Connect Newsletter (May 2, 2024)

A Special Employee Appreciation Message from Keith Holtz

As your Chief Administrative Officer, let me begin by personally expressing my deepest gratitude for everything you do. As I speak to our leaders at Cook Children's, your peers and our patient families, we’re continually amazed at your unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional care to our patients and members, their families and to each other. It's truly inspiring. 

This Employee Appreciation Month, we celebrate you. You’re the heart and soul of our health care system. You’re the reason we earned the No. 1 spot in the U.S. in Forbes’ “health care and social services” industry category and we ranked No. 3 among America’s Best Large Employers list in 2024.

Our ability to be everything for the child starts with you, your well-being and the well-being of our teams.  We value you for the person you are and the unique skills you bring to your teams. We're committed to open communication more than ever before in our system's history. We want to hear from you – what's most important to you and how we can help you be your best.

That's why we've sent out focused surveys on critical areas like burnout, ID&E, quality, safety, and the overall team experience across the system. We've also held listening sessions so we can hear from you directly and understand your needs.

Those listening sessions and surveys helped us see where we could make your experience even better and most recently, make changes to our bereavement policy and our paid parental leave. These changes are to ensure you have more time with your loved ones during these important life-changing moments.

We do all this because we truly appreciate you. Your voice and seeing the world through your eyes matters to us. Thank you again for all you do to live our values and exemplify our Pinky Promise!

Please join in the fun no matter where you are in the System for Employee Appreciation Month! Click here for more details on ways to connect and celebrate with your colleagues and teams.

Pics of Our Magical Moments in May

We've got plenty of fun Employee Appreciation Month activities taking place in May, including employee cookouts at several locations throughout the System, t-shirts, and Texas Rangers games! Take photos of you and your team enjoying time together and send them to us at teamexperience@cookchildrens.org. Please be careful not to take photos in which patient families or health care information are visible.

We’ll post and share photos in an upcoming issue of the Connect Newsletter and on the Team Experience page on CookNet.

Friends, Colleagues, Heroes — Honoring Our Nurses

This Nurses Week we're so grateful for the 1,800 nurses at Cook Children's and for your commitment to ensuring our patient families get the best care. You bring a wealth of skill, talent and knowledge to your work, ensuring we live up to our Pinky Promise of improving children's well-being in our community, every single day. This week is more than just a celebration – it's a chance to recognize the incredible bond you share as colleagues and friends. 

From the bedside to the clinic to the administrative heart of our System, you understand the power of collaboration. Regardless of your specific role or title, you are united by a common goal: excellence. Thank you, Cook Children’s nurses, for your hard work and dedication to being amazing!

Nurses Week Activities May 6 to 10

Several events are planned this week to show appreciation for our nurses and below are some highlights. For the full schedule, click here for the Nursing page on new CookNet.

• At Medical Center-Prosper, all employees can participate in dress up days. Staff members can pick up a free shaved ice from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 10.
• At Medical Center Fort Worth, you're invited to purchase meals from food trucks stationed on Pruitt Street from 11 am. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7. Nurses get 10 percent off with their ID badge.
• The Great 10 Nurses ceremony will be live streamed from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 9. Watch it live here.
• Has a nurse made a difference to you or a patient family you know? Send them a special eCard.

“Nursing was something I always knew I wanted to do."

Huge congratulations to Shakyryn Napier, DHSc, RN, CPN, NEA-BC, LSSYB, Director of the Heart Center. She has been named among this year's DFW Great 100 Nurses. Read what makes her an extraordinary nurse, leader, mentor and more, in an article on the Connect Newsroom.

Teamwork is Fundamental for Patient and Family Experience Staff

Patient Experience Week is a time to recognize accomplishments, re-energize efforts, and honor those who work together with the goal of improving the experiences of our patients and their families. The theme for this year is People Caring for People.

We appreciate and celebrate our Patient and Family Experience Team and how they use collaboration and communication to ensure our patient families feel welcome and supported.

