Announcing Cook Children’s Well-Being Month

Taking care of ourselves is a necessity to keeping our Promise, treating each other like family, and thriving at work and home. Some days balancing everything in our lives can be challenging. When we take time for personal and professional well-being it’s easier to find the energy and motivation to show up as our best selves each day.

We’re launching an annual tradition dedicated to helping you be your best-self at work and home. August will be Cook Children’s Well-Being Month. We’ve brought together multiple teams to promote self-care and connect our 10,000 employees to the programs, benefits, and resources offered to enjoy life and thrive at work and home. 

According to Gallup’s research, well-being is all the things that are important to how we think about and experience our lives. This month we'll talk about the importance of self-care and how teamwork, connections with colleagues, and peer support boost well-being. Lastly, we’ll connect you to the many resources at Cook Children’s to support your well-being.  

What’s Happening This Month

Well-being Month Page on the new CookNet: visit this page to learn about events, classes, and activities planned for August.

Some of the highlights are:

• Look for the Cook Children’s University & Healthy Me virtual self-care class schedule and register through links on that page.
• Learn more about the Virgin Pulse app and how it can help with your well-being goals.
• Connect with your colleagues and teams at Beat the Heat Treat (see in-person schedule and IDT information for off-site and remote teams)
• Take part in Well-Bingo for a variety of well-being activities and the chance to win a gift card.  

Note: The self-care class schedule, details on Beat the Heat Treat, Virgin Pulse info sheet and the Well-Bingo card are in the top right corner of this page to download and print.

Destigmatizing Self-Care

We hope the message from Mr. Merrill inspires you to focus on self-care and learn what’s important to your well-being.

What is Self-Care?

Taking care of yourself is essential for maintaining overall well-being and allows you to be better at everything you do, at work and at home. Self-care involves self-awareness and intentional activities that reduce stress, replenish mental and physical resources and help you enjoy life. Self-care is not selfish; rather, it is necessary for maintaining balance and ensuring your needs are met.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), self-care is the process by which people at least temporarily reduce the demands they are experiencing and replenish spent resources. Since a wide variety of activities can be considered self-care, two things to keep in mind when thinking about self-care activities:

• Add restorative activities to your days
• Reduce your demands by identifying and minimizing stressors

Research shows that certain activities are more restorative than others. Use these five points as a guide to help you think about what self-care activities you should choose.

1. Focus on something that helps you stop thinking about your demands
2. Have a choice about when, how, and what you do to recover
3. Do anything that helps you relax physically and mentally 
4. Engage in activities that challenge you or help you acquire new skills 
5. Build connections and spend time with others (family, friends, colleagues)

Self-care is very personal - it varies from person to person. It’s about finding what works for you and making it a regular part of your routine. By prioritizing self-care, you can improve your overall quality of life.

During Well-being Month, there are a variety of self-care classes and activities in August to help you take care of yourself. To learn more, click here to go to the Well-being Month page on CookNet.

VIDEO: Introducing Kristin Burrow, Chaplain of Well-being

Did you know there is a Chaplain dedicated to employee well-being? In July 2023 a new role was created to provide support to employees on patient units and partner with leaders for team interventions. We want to introduce you to Kristin Burrow, Chaplain of Well-being. She works to create safe spaces where employees can acknowledge difficult things and resume focus on their work’s purpose, hope and joy. Please watch Kristin’s important message about self-care in the video below.

By Kaley Johnson

Kristin Burrow, Chaplain of Well-Being in the Spiritual Care Department, and Jennifer Hayes, the Director of Spiritual Care, have long seen the need for Cook Children’s staff to have emotional and spiritual support. In July 2023, Burrow started in her new position after working at Cook Children’s for five years.

Since then, she has focused on extending resources for staff well-being through empowerment, new programs and emphasis on listening.

In July 2023, Kristin moved into the newly created role as Chaplain of Well-Being. While traditional hospital chaplain roles are connected to patients, Kristin focuses on staff. As a former PRN and NICU chaplain she saw firsthand the burnout and emotional strain that can accumulate for people in the medical field. Her hope is through education and access to resources, staff will not only help themselves, but also help one another.

One such initiative Kristin has tackled is creating QPR workshops for staff. Similar to CPR, QPR -- which stands for Question, Persuade, Refer -- teaches people to help peers who are in a medical emergency. Staff learn how to talk to someone in a mental health crisis, urge them to seek help and refer them to mental health resources at Cook Children’s.

