“I knew about Cook Children’s, but I thought it was just for babies. I didn’t know they had a plan actually to prepare mothers,” Evans said. 

CCHP covers the health care of pregnant mothers and offers additional services. Chrystal Bryant, a high-risk maternity case manager at CCHP, calls Evans monthly to check in. Under the health plan, each high-risk pregnancy is assigned a case manager. 

“We ensure they have adequate prenatal care, that they’re going to their doctor’s appointments, and that they have their prenatal vitamins,” Bryant said. 

At four months pregnant, Evans was told her baby was measuring small. Doctors informed her that her daughter might need to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Cook Children’s Medical Center-Fort Worth. Although concerned, Bryant and her medical team helped put her at ease. 

“I have a whole dedicated team for her. It’s amazing,” Evans said. 

Maternal and infant mortality is a concern in Tarrant County. In 2024, the Tarrant County Maternal and Infant Health Coalition presented the city of Fort Worth with data showing Tarrant County had the second-highest maternal mortality rate among Black women in the state. 

“Cook Children’s Health Plan is committed to ensuring that all children in our community are safe and healthy, and that begins at conception,” Bryant said. 

CCHP understands this and focuses on ensuring mothers and children’s medical and essential needs are met. 

Members can earn gift cards, a car seat, and a portable crib by attending their prenatal and postpartum appointments and classes. 

“Cook Children’s Health Plan is unique because we are embedded in the community as a community plan,” Bryant explained. 

A former labor and delivery nurse, Bryant provides mothers with an added resource as she is able to answer questions and direct patients to the appropriate resources, such as transportation vouchers, rental assistance and food delivery. 

Evans said it makes a difference. 

“They make sure the baby has everything she needs to grow,” Evans said. As her nutritional needs increased, Bryant helped Evans get food boxes delivered to her home every two weeks. 

CCHP case managers are embedded in the community, enabling them to form relationships with organizations to help meet members’ needs. 

Meeting for the First Time 

Evans and Bryant, who had spoken on the phone for months, met in person for the first time in March. They shared a hug and began conversing as if they had known each other for years. 

Bryant asked Evans about her medical appointments and her mood. 

In December, Evans's mother died. Bryant became more than a caseworker; but a shoulder to lean on and encourage her. 

"Not only did she become my caseworker, but she also became my mental health caseworker," Evans said. Bryant helped her navigate her emotions. 

During the meeting, Evans shared that her daughter would be named Hazel, after her mother. She expressed her excitement about meeting her daughter. 

Evans showed Bryant a 3-D sonogram of Hazel, noting her resemblance to Evans’s fiancé. 

Bryant took notes as Evans discussed her recent doctor's appointment. Bryant accessed Evans's medical records to answer questions. 

They discussed nutrition, ensuring Evans was receiving nourishing foods. 

"She's concerned about the baby, but she's also concerned about me as well," Evans said. 

They also discussed baby items that Evans could get through classes.  

Chrystal let Evans know she could receive a bassinet for completing a Safe Sleep class hosted by Cook Children's Center for Community Health. 

Through other classes, she could earn a car seat and a gift card for other baby items. 

"They [CCHP] have a team of people willing to help me with a lot of things," Evans said. "They are helping me in the process of helping the baby grow." 

What’s at Stake 

CCHP helped Evans thrive during her pregnancy. She may not have received the support and resources under a different insurance plan, like the ones the state plans to fund instead.  

The current CCHP STAR and CHIP contracts will remain active through Aug. 31, 2025. At that time, families enrolled in CCHP will be forced to choose a new plan from four national, for-profit insurance companies – Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Molina, and UnitedHealthcare – three of which have no experience in our local market.  

Until then, CCHP will continue to appeal against the state’s flawed decision and work with all stakeholders to ensure that its members continue to receive the best possible care.  

For more information, including key facts, videos, photos, and recent media coverage, please visit SaveCookChildrensHealthPlan.com.  

