School-Based Virtual Health

Our School-Based Virtual Health program is bringing the expertise of Cook Children's pediatrics to schools throughout the area. It's fast, easy and convenient. The school nurse simply connects virtually to a Cook Children's board certified pediatrician or certified nurse practitioner and kids are seen right from the school nurse's office.

Designed with schools, parents, and children in mind, this program saves time, reduces outbreaks of contagious illnesses and lost school days, relieves stress for children, and parents no longer have to leave work right away and try to squeeze a child into a last minute doctor's appointment or urgent care clinic.

Information for Parents

See which schools are participating and register your child.

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Information for School Nurses

Helpful resources and support for participating school nurses.

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Information for School Administrators

Learn about the advantages of school-based Virtual Health.

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How does it work?

With the parent's permission, a student may be evaluated by a board certified pediatrician or certified nurse practitioner through a virtual conference. Parents have the option of being a part of the virtual visit by logging into a secure website or joining by phone. If the child has a condition appropriate for Virtual Health, the school nurse can connect with a Cook Children's pediatrician or nurse practitioner.

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The Cook Children's provider will complete an assessment of the student to include input from the school nurse and participating parent/legal guardian during the visit. The school nurse will assist the provider during the evaluation through the use of special equipment as needed. The provider can hear the student's heart and lungs with a digital stethoscope. The provider can closely examine the student's ears, throat, rash, or abrasions with a high definition camera.

Upon completion of the evaluation, the provider will give instructions for follow-up care and submit a prescription to the pharmacy of choice if needed. A record of the student's visit will be kept in Cook Children's medical records for future reference and a copy is sent to the primary care physician on record. A return to school note is sent to the school if needed. The parent/guardian will have access to all treatment information through the MyCookChildren's patient portal.

Meet our team

Autumn Morris

Autumn Morris graduated from the nurse practitioner program at UTA in 2009. She worked for 10 years in pediatric primary care in Euless before joining the Cook Children's Virtual Health team. She is the mother of 2 busy daughters and when she is not driving them all around town to their activities, she enjoys reading, Astros baseball and spending time with her family. She is excited to be able to help the families of Cook Children’s through Virtual Health.

Dr. Justin Smith

Dr. Justin Smith is the father of 3 young children and ready to join you in a team approach to caring for your child. He completed medical school at UT Southwestern and pediatric residency at Texas Children's Hospital. He gained 4 years of experience in Abilene working in a pediatric office as well as the NICU, pediatric hospital and PICU prior to joining Cook Children's in 2013. In his spare time he enjoys writing about pediatric care and parenting issues. He is an avid Mavericks and Aggie fan but will also talk with your family about ADHD, behavior problems, asthma, physical fitness and well child care.

Holly Erwin

Holly is a mom of four boys and has worked as a pediatric nurse since 2006 within Cook Children's Health Care System. As the nurse coordinator, Holly helps to on-board schools and train nurses in school based telemedicine procedure, as well as the labs that associated with the program under our CLIA license.

When she's not working, Holly spends her time running to and from sports for her boys, being outside in nature and dreaming of traveling with her husband. For now, she settles for their bi-annual date-night!

Jeanette Aguilar

Jeanette, a dedicated health care leader with extensive experience, oversees virtual urgent care, virtual school-based visits, virtual lactation and other programs. As a practice manager, she excels at streamlining workflows, implementing compliance policies and supporting frontline teams to deliver safe, efficient and compassionate care. Jeanette's strong background in staff development allows her to collaborate closely with nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners and medical receptionists to build high-performing teams. She is known for her ability to balance operational governance with a people-first approach, ensuring staff support, timely patient care and system efficiency. Outside of work, Jeanette actively participates as parent and community volunteer. She often helps with school activities and is involved with a high school marching band! Building strong connections between health care, schools and families is her passion!

Rachel Brock

Rachel is our Director of Operations. She currently oversees our virtual urgent care, school based telemedicine, lactation, and several primary care clinics in the North Dallas/Prosper region. As a new mom, she understands the importance of quick access to great practitioners! Prior to Cook Children's, she worked overseeing multiple different service lines for Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, riding her Peloton, reading, and traveling.

Have questions or need information?

For more information, email us at schooltelemed@cookchildrens.org.