New Visitation Rules at Cook Children's Medical Center in Response to COVID-19

Due to concerns regarding COVID-19, Cook Children’s Medical Center is enacting a new visitation policy to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus on campus. Beginning Monday, March 16, a maximum of two primary caregivers will be allowed per patient inside Cook Children’s Medical Center. Siblings and other visitors will not be allowed.

In addition, access to the Medical Center and the Dodson Specialty Clinic will be restricted beginning at 5 a.m. Monday morning. Anyone entering the medical center, with the exception of badged Cook Children’s employees, will be screened for COVID-19 exposure. This screening will be used to determine the level of restriction for access to our facility.

Beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, public entrance will be prohibited at all doors to Cook Children’s Medical Center except for the Emergency Department and Pruitt St. Employees with badge access will be able to use any accessible doors. These measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Click here to see a map of the medical center campus.

We’re also asking families to thoughtfully limit the number of people attending appointments at all Cook Children’s primary, urgent and specialty care clinics as well as the neighborhood clinics located across the DFW metroplex and throughout Texas. We know this may be difficult for many families, so we are asking primary caregivers to use discretion when deciding who should attend visits at Cook Children’s locations in lieu of enacting a strict policy at this time.

Also in an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, we have cancelled all events and meetings that would bring outside visitors to Cook Children’s Medical Center campus for the next 30 days. All weekend camps for patients and siblings that are hosted by or in conjunction with Cook Children’s have been cancelled through the end of May.

We know these measures may pose a great inconvenience to patients, caregivers, staff and many others who touch the Cook Children’s organization. As always, the health and safety of our patients is our highest priority and we are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution. It is vitally important that we protect our patients from COVID-19, as well as our workforce. Our employees are the core of Cook Children’s, and they are at an elevated risk of becoming severely ill from this virus. We must be diligent in taking every precaution to keep our employees well so they can continue to deliver the excellent standard of care our patients deserve and expect from Cook Children’s. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work through these changes. With your help, we will get through this difficult time together.