That sense of urgency for these kids moved the state of Texas to pass a law in 2017 that made it mandatory for all children entering into conservatorship to have a medical exam within three business days after the child was removed from their home.

While the law is an important one to the well-being of the child, the reality of providing timely and thorough medical exams within three days proved to be a difficult task for many parents.

The exam is a medical screening that is intended to provide a baseline of a child’s physical health upon entering foster care. It is also an opportunity for the caregiver to obtain necessary treatment and medications for a child that may not have been obtained at the time of removal, such as an asthma inhaler or eczema cream.

The child abuse experts at Cook Children’s understood the need for foster parents in the community to meet the requirements of the state.

Jamye Coffman, M.D., medical director of the Cook Children’s Center for Prevention and Child Abuse and Neglect and the CARE team​, said it was clear there was an issue and Cook Children’s wanted to aide in the solution.

The result? The Cook Children’s Fostering Health clinic that launched in 2018. The clinic provides comprehensive services for all kids living with foster parents from foster infants to young adults, as well as foster children who have become parents.

Dr. Coffman says one of the goals of the clinic is to help foster parents better understand trauma behavior in children and to take more time with the families than just a quick appointment in a primary care office.

“We knew there was going to be a problem getting children into a clinic within three days, because they would be new patients with insurance and billing issues to figure out,” Dr. Coffman explained.

Cory and Maddie Churchman are foster parents who’ve brought four children through the clinic. The couple express their gratitude for the resource they say “has never failed them.”

“We know several families who’ve had to take their child to the emergency room or urgent care, just to have them seen within three days,” Maddie said.

The Churchman family says many offices won’t accept Medicaid insurance, or the office is full and not accepting new patients, so having the foster care clinic at Cook Children’s alleviates that stress.

The clinic allows an hour per visit for every patient they see. Dr. Coffman says this is important because evaluations usually take time because many children enter their new homes and the foster parents know little or nothing about the child.

“Before they even come in our door, we’ve already gathered medical records, immunization records and trauma history, and spoken with Child Protective Services (CPS) to help those parents transition,” Dr. Coffman explains.

The Churchmans say they are prime examples of not having any information on their children when they enter the home. The family adopted the first child they fostered, a one-year-old girl, and said they had doctors ask them for information they weren’t always able to provide.

“There are many doctors who don’t specialize in foster care who ask us as foster parents things we don’t know the answer to. We don’t know if they’re vaccinated or anything,” Maddie said. “We show up at the (Cook Children’s) clinic, and they’ve already looked into everything, which is a huge help.”

The Churchman family says they tell other foster parents to allow people to help you who are in place to do so.

“They saw a need and they are standing in the gap,” Maddie said. “I just want everyone to know they are there, they get it, and they really want to help you.”

The Churchman family is always eager to take their daughter back to see the staff when they have other appointments for their new foster placements.

“We are very grateful that they’re there for us and continue to do their jobs every single day,” Maddie said.

Despite a recognized need, the majority of families at Cook Children’s are unable to access legal services. Social workers at the medical center are often contacted by patient families who have been unsuccessful in qualifying for public benefits, obtaining a guardianship for their incapacitated adult child or communicating with their landlord to remediate unsafe housing issues. These social, economic and environmental factors have a direct impact on a child’s health.

“The health and wellbeing of our patients is impacted by so many factors beyond the scope of traditional medical care,” said Vida Amin, M.D., medical director of Cook Children’s Neighborhood Clinics. “Having an accessible, dedicated resource for our families to turn to for assistance in navigating their legal challenges will be an invaluable addition to the family-centered care we strive to provide every day.”

The medical-legal partnership allows law students the opportunity to develop and apply their skills on behalf of clients who cannot afford legal representation.

“We are giving these children and their families a chance of success by increasing their quality of life by decreasing their unresolved legal needs,” said Robert B. Ahdieh, dean of Texas A&M School of Law.

