Cook Children's Medical Center

Cook Children's Medical Center (CCMC) - Fort Worth is the cornerstone of Cook Children's Health Care System. This 462-bed facility is home to top medical minds, advanced technologies, family-centered treatments and leading-edge clinical research, all designed to fulfill the System's Promise to improve the health and well-being of every child in our care and our communities. It is one of only 10 freestanding children's hospitals in the world to achieve Magnet designation with three consecutive re-designations from the American Nursing Credentialing Center, most recently in 2021. Nationally recognized services such as the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health, and the hematology and oncology center are leading the way in providing the highest level of care to families who travel from across Texas, the United States and internationally. From complicated surgeries and Level II trauma care to physical therapy and behavioral health services, CCMC - Fort Worth offers a variety of services and amenities to meet the unique needs of every patient and family. CCMC-- Fort Worth set a new census record in January 2024 with 101 babies in the NICU, a milestone that reflects the growth in demand for the hospital's services. Raising Awareness With the help of the Center for Community Health, led by Cook Children's, the System works to inform and educate the public on timely topics. In FY24, Cook Children's continued to build on a communications campaign for safe baby sleep. The effort began a year earlier when the Fort Worth medical center saw an alarming spike in sudden unexplained infant deaths (SUIDs). Through a series of articles on checkupnewsroom.org, Cook Children's raised awareness about the safest sleep environment for babies. Additional articles in FY24 highlighted the risks of weighted sleep sacks and blankets in the crib. Other messages for injury prevention in FY24 included the importance of car seats, reminders of summer pool safety, and awareness of bathtub safety. An article during Poison Prevention Week reported the growing number of young children treated in the Emergency Department (ED) for accidental marijuana ingestion. The Aim for Safety program at Cook Children's spreads awareness about proper storage of firearms, focusing on education to prevent accidental shootings in the home. In conjunction with leaders of the program, the city of Fort Worth and several other cities in North Texas declared August 2024 as Gun Safety Awareness Month. Surging cases of flu and respiratory illnesses strained the ED, pediatric offices and urgent care center several times in FY24. Cook Children's responded on social media and other outlets by asking for the community's help to limit the spread. Through articles, charts and videos, the communications team promoted tips to help families manage mild illness at home - and to recognize the more severe symptoms that warrant a trip to urgent care or the ED. Telehealth remains a critical resource for the hospital, especially during times of intense viral spread. Fiscal year 2024 virtual health visits totaled 82,365 across all of Cook Children's Health Care System, an increase of 42% from the previous year. Mental Well-Being The Raising Joy Podcast, an outgrowth of Cook Children's suicide prevention JOY Campaign, aired its 85th episode in June 2024. Topics in FY24 covered everything from coping with pet loss and holiday grief to prevention of teen drug and alcohol abuse. And during National Suicide Prevention Month in September 2024, Cook Children's targeted the stigma of taking prescription medication for anxiety, depression and other disorders. Experts from Cook Children's addressed the reasons that parents might hesitate to start their teens on psychiatric medication. The article included a graphic of mental health resources in English and Spanish. Collaborative Care CCMC - Fort Worth opened the Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health in October 2023. The Justin Institute brings together Cook Children's Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center, Division of Behavioral Health and the Child Study Center under one roof to provide accessible, well-coordinated and comprehensive care for children with disorders affecting the nervous system. The Justin Institute displays an impressive collection of neuro art aimed at engaging the minds, senses and curiosity of visitors while creating a soothing ambiance. It's located in the recently expanded Dodson Specialty Clinics building, which also includes a retail pharmacy and sibling support center. November 2023 marked the 10-year anniversary of the NICU Early Support and Care Transition (NEST) Developmental Follow-Up Center. The NEST Clinic provides early intervention for babies born prematurely or those at risk for long-term challenges with hearing, seeing, talking, feeding, motor skills and intellectual development. Through age 5, the clinic connects patients with comprehensive assessments and care. Leading-Edge Research Cook Children's announced in May 2024 that four patients with a difficult-to-control form of epilepsy participated in trials for a medicine to improve seizure control and slow the progression of their disease. Cook Children's epileptologist M. Scott Perry, M.D. was the lead investigator for the SWALLOWTAIL trial, which studied the safety and tolerability of the drug. Participants treated with the RNA-based medicine experienced fewer convulsive seizures and showed improvement in other conditions. And for the first time in its history, CCMC - Fort Worth received a $2.3 million research project grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant was awarded for a study led by Christos Papadelis, Ph.D., director of the Neurosciences Research Cener, to identify the origin point of seizures in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. The R01 grant is the most prestigious and competitive award given by the NIH. Thanks to another research study underway, patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have hope for a life-changing genetic therapy. The first patient at Cook Children's received the treatment in January 2024 when he received an infusion of his own edited stem cells. Those edited stem cells began producing healthier blood, stopping the patient's episodes of pain and frequent hospitalization. CCMC - Fort Worth was the only pediatric site in Texas selected for this trial. High Expectations U.S. News & World Report in October 2024 ranked seven Cook Children's specialties among the top 50 in the nation for pediatrics. Ranked specialties were Behavioral Health, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Lung Surgery, Cardiology and Heart Surgery, and Cancer. Also in 2024, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit was presented with the Silver Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Cook Children's continually pursues quality and safety. That commitment to excellence was reflected in the 87% lihood to recommend" score for patient experience in FY24. Eligible employees were awarded a CareShare bonus for exceeding the goal. Our then director of the Heart Center at the medical center was named to the 2024 Dallas/Fort Worth Great 100 Nurses list. Honorees are nominated by their nursing peers for their example as leaders, role models and compassionate caregivers.