Remarks from Peter Philpott, Cook Children’s Board Chair
Thank you to the Exchange Club for selecting Cook Children's as the recipient of the Golden Deeds award in the club’s 100thanniversary year. This is without a doubt one of the highest honors an individual or organization can achieve in our community.
To me, the Exchange Club is the epitome of business leadership meeting the spirit of community service. So many of you members here have given so much back to the community in so many ways, some multi-generationally, that it could truly be said that this unique club is one of the main things that makes Fort Worth so uniquely exceptional.
The past recipients of this award read like a who’s-who of Tarrant County, Texas and national achievement. Tonight, It is an honor for Cook Children's to be recognized to take a place alongside these giants of our community.
There are numerous members of the club who have in the past, or are currently, contributing their time and talent to Cook Children’s – I counted 15 existing Exchange Club members serving in some capacity at Cook at this moment – we thank you all for playing a part in Cook Children’s recognition tonight.
However, there is one person I do want to call out by name. He was on the original coordinating board for the merger of Fort Worth Children's and W.I Cook Children’s hospitals, which was consummated in 1985, a merger that has led to Cook Children’s now being recognized as a pre-eminent pediatric institution in the world. I am speaking of Jon Brumley. A special thank you to Jon and many thanks to all trustee’s, past and present.
By the way I must add in here a special aside: thank you to all those spouses who give us the time to take away from our families to give back to Cook Children’s and our community. Thank you, wives and husbands… we wouldn’t be here without your support!
Here are some quick stats about Cook Children’s:
- It is the 5th largest pediatric system by revenue in the country with a budget of over $3b.
- There are two hospitals - in Fort Worth and Prosper
- Nearly 500 beds at the main campus (and growing)
- Over 20,000 kids are admitted annually and there are over 150k ER visits, making it one of the busiest in the country,
- Nearly 10k employees
- Due to high volumes and a diverse patient base, Cook Children’s today participates in over 400 clinical trials (although not a teaching hospital we are one of the most sought-after research partners in the country!)
- Nationally renowned in specialties such as neurology, hematology-oncology, Cardiac, Pulmonology and many others.
- And best of all, these superstars live amongst us!
But despite these accomplishments and milestones, the thing that is most important for Cook Children’s are safety and the success of patient outcomes.
· By sharing data nationally we know that your child is in one of the safest environments in the country when admitted to Cook.
· We also know that despite having one of the highest acuity and complexity of cases, our outcomes are second-to-none.
· In fact, we open every board meeting with data on safety and quality of care, it is our most important job.
· Which leads me to repeat to you what is our guiding light, which we call Our Promise: “Knowing every child’s life is sacred, we promise to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities”.
· However it would be remiss of me to talk about Cook Children’s only in terms of medical excellence. Probably the one other defining thing you need to know about Cook Children’s is the outstanding culture.
· Present here tonight include leaders of our medical staff in Dr. Jim Cunningham, Doctors Yvette and Matt Dzurik, Dr. Jonathan Nedrelow and Dr. Napoleon Burt; members of the administration led by Rick Merrill; and numerous Trustees (all of us whom collectively represent the community of Fort Worth and surrounds). The cooperation and collaboration between the medical professionals, the administration and the trustees is unsurpassed and singularly unique amongst our peers.
In fact we are one of the few organizations in the country who have the legally maximum amount of doctors sitting on our main decision-making board.
Great culture can be ephemeral, it is hard to gain and easily lost. So thank you to our doctors and nurses, trustees and administrative folks who have worked so hard together - today and over the years - to build the best possible place for our children; and always with fidelity to Our Promise.
In closing I need to say that although there is magic at Cook Children’s, it is not Peaks the Dragon nor the tooth fairy nor the Easter bunny that makes everyday excellence look easy. We need a great quarterback and we do have the best in the business in Rick Merrill, the longest serving head of a pediatric hospital in the country and one of the Exchange Club and Fort Worth’s finest citizens. He is thoughtful and humble and yet incisive and a brilliant strategist. Perhaps his greatest strength is his ability to get the good to be great and the great to be the best – he is a truly inspiring leader. Over the 106 year history that has led to the Cook Children’s of today, I am confident in saying that there is no single person more fitting to accept this award on Cook Children’s behalf than Rick Merrill.
We will follow my comments with a short video then Rick will close us with his remarks.
Thank you again Exchange Club for this honor bestowed on our beloved Cook Children’s Health Care System. In so many ways we are one and the same, unique, the best of our kind….and 100 years young and still