from growing up in hospitals as the daughter of a dedicated nurse to becoming a leader in the movement to humanize health care. 

She discusses the critical balance between clinical expertise and emotional connection, how patient outcomes improve with strong therapeutic relationships, and why caring for caregivers is just as important as caring for patients. With powerful personal stories—including a touching moment with her own mother—Megan highlights the importance of protecting the well-being of health care workers so they can continue to give their best to the families they serve.

Join us as we uncover the humanity behind health care and learn why patient experience is more than a profession—it’s a calling.

Find Episode 10 of our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and online here. 

Cook Children's Disaster Recovery Manager Wins Top Award

Recently, the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI), the world's leader in business continuity and disaster recovery, named Johnathan Offringa, Disaster Recovery Manager, its Program Leader of the Year – Nonprofit Sector. 

Click here to read more about how he felt about earning this international recognition. 

Lifesaving Campaign Earns Big Recognition

Cook Children's Marketing team is celebrating major wins after the American Advertising Awards in Fort Worth! Hosted by the American Advertising Federation, this event honors the creative magic behind advertising excellence. And guess what? We took home TWO Silver awards for the impactful Aim for Safety campaign, Cook Children's Center for Community Health's gun safety program. Check out the award-winning work and explore the campaign that’s shaping the safety conversation via Cook Children's Culture Center.

Sign Up is Open for Bunny Trail 2025

Please sign up to participate in this year's Bunny Trail patient event! 

•  When: Friday, April 18 from 10:30 a.m.- noon, 
•  Where: Fort Worth Campus, Green Space outside the Cafeteria

The first 20 applications received will be guaranteed participation. Applications are due no later than April 4. 

Please return form to: patientevents@cookchildrens.org Questions? Call Megan Hodges Cook- 682-885-4270. 

Please review the reminders about the event here. To download the application, click here. 

Questions about Medicare? Register for these new webinars

Webinar Date 1: 11:30 a.m., Monday, March 24

Webinar Topic: Understanding Medicare Coverage

Webinar Registration Page: Click here

Webinar Date 2:  Noon, Friday, March 28

Webinar Topic: Effectively Planning Your Medicare Transition Timeline

Webinar Registration Page: Click here

Webinar Date 3:  11 a.m., Monday, March 31

Webinar Topic: Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement

Webinar Registration Page: Click here

Sign up for The Blast today

It’s time for The Blast! We’re counting on you to sign up, show up and donate to tell our patients that at Cook Children’s, no one walks alone.

When: Saturday, March 29 with parking and registration opening at 8 a.m.

Where: At Panther Island Pavilion

Here are the ways you can support The Blast and our cancer-fighting heroes!

Sign up on the Cook Children’s team and use code CCHCS10 for $10 off your registration: Click here

Purchase this year’s The Blast t-shirt at Under the Peaks

Make a donation at www.blastwalk.org to continue our mission to #blastawaycancer

Follow Cook Children’s Health Foundation on Instagram and Facebook, and like and share posts about The Blast to tell our whole community to get involved!

See you at The Blast!

For questions about The Blast, please contact theblast@cookchildrens.org.

Register Now for Process Improvement's OpEx Summit

We invite you to the Second annual Operational Excellence Summit, hosted by your Process Improvement team on Monday, March 31, 2025. At this event you will hear keynote addresses from Steve Love, President of the DFW Council and Vinny Montiero from JPMorgan Chase & Co. They will provide great insights on operational excellence approaches and successes in their respective areas.

Furthermore, we will highlight continuous improvement engagements that have been conducted across the Cook Children’s Health Care System by various employees to facilitate our Journey to Preeminence. These improvement initiatives examined and characterized current state practices that are contributing to operational defects and poor outcomes and utilized industry methodologies to design robust solutions to improve clinical practices and operational performance. Educational breakout sessions will be provided in the basement and family support rooms of the Medical Center. The Atrium will feature our Operational Excellence walkthrough, highlighting continuous improvement historical elements, Process Improvement Department initiatives and strategies.

2025 agenda and registration details can be found here: Cook Children's Operational Excellence 2025. If you have any questions, please email process.improvement@cookchildrens.org or visit Process Improvement’s department page.

Nominate a Social Worker of the Year

Please help us recognize a deserving social worker for Cook Children’s Social Worker of the Year Award. Social workers serve in various roles across Cook Children’s, including CARE Team, Case Management, Center for Community Health, Clinical Therapy, Family Therapy, Genetics, Health Plan, Home Health, Intake, and more. 

Please use this link to fill out a nomination form. 

Don't Miss Out: Wear MLB Jersey & Purchase Employee Rangers Tickets

Major League Baseball Opening Day is coming up. Wear your MLB jerseys or other baseball attire to support your favorite team on March 27 to 30.

Cook Children's Weekend at the Ballpark starts Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18 during the Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros series.

Don't miss out on this special offer to employees! Select the game of your choosing for a great night of baseball to celebrate Employee Appreciation Month this May with your family and friends. Reserve your tickets to see the World Series Champions at Globe Life Field today.

Cook Children’s Weekend at the Ballpark! Discount Rangers vs. Astros Tickets now available!

Patients celebrate colorful Holi

Last week we celebrated Holi with our patients in the Atrium. Take a look at some photos our public relations intern Eduardo Padilla took during the event. View the photos here

Retirement Announcements 

Donna Featherston, Epic Clinical Systems Analyst, Sr in the IS Epic department is retiring from Cook Children’s Medical Center after more than 23 years of service on Friday, March 28.

It's bittersweet to say goodbye to Donna, who has been such a remarkable part of our organization for over 23 years.  Working in the LIS capacity as well as the Epic Beaker team, she has been not only a dedicated and HARD-working colleague but also a source of wisdom and positivity for everyone around her.  Donna was an integral part of setting up both Fort Worth and Prosper laboratories, often working well into the night to ensure accurate setup and validation.  Donna's contributions and wealth of knowledge have left a lasting impact on the success of our laboratory projects and significantly increased the team’s knowledge base.  While we will miss her presence and stories, we wish her all the best in this exciting new chapter of life—enjoy the well-deserved retirement!  

We encourage you to take a moment to send Donna a farewell note or a congratulatory eCard by March 27. 

Donna Martin, Specialty Clinic Clinical Coordinator II, RN in the Gastroenterology department is retiring from Cook Children’s Health Care System on Friday, April 4 after more than 12 years of service.

Thank you so much for your dedication to serving patients and families, Donna! Best of luck on your next adventure and we hope that you enjoy retirement!

We encourage you to take a moment to send Donna a farewell note or a congratulatory eCard by April 3.

Oscar Naranjo with the Facilities and Appearance department, retired from the Fort Worth Cook Children’s Medical Center on Friday, March 14 after more than 19 years of service.

Oscar, thank you for your many years of service and your work in keeping Cook Children’s safe and beautiful. Enjoy your retirement. 

Find Upcoming Events in the Calendar on the New CookNet

Keep tabs on important deadlines and upcoming events. Be sure to check the Cook Children’s calendar for system-wide events. If your team would like to add an event to the calendar, please reach out to us in the weeks leading up to your event by emailing us at InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org.

The calendar is here or scroll to underneath the Important Places section on the CookNet home page. You may also add the calendar to “My Important Places” using the tagged URL.