Prosper: Throwback to January's Winter Weather

By Kaley Johnson

In January, Cook Children’s Medical Center - Prosper implemented its full emergency response to weather for the first time. In 2023, winter weather hit just as the facility opened. This time, the team had more time to make sure staff felt safe, comfortable and informed as winter weather hit the area.

The first step the team took was to make sure a plan was in place and staff knew what it entailed, said Sheralyn Hartline, RN, the AVP of Nursing and Patient Care.

“People want to feel safe overall, and they want to know we thought about them,” Sheralyn said. “So if they can get here to help us take care of the kiddos, then we can give them a safe place.”

The team set up sleeping areas, meals and other resources for any employees who might need to stay beyond their shift due to unsafe travel conditions. While the team had the Fort Worth campus as a model, administrators still had to make sure they coordinated across multiple teams. Staff from various departments, such as environmental services, nursing, nutrition and landscaping, were involved in the response.

Robert Weber MS CHFM., Director of Engineering and Real Estate Facilities Management, said while the plan was similar to that of the Fort Worth campus, they had to make some adjustments.

“Similar to downtown, we have to stay open and clear our sidewalks, but we have a lot more grounds and landscape than our sister hospital,” Robert said. “We had a plan with our landscape company to make sure there was enough ice melt for patches of ice and communicated the shape of the campus to the house supervisor and administrator on duty.”

As it turned out, Robert said, they had too much ice melt, which was one lesson they will use to perfect future responses. The team also noted they could use more equipment on the grounds to deal with snow, such as a small snow plow.

“Overall, the team’s response was well organized and swift. I’m proud of how everyone worked together to make sure our staff and families felt safe and comfortable,” said Kevin Greene, Vice President and Administrator of Cook Children’s Medical Center - Prosper.”

It’s important that employees are able to have confidence that their workplace will keep them safe, Robert said.

“The importance of having the plan in place is because we have an obligation to the community for a continuance of operation and even in adverse events,” Robert said. “It’s a commitment to the children who are in our care.”