Due to the latest surge of COVID-19, Cook Children’s Medical Center is rescheduling all elective surgeries that require inpatient admission to Oct. 11 or later. We’re taking this extraordinary step to utilize Cook Children’s perioperative RNs in othe...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. Let’s imagine a scenario that no parent wants to think about.Let’s say your child starts acting weird over the past few weeks. She seems tired. She’s sleeping more, and laying around all the time.She starts to drink more water....

It’s alarming but not uncommon these days in health care settings to see children and teens who gained a significant amount of weight in the past year … 20, 30, 40 or even 50 pounds.What played a role? In some cases, junk food and lack of exercise as...

This photo series documents the week of Aug. 30, 2021 at Cook Children's Medical Center. ...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D.Hey friends. Our phone lines are blowing up with exposure and quarantine questions. I love that you guys are calling – it’s the right thing to do! And we are here for ya.But just wanted to spell out some common scenarios so that...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D.I am a doctor.As a doctor, I enjoy talking with my doctor friends.I text with other doctors, am in Facebook groups with other doctors, and enjoy sharing a nice meal or drink with them pretty often.I am a lucky doctor. I have man...

Due to a record number of patients, the Urgent Care Centers at Cook Children’s are making changes to accommodate our patient families and to ensure that their staff can continue providing excellent care.Beginning today, the following changes will tak...

What does the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine mean?Today’s announcement means the public can be very confident that this vaccine is safe, effective and meets the highest standards for manufacturing quality. Since becoming avail...

Shanna Combs, M.D., pediatric gynecologist, answers your questions.As parents, we want to make the best decisions for our baby. We’ve been asked a lot lately if it’s safe for pregnant women, or women planning on becoming pregnant, to get the COVID-19...

The Cook Children’s Emergency Department (ED) has seen a big influx of parents bringing in children who have been exposed to COVID-19 but show no symptoms. Children who aren’t critically-injured or ill should go instead to their pediatrician or a COV...

An 11-year-old Abilene boy had been sleepy and lethargic since being diagnosed with COVID-19. Within a month, he was being treated in Cook Children’s intensive care unit for low blood pressure, facial swelling, rash and other symptoms. Doctors diagno...

By Marc Mazade, M.D., medical director of Infection Control and Prevention at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Staring up at this totally massive wave of COVID-19Δ, upper classmen and student leaders need to take charge of their own future. To keep sc...

To the leadership at North Texas Regional Schools:We, the physicians at Cook Children’s Health Care System, are directly connected to the district or school either as concerned parents or as pediatricians who care for the children we mutually share w...

There are currently 16 patients being treated at Cook Children’s Medical Center for COVID-19, and medical professionals worry the new school year could drive hospitalizations up even further. Just weeks before students head back to class in person, C...

Cook Children’s Health Care System is taking a swing at COVID-19 by requiring its workforce to be fully vaccinated by noon on Sept. 27.This means all employees, physicians, providers, credentialed staff, students, volunteers, contractors and on-site ...

Cook Children’s Health Care System announced today it is instituting a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. Every Cook Children’s employee, physician, provider, credentialed staff, student, volunteer, contractor and on-site vendor will be required ...

By Marc Mazade, M.D., medical director of Infection Control and Prevention at Cook Children’s Medical Center1. Make sure all children are up to date on the routine childhood vaccinations needed for school entry. Access to medical offices, fear of lea...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that all children over age 2 wear masks in school this fall. The internet rejoiced, everyone agreed it was a great plan, scientists and politicians shook hands, and no one had ...

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Texas, including at Cook Children's. As of July 12, eight children were hospitalized for COVID-19, up from three on July 9. In an interview with WFAA, pediatric infectious diseases physician Nicholas Rister, M.D. sai...

One of the most common questions our experts hear is, “Why do I need to get the COVID-19 vaccine if I’ve already had COVID?”It’s a good question and one that Mary Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., medical director of Infectious Diseases at Cook Children’s und...

A new webinar series called “What’s Driving Your Decision?” takes on the myths and fears about the COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to spread accurate, understandable information.The Center for Children’s Health, led by Cook Children’s, developed the se...

Thirteen in a series. The onset of loneliness, anxiety and depression in teens and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a sharp rise in reports of dangerous eating behaviors.The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) helpline saw...

Over the last week, Cook Children’s Medical Center has seen 55 cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is typically seen in the fall and winter months, and experts are stumped about the reasoning for a summer outbreak. Mary Suzanne Whitworth,...

At every exam with Dr. Jason Terk, the Cook Children’s pediatrician makes a point to ask his teenage and 12-year-old patients: Have you gotten your COVID-19 vaccination yet?Dr. Terk routinely addresses questions and concerns about the vaccination, wh...

The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 years old. The announcement comes as the rate of vaccinations across North Texas and the U.S. have slowed. The ...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. This pediatrician has watched your mental battles from the sidelines this year, Mama.2020 was not an easy year to be a mom.Personally, I can tell you it kind of sucked, right? Just a little. The pandemic brought about so many h...

The need for a dedicated infectious diseases unit appeared on Cook Children’s radar several years ago when Ebola first made its way to U.S. shores. As the hospital prepared for potential patients, clinical staff identified a number of challenges and ...

*Updated April 13, 2021*Pfizer-BioNTech recently released information regarding their COVID-19 vaccine being safe and effective for children 12 to 15. The vaccine is currently available for use in those 16 and older based on previous trials and is ap...

Many families are excited about decorating eggs, having Easter egg hunts and participating in other holiday traditions this week. Although this is the second Easter holiday during the COVID-19 global pandemic, now is not the time to let your guard do...

By Bianka Soria-Olmos, D.O.The last few weeks have been hard, to say the least. Although the new year brought hope that we would begin to look to a “return to normal” after one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, things haven’t felt so positive. It is onl...