Network of Care
Cook Children's is more than a pediatric health care system. We are a health care network that can grow with your child's needs from their first cries and steps, all the way into adulthood. And if your child should have a serious injury or illness that requires specialized care, our doctors, nurses, researchers and the entire Cook Children's team are here when you need us. But we don’t stop there, we even have care for adults with congenital conditions. When it comes to providing health care, brilliant minds and big talents are here with you every inch of the way. Because we know that after all the checkups, visits, treatments and surgeries, it comes down to one thing … when things get complicated, accessing the best health care should be as simple as possible.
Pediatricians
Dedicated physicians who look after your child's overall health and serve as a valuable family resource for health and emotional well-being.
Pediatric Specialty Care
When your child's physician suspects there may be more serious health issue, you may be referred to a pediatric specialist who has extensive training and experience in treating illnesses and injuries in infants, children and young adults.
Urgent Care
Kids don't always get sick or hurt at the most convenient times. When the unexpected happens, our urgent care centers can help. Open 7 days a week, with extended hours, the pediatric trained staff in these facilities know how to make kids feel better. At Cook Children's Urgent Care Centers, you can get things like X-rays, stitches and care for illnesses that aren't life-threatening but need medical attention the same day.
Cook Children's Medical Center
The cornerstone of Cook Children's Health Care System, our 430-bed medical center is home to nationally and internationally recognized specialty care and treatments as well as award-winning patient care. Our rapidly expanding campus includes more than 40 specialty care offices. Cook Children's Neonatology department includes a Level IV NICU which delivers the highest level of care possible for newborns and infants. Our on-site retail pharmacy is a convenient resource for families visiting or staying on campus.
Our campus offers a number of convenient resources, such as a retail pharmacy, salon, Starbucks®, food court, Build-a-Bear Workshop® and gift shop designed to make a stay or visit more comfortable. We also provide a number of programs and services to help families navigate the daily challenges of a child's illness or injury or a prolonged stay in our medical center.
Emergency Care
We are the only EMS-designated trauma center in Tarrant County, Texas. The medical center is one of only 10 Level II Trauma Centers in Texas. Our Emergency Department and Urgent Care Centers treat well over 100,000 patients each year.
In August 2016, we opened our new Emergency Department (ED) with larger exam rooms to better serve both our families and clinical staff. The new ED features:
- 77 general exam rooms with four rooms for resuscitation and one palliative care room.
- 10 triage rooms.
- All private rooms.
- A new CT (computed tomography) room with a scanner that's five times faster and has less radiation exposure.
- Two X-ray rooms.
- Radiology scanning in each room allowing for initial imaging at bedside.
Pharmacy
Cook Children's pharmacies process thousands of medication orders every day. Our pharmacists review each order to check the dose, route, frequency, indication, allergy and interaction accuracy. Kids are not small adults and their medication needs differ based on their age, size and weight.
Our pediatric pharmacists are here to make sure your child's medicines are safe and effective. That includes helping you understand what your child's medicine is for, the best times to take the medicine, the right dose, side-effects and any possible drug interaction with other medications your child may be taking, such as other prescriptions, over-the-counter medications like cough syrup or antihistamines and herbals. They can even tell you what food and drinks might cause an interaction. What that means to you and your child is expertise you can trust!
Pediatric Surgery Centers
Cook Children's Pediatric Surgery Center located in Plano, Texas, offers a dedicated staff skilled in a full range of pediatric day surgeries.
Home Health
Cook Children's Home Health care is an alternative to hospital care for patients whose diseases or conditions allow them to continue recovery or rehabilitation at home. Services include nursing and rehabilitation, infusions, durable medical equipment, orthotics, prosthetics and cranial asymmetry program and a specialty pharmacy. Cook Children's Home Health locations include Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
Health Plan
Cook Children's Health Plan provides vital coverage to nearly 120,000 people in low-income families who qualify for government-sponsored programs in our six county service region. The program is a vital part of our commitment to the community and our Promise to improve the health of every child by providing access to much needed medical services, from preventive care to treatment for more serious diagnoses.
The Center for Children's Health
A Cook Children's initiative, The Center for Children's Health works to create aligned collaborations by joining forces and engaging with communities, civic organizations and other stakeholders with a goal of making our North Texas region one of the healthiest places to raise a child.
The center also is home to Cook Children's Community Health Outreach department (CHO). The department works with more than 240 partner organizations to improve the safety and health of at-risk children in our six-county region through education, disease and injury prevention and advocacy. CHO selects issues based on health needs assessments and data collected through our Community-wide Children's Health Assessment & Planning Survey (CCHAPS) and other local organizations. Another part of the center is the Community Health Research team which is tasked with determining the best approaches for managing specific health issues.
Virtual Health: Telemedicine, Telehealth, Virtual Visits
Telemedicine and telehealth can connect you, your child and your doctor or nurse to the health care team at Cook Children's through video conferencing. This allows your family to get a consultation in real time without having to sacrifice time or money to travel far from home. Clinics throughout Texas are equipped with cameras, microphones and TV monitors that allow our doctors to talk directly to you, and your nurses and doctors.
Cook Children's has been using telemedicine and telehealth technologies since 2004.
In the fall of 2016, we also began a school-based telemedicine program that allows students to have virtual visits with a Cook Children's pediatrician in the school nurse's office. In addition, our pilot program for virtual visits makes it possible for our peditaricians to make virtual "house calls" 7 days a week.
Teddy Bear Transport
Cook Children's is supported by one of the largest pediatric transport programs in the nation. More than 3,500 children are transported to Cook Children's Medical Center annually from Texas and its surrounding states, most for critical care. Cook Children's is one of only five neonatal transport teams accredited worldwide by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services.
Our program began in 1982 with a single ambulance and two team members. We have grown to our current model, which includes a Cessna Citation Encore+ jet*, King Air B200 critical care transport airplane*, an American Eurocopter 145 helicopter* and five ambulances. Each are equipped to transport critical care patients and feature pediatric-oriented technology.
Cook Children's Teddy Bear Transport includes a staff of 62 neonatal/pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and communication specialists.
*Aircraft operated by Metro Aviation, Shreveport, Louisiana.