The collaboration, which officially launched in March 2020, has already assisted dozens of patient families. Felicia Carey is one of the program’s first clients. She was referred to the TAMU Law after her sister passed away, leaving her to care for three teenagers, including a niece diagnosed with spina bifida.

“At first it was very difficult because I lost the paperwork that allowed me guardianship so I could take the children to the doctor,” said Carey. “A social worker at Cook Children’s referred me to the program and it’s been phenomenal. They made a process, which was unbearable, extremely easy.”

Since finalizing her guardianship issues, Carey is now working with TAMU Law on an adult adoption, veterans benefits and developing her will. The program also provides patients and families with access to legal services in family law, housing and public benefits.

“Our job is to prepare compassionate lawyers who will advocate tirelessly for their clients. That’s what sets Texas A&M Law a part from other law schools. We embody our core values, especially selfless service,” said Ahdieh.

In 2018, she and her family joined the often overlooked but growing homeless population in Fort Worth. When Dana and her husband became unemployed and could no longer afford to put a roof over their heads, they turned to the Union Gospel Mission shelter for help. It was there that they were introduced to a program called the Homeless Initiative, which aims to provide a medical home for children experiencing homelessness in Tarrant County, a population of roughly 15,000.

“The Homeless Initiative program provides medical care, actually any service that Cook Children’s can offer, to the children who reside in the three shelters in Tarrant County: Presbyterian Night Shelter, Union Gospel Mission and Arlington Life Shelter,” said Pat Ballard, an RN at Cook Children’s and one of the two case managers for the Homeless Initiative. “We do well checks, sick visits, TB testing, we have a flu clinic, we get them up-to-date on vaccines, any specialty doctors that they need, dentists, dental care, dental surgery, we schedule it all.”

The Homeless Initiative began in 2008 as a collaboration between Cook Children’s and former Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. The goal was to provide a path to medical care for this vulnerable population of children who, too often, were only seen by emergency room physicians.

“Back in 2008, about 98% of homeless children in Tarrant County were using ERs for primary care issues,” said Ballard. “That’s a huge burden for any ER and it puts stress on the whole system.”

The initial goal of the program was to make sure children had a primary care physician through Cook Children’s Neighborhood Clinics. These doctors would provide appointments for things like well checks, ear infections and upper respiratory conditions. It didn’t take long, however, for organizers to realize the need for mental health services and trauma-informed care, which takes a person’s traumatic experiences into account and promotes environments of healing.

“I don’t think we fully understood the problem in the beginning,” explained Denise Coover, LCSW, trauma informed care specialist at Cook Children’s. “Many of these kids have been through a lot of trauma. The more questions we asked, the more we learned.”

Coover joined the program in 2013 and provides on-site behavioral health assessments of children in the three shelters where the Homeless Initiative operates. Many of the questions in her assessment gauge what children have witnessed or endured such as physical and emotional abuse. She adds that being able to talk to the children themselves is key because often, parents don’t know the extent of what their children have been through, especially if they’ve been separated due to time in jail or foster care.

“A lot of our children have witnessed domestic violence. We have a lot of children who make disclosures of sexual assault, physical abuse, neglect and sex trafficking,” Coover said. “When we think about trauma, we have to remember the true definition is an event, or the threat of an event, that overwhelms someone’s ability to cope. If you can think of something that would overwhelm your ability to cope, our children are dealing with that.”

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, children experiencing homelessness get sick twice as often as other children. They also suffer from more mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and withdrawal.

“We know while these children are in the shelter, this is our opportunity to intervene with them and provide them help,” Coover said. “They can’t wait six weeks, 12 weeks on a waiting list. They need intervention and they need it now.”

To make sure children experiencing homelessness in Tarrant County get the care they need quickly, Cook Children’s provides free transportation to the program’s families.

“We have a 16 passenger shuttle with a full-