Each QPR training lasts one hour and can be taken during work time.  Participants will learn the warning signs of a suicide crisis, know what to say to someone who might be at risk for suicide and how to how to get help. The training will be available in English and Spanish and there is no cost to employees.

Staff at the Medical Center-Fort Worth will be able to sign up to take part in the training via ULearn here. Leaders can also reach out to Kristin to schedule a time to learn more about scheduling a training time that works for their team.

Kristin has also focused on peer-to-peer conversations, which are an integral piece of mental health wellbeing in the workplace. To create the space for more of those peer-to-peer connections, Kristin and the Spiritual Care Department increased the amount of debriefs that departments and individuals participate in after an emotional event or case. In 2024 so far, the department has helped coordinate 99 debriefs with 701 total staff members.

“Our Promise starts with knowing that every child’s life is sacred’, and knowing that, we promise to ‘improve the well-being of every child in our care’. Our employees work so hard to live into that promise, and it takes a toll on the mind, body and spirit. I am grateful this role reminds us that our lives are also sacred, and our well-being is connected to our patients’ well-being,” she said.  

Kristin, a Fort Worth native, obtained a degree in Political Science before going to seminary school at 35. Even before then, she took part in various nonprofits which heavily influenced her approach to wellness care.

Locally and abroad, she worked with farmers through the organization Growing Hope, which helps people develop sustainable farming practices. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Kristin and her work at Growing Hope focused on what individual communities already knew and had access to and helped create a unique farming plan tailored to the community.

That approach gave her the foundation to how she approaches spiritual care now, in which she empowers people to discover solutions instead of just telling them what to do.

“If you stop and you listen to somebody, they have their own solution in them,” she said. “I'm not the solution, but helping them find the solution for themselves, or helping them find and connect to the resources that we have, I think that that's really important.”

As she continues in her role, Kristin hopes to continue to facilitate peer-to-peer support programs, increase support for staff who experience workplace violence and coordinate more debriefs for Cook Children’s staff.

You can contact Kristin at StaffCare@cookchildrens.org or call Spiritual Care office (682) 885-4030 during business hours. If you need to reach a chaplain after hours please call (682) 885-4000 and page the chaplain on call.

Self-Care Resources for You

At Cook Children’s we have many resources dedicated to supporting you. Click the links below to learn more.

Mental Health Resources: Contacts for EAP, counseling, Spiritual Care and other resources to support you.

Healthy Me: A voluntary health and wellness program for employees. Links to Virgin Pulse, CareATC, Uprise Health, Fidelity and many more.

Occupational Health: Learn about health and safety at work.

Spiritual Care: This team provides staff care through counseling, resource referrals, debriefings and more.

Benefits: Learn more about 2024-25 benefits updates and open enrollment as well as information and contacts for your current benefits providers.

Cook Children’s University: Learn about and register for classes to enhance your personal and professional well-being.

Wherever you work across the System, we hope you’ll take part in Well-being Month! We want to enable you to have the emotional and physical energy and motivation to be your best. Begin with you and be well!

Questions about Well-being Month? Email teamexperience@cookchildrens.org

Cook Children's Internal Resources

You’ll earn 100 Virgin Pulse Points for attending the webinar. Points may be cashed in for gift cards through the Cook Children’s employee wellness program.

 REGISTER: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3859295040798500959

Cook Children's is offering an evidence-based suicide prevention training that teaches staff how to engage, interpret, and respond to peers experiencing suicidal ideations. It's called Question, Persuade, Refer Training, or QPR for short. QPR teaches three steps that anyone can take to help save a life from suicide.  QPR training is being introduced first to employees at Cook Children's Medical Center-Fort Worth this fall and will expand to additional locations starting next year. Click here to learn more. 

For a helpful guide to mental health resources, click here. 

Find information about courses available to you and your team. Get the flier posted in the right corner of this page under Downloads.

Sign up on ULearn and find additional information on CookNet, under the Cook Children’s University tab.

The Virgin Pulse Wellness Platform provides the opportunity for employees to earn Pulse Cash redeemable for merchandise at the online store or gift cards from retailers including Amazon, Target, Visa, Nike and Starbucks. Virgin Pulse, Inc. operates as a digital health, wellbeing, and engagement company and is part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, along with Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Click here to register.

Important reminders: 
• When entering your employee ID number do NOT include letters. You do need to include the leading zeroes in your ID number. 
• Enter your name as it appears in Workday. 
• Need more help? Email support@virginpulse.com or call (401) 537-6300. 

For spouses: 
• Type in the spouses first name and last name (please use your name as its shown on your birth certificate) 
• Enter the Cook Children's Employee's ID with an “S” on the end (only numbers included and do not add leading zero's or letters in front of ID) 
• Need more help? Email support@virginpulse.com or call (401) 537-6300. 

Virgin Pulse Mobile App: Visit your app store, search “Virgin Pulse”. Download the Virgin Pulse mobile app to your personal device to start earning points towards your rewards incentive.

Contact Information: 
Virgin Pulse Support -- (401) 537-6300 
Email: support@virginpulse.com 
Cook Children’s Wellness Coordinator at wellness@cookchildrens.org 

 

The Vitality platform ended in June at Cook Children’s. Next month we’re launching the Virgin Pulse Wellness Platform with the opportunity for employees to earn Pulse Cash redeemable for merchandise at the online store or gift cards from retailers including Amazon, Target, Visa, Nike and Starbucks. Virgin Pulse, Inc. operates as a digital health, wellbeing, and engagement company and is part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, along with Virgin Atlantic Airways. 

The program is designed for personalized engagement and fun challenges that support the health and wellbeing of our employees across the system. The average Virgin Pulse user accesses the app six times a day, according to the company website. 

Information on the app will be tailored to employees based on the topics of interest they select in building their profile.  Education programs include Journeys health courses, unique Daily Cards to complete, and nutrition/sleep guides. Employees can also use Virgin Pulse to create and customize their own competitive challenges with co-workers.

“Virgin Pulse is user friendly, and employees will find the website and app to be intuitive,” said Sarah Fry, coordinator for the Cook Children’s Wellness Program. “Our goal is to simplify wellness for our employees so they will have all of the resources and information they need under one easy-to-use umbrella.”

Sarah pointed out that Virgin Pulse is similar to Vitality because employees will still earn points for completing health tasks such as tracking workouts/steps, meditation and regular dental and primary care visits. Financial wellness counts too; for instance, you can earn 100 Virgin Pulse Points for attending the virtual Fidelity webinar on Sept. 19 (watch for the registration links, coming soon).

Each quarter of the year, employees will have the opportunity earn up to $40 based on accumulated points:

·         Level 1 – 1,000 points earns $5 Pulse Cash

·         Level 2 – 5,000 points earns $10 Pulse Cash

·         Level 3 – 12,000 points earns $10 Pulse Cash

·         Level 5 – 20,000 points earns $15 Pulse Cash

Points will reset every three months, giving a fresh start to new hires and any employee who wasn’t active with the app during the previous quarter.

Employees will be able to sync their fitness device and MyFitnessPal to automatically earn points that go toward their incentive. Devices can be purchased through the Virgin Pulse store, including the Max Buzz activity tracker for $30.

Email instructions will be sent to help employees get started Sept. 1. Our site will be https://join.virginpulse.com/cookchildrens

We are so thrilled to receive the distinction of being ranked the Second Healthiest Employer in Texas serving 5,000 to 9,999 employees. Healthiest Employers® is an award program that recognizes and celebrates organizations focused on taking a proactive approach to improving their employees' health and well-being.

At Cook Children's, taking care of our employees is a top priority because we know that employees can serve our patient families best when they feel healthy, happy and strong. To be acknowledged of our dedication to our employees, specifically for our Healthy Me Wellness Program is outstanding.

Healthy Me is Cook Children’s voluntary employee wellness initiative to create an overall culture of health and wellness for all of our employees. The program offers a range of unique benefits available to all employees, including our onsite 24/7 fitness center called the Wellness Zone, making it convenient to incorporate exercise into everyone’s daily routine. The Wellness Zone is staffed with fitness experts who offer group exercise classes and personalized fitness assessments, enhancing the overall wellness experience. Within the last year, 47% of our employees have participated in 589,222 workouts.

Beyond physical health benefits, the Wellness Zone also plays a crucial role in supporting employees' mental well-being, with yoga classes seven days a week. The Healthy Me program also includes webinars about burnout and stress, financial planning, and healthy eating, and maintains a wellness room where employees can take a break and relax with adult coloring books, journals and other resources.

Cook Children's would not be able to provide amazing services without its employees. Very special thank you to our Healthy Me Wellness Program team for all they do to support all 9,000 employees. Your work does not go unnoticed or underappreciated!
 

Prosper employees --you’re invited to pick up a piece of delicious fruit at a giveaway event hosted by the Healthy Me Wellness Program. They will be at the Prosper Medical Center from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Wed. Aug. 2 at the Over the Moon Cafe.

Choose an orange, banana or apple. We know that eating healthy is important for both your physical and mental health. Fresh fruit is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can help you stay energized and focused throughout the day.