“Building trust with the families is huge so they know we are putting their child first,” said Sheena Brewer, Practice Manager at the Willow Park clinic. “We talk a lot about looking for moments of magic to help patients feel more comfortable."

Please read more about the Patient and Family Experience team on the Connect Newsroom.

Fighting for Our Health Plan Members 

Recent reporting from The Texas Tribune raises more questions about the procurement process for the STAR & CHIP Managed Care Services Contract. This is related to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s (HHSC) plans to exclude Cook Children’s Health Plan (CCHP) from the new contract starting in September 2025.

“Aetna, which is set to win a multibillion Texas Medicaid contract, got a peek at sensitive information submitted by 17 rival health plans during the bidding process after the state Health and Human Services agency erred and sent competitors’ proposals to the health insurance giant too early, according to emails and documents obtained by The Texas Tribune.”

Read the latest here. 


 

NICU Reunion: Strong Bonds Last a Lifetime

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hosted its annual reunion on Sunday, April 28. The event allowed former patients and their families – more than 540 people! – to reunite with their care teams, including nurses, physicians, therapists, child life specialists and more. Our care teams spend a significant amount of time with their NICU patients and their families while they’re here and they always look forward to seeing how their former patients are doing after they go home. 

Let's give the NICU team a round of applause for putting this successful event together. 

View photos from the event on the Cook Children's page on Facebook.

Adorable, They Are 

The Force is strong in our NICU with our Baby Yoda, R2-D2 and Princess Leia. May The Fourth Be with everyone in the NICU and throughout Cook Children’s!  

Respiratory Mask Fitting Changes 

Occupational Health will be changing to a new employee mask fitting appointment portal soon.

What this means for anyone who is scheduling for a mask fitting after July:

• Mask fitting appointments can be made on the current OHS portal on Workday for open appointment slots up to July 31.
• You will able to begin making appointments in the new system starting on Aug. 1.

Be on the lookout in June for information about how to make mask fitting appointments using the new system.

It is a federal requirement that respiratory mask fitting be done annually (within 12 months of last mask fitting).

We are excited to be making the switch to a new, easier system and can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Discount Tickets to the PBR World Finals 

Each May, bull riders from PBR stop by the Medical Center-Fort Worth to visit with our patients and families to host fun activities in the Atrium. This year they’re also offering special discount tickets to Cook Children’s employees for the upcoming PBR World Finals in Fort Worth scheduled for May 9 to 16.

This is the opening stage of bull riding’s most prestigious event. Through four rounds, 45 riders will compete for 20 coveted berths to the PBR World Finals – Championship on May 18-19 when the 2024 World Champion will be crowned.

Use this link to purchase $25 tickets (regularly $55+): https://fevo-enterprise.com/group/PBREliminationsHospitals

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month is an annual recognition and celebration of Jewish Americans and their achievements and contributions to culture, history, military, science, government, and more. Learn more.

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month is an annual celebration that recognizes the culture, achievements and histories of Americans hailing from across the Asian continent and from the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Read more.

News from Around Cook Children's

• Interested in being part of a fun and friendly cycling group? Learn how you can get involved in the Cook Children's Cycling Crew at a virtual interest meeting from 12 to 1 p.m. on May 22. Read more.
• This week’s episode of the Raising Joy podcast focuses on navigating burnout among physicians.  Kirk Pinto, M.D. and Sara Garza, M.D. explore the signs and symptoms of burnout, its impact on doctors, families, and patient care, and most importantly, strategies for prevention and management.
• Pediatric Trauma Conference: Join us on May 10 as we discuss specific complex trauma cases and learn how to effectively work as a team for the best outcome. The conference is designed to meet the educational needs of primary, acute and critical care physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice and staff nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics, Child Life specialists and social workers who care for pediatric trauma patients. In-person registration is here. Webcast registration is here. Registration closes on Monday, May 6.