Connect Newsletter: World Cup Kickoff

Ready for Kickoff: Cook Children's Prepares for Soccer-Filled Summer

With millions of soccer fans descending upon Dallas-Fort Worth for the World Cup, Cook Children’s is fully prepared to handle the excitement. The Emergency Management team has spent more than a year meticulously planning and implementing proactive logistics to ensure our facilities across the Metroplex remain ready.

We’re taking a comprehensive approach to matchday readiness by activating a command center to keep an eye on security, patient volumes, inventory, and more. From bolstering our cybersecurity measures to ensuring our frontline patient care teams have what they need, we are fully aligned to maintain the high standard of care our community expects. At Cook Children’s, we're gameday ready — focused on keeping our patient families safe, secure, and well-cared for while the world turns its eyes on North Texas.

Click here to read a kickoff article. 

All Things World Cup on CookNet 

Ahead of the big soccer tournament coming to the Metroplex, Environmental Safety and Emergency Management have created a one-stop shop of resources for employees all about the World Cup. A direct link to this 2026 World Cup CookNet site will be at the top of the CookNet homepage until the end of the tournament. 

The website includes details for clinicians on international diseases, as well as cultural resources, how to access to language interpreters, and how to sign up for Cook Children's emergency alerts. Please use this CookNet site for all your World Cup needs during the tournament. 

Here's How to Connect Non-English-Speaking Families with Language Services 

The Case Management Department’s Interpreter Services is ready to help units, clinics and ambulatory sites meet the communication needs of non-English-speaking patients and families. 

Blue phones for over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) and green video remote interpreter (VRI) carts are readily available across all locations. If you are unsure where these tools are kept on your unit, please ask your supervisor. 

When requesting assistance, keep the distinct roles of language professionals in mind: 

• Interpreters assist with spoken communication, speaking back and forth between two parties.
• Translators handle written communication, transcribing documents from one language to another (such as turning an English welcome letter into Arabic). 

To request a Spanish onsite interpreter, go to the My Important Places section on the CookNet home page and find the ServiceHub/Spanish Onsite Interpreter icon once you press see all. Then add the icon to your My Important Places section and it will be easy to find at all times. You can also access the request link located below the contact information on the right side of the Interpretation Services page. 

Onsite hours are 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information visit, Interpreter Services and for other World Cup Resources visit.

Peak Travel Periods Across the Metroplex

Match days will bring increased travel across the region. If you are driving around the Metroplex, please see these peak travel periods from the North Central Texas Council of Governments. 

Click here to view primary activation areas across North Texas and road closures near Dallas Stadium in Arlington (that's the name for AT&T Stadium during the World Cup).

To view accurate and timely highway conditions, visit DriveTexas before you head out. 

Share World Cup Wednesday on Social Media

Every Wednesday until the end of the tournament, the Public Relations Department is sharing articles related to the World Cup on CheckupNewsroom.com and on Cook Children's social media pages. 

Today you'll see a story about 12 patients who'll take the field during the inaugural FIFA World Cup 2026™ match in North Texas. The teenagers will not just be in attendance; they will serve as official Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup 2026 Flag Bearers, carrying the national flags for Japan and Netherlands onto the pitch.

We made it made it official on June 1 during a “Flag Bearer Signing Day.” As friends, family, and hospital staff looked on, the teens signed a Peaks the Dragon soccer ball to commemorate the milestone. Click here to see the story or you can view it on social media. 

Be sure to share these amazing stories so locals and visitors can see the incredible work we do at Cook Children's. And tune in at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 14 at to watch our patients take the global stage. 

Show off Your Favorite Jersey This Week

To celebrate the tournament, we'll have World Cup Jersey Days between June 11-14 for staff. You can wear this jersey or any other soccer jersey you have to work. Whether it is a Peaks the Dragon jersey or your favorite soccer team, we want to see it! 

Don't forget you can purchase the Peaks the Dragon soccer jersey at our Under the Peaks store. The jersey costs $36 and runs small so be sure to size up. Employees can purchase this jersey and have it sent by inter-office mail. Send this Under the Peaks order form to underthepeaks@cookchildrens.org. Please make sure your Cook Children's location is listed on the form. 

Join Global Soccer Trek Step Challenge on Personify Health 

As we watch these incredibly fit and dedicated athletes from around the globe, you can take part by participating in a Global Soccer Trek Step Challenge on Personify Health and tracking your steps every day. To begin, join or create a team and connect your device to track your steps. The team with the most steps at the end of the challenge wins! 

Sign up for the step challenge on Personify Health. Already have an account? Click here to log into Personify. If you do not have an account, click here to enroll in Personify. 

Share Your World Cup Memories

Are attending a World Cup match? Planning a work tournament watch party? Wearing jerseys with your colleagues? Send us pictures of your World Cup memories! We will share them throughout the tournament. 

Send your photos to InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org. 

Share Your Content with Us

Do you have any tips, ideas or content you would like us to know about? We want to hear from you! Please view our SharePoint site and email us at InternalCommunications@cookchildrens.org. 

To find more content about our employees and news you need to know, bookmark our Connect Newsroom website.