In retrospect: 2010 all over again For Cook Children’s and all of its employees, 2010 was a truly award-winning year with accolades and praise coming from the national, regional and local scenes. As we look back at what the last twelve months brought to Cook Children’s and how it has pushed us toward an exciting 2011, take pride in knowing that our Promise is only fulfilled through the commitment of our people. January On Jan. 15, at the first Child Health Summit, Cook Children’s presented CCHAPS results to over 150 attendees, including community leaders. It was the first step in collaboratively planning how to use the data. Cook Children’s Physician Network opened its new primary care clinic in Burleson with Carla Smith, D.O., and Lanna McClain, M.D. A cardiac team from Cook Children’s journeyed to Ethiopia to teach and address the heart issues of the children there. The implementation of athenahealth brought electronic medical records to Cook Children’s Physician Network clinics. For the second consecutive year, Cook Children’s has been named to the Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks list by SDI and was the only free-standing health care network in the country to make the list. February More than 1,200 employees pledged a projected $409,891.50 during the Employees Care Campaign. This marked record participation and pledge amounts for the campaign. With the launch of the KidsCheckUp iPhone app, parents can conveniently tap into the expertise of Cook Children’s with a moment’s notice. Currently, the app is dowloaded about 1,000 times monthly. Cook Children’s Medical Center President Nancy Cychol, Assistant Vice President Ginny Hickman and Paul Bowman, M.D. were named as “Healthcare Heroes” by the Fort Worth Business Press. March The 2010 DFW Great 100 Nurses are unvieled and three of our nurses are recognized: Shirley Martin, RN, BSN, CPN, from PACU; Ron ‘Luke’ Lucas, RN, from the Emergency Department; and Susan Hillin, RNC-NIC, MSN, from Education. A team from Cook Children’s brought the practice of child life and the principles of family-centered care to families in Romania. The Peak Performer program is launched and begins recognizing employees who stand out amongst an incredible set of employees across Cook Children’s. Corporal Joe Spangler of Security is nominated for the Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council’s (DFWHC) Employee of the Year and is a recipient in the Special Recognition category. April On April 29, at the annual Cook Children’s Physician Network’s State of the Network, Ric Bonnell, M.D., (at left) from the Emergency Department, received the Service Award and Frank McGehee, M.D., (at right) was given the Distinguished Physician Award. In the Joint Commission’s 2009-2010 Flu Vaccination Challenge, Cook Children’s achieved the Gold Tier for our 90 percent seasonal flu vaccination rate. May On May 25, the Teddy Bear Transport lands for the first time on its new helipad located atop the North Parking Garage. For the third year, Cook Children’s awards a total of $50,000 to employees’ children selected as Presidents’ Scholarship winners. Linda Thompson, M.D., Javier Gelvez, M.D. and Shirley Martin, RN, BSM, CPN, are named as the first XTO Energy Clinical Scholars. For the fourth year in a row, Cook Children’s Pulmonology is on the list of U.S.News & World Report’s list of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. June The Morris Foundation Center for Innovation in Children’s Health opened June 15 and brings an innovative approach to primary patient care, including group education visits. (l to r: Joe Monteleone, Executive Director of the Morris Foundation, Dr. Sharon Davis, Dr. Maria del Pilar Levy, Linda C. Morris Elsey, President of the Morris Foundation.) Cook Children’s Health Plan’s Linda Liewer recently received the 2009 Claire Glover Distinguished Member Award from the National Association for Healthcare Quality for commitment to our members. Fort Worth Star-Telegram readers chose Cook Children’s as the Best Local Medical Center in the annual Reader’s Choice Awards. July Our Medical Center achieved Level II Trauma Designation from the American College of Surgeons and the Department of State Health Services, making us only one of nine such facilities in the state of Texas. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief serves as honorary CEO of the Day and spends his day touring the Medical Center, including the NICU and iMRI suite. An incredible 80 percent of employees participate in the employee satisfaction survey and give Cook Children’s glowing marks. August The Cook Children’s Pediatric Surgery Center in Plano, Texas, was among only 22 winners nationwide to receive the 2010 APEX (Attributes for Patient Excellence) Quality Award, which is given by CTQ Solutions. The annual Pickin’ for Preemies concert benefiting Cook Children’s raised more than $115,000 in pledges and donations. September Cook Children’s learns that it has been named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s “Best Places to Work in Healthcare” and is the ONLY exclusively pediatric health care system on the list. Highlighting a commitment to patient satisfaction, Home Health introduces a new internal referral tracking system, developed by our IS, to assist Case Management and Home Health in better managing the referral paperwork and tracking of patients admissions. For the third year, Cook Children’s ECMO program has received the “Excellence in Life Support” award from ELSO. Cook Children’s was honored with the 2010 Nursing Innovations Award for the use of bedside shift report, which helped implement mobile technology in clinical practice. October On Oct. 26, a groundbreaking milestone was achieved at Cook Children’s Medical Center. This date marked one full year or 365 days without a bloodstream infection (BSI) in our NICU. With each day that this tally rises, this accomplishment gets more impressive. Teddy Bear Transport received the Neonatal & Pediatric Transport Award of Excellence 2010 from the Association of Air Medical Services at the National Air Medical Transport Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Cook Children’s Psychiatry Unit celebrated their 20th anniversary. For the second year in a row, Cook Children’s made The Dallas Morning News Top Places to Work list and once again ranked as the top healthcare employer in the DFW Metroplex and the highest ranked Fort Worth-based company. November For our extensive community education and outreach about CCHAPS, Cook Children’s is awarded the 2010 Healthcare Education Hero of the Year Award by the Alliance for Healthcare Excellence. Our official Web site, www.cookchildrens.org, underwent an extreme makeover and was unveiled with a more parent- and kid-friendly design to allow Cook Children’s to be a valuable resource for our families. The newest Rehab Services clinic opened in Mansfield and positioned Cook Children’s and these services prominently in this rapidly growing community. Our Neurosciences and Hematology and Oncology Center host the inaugural 2010 Pediatric Brain Tumor Symposium. On Dec. 5, PICU achieved 200 days free of BSI. This number continues to rise. December Cook Children’s Medical Center has risen to the top with inclusion on the Leapfrog Group’s annual list of top hospitals. Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office honored the CARE Team with the Zachariah Award of Excellence for outstanding service and achievements in the fields of law enforcement, forensic science and pathology. Country music stars Randy Travis, Charley Pride and a host of others stop by the Medical Center to lead patients, families and employees in our annual Christmas Carol sing-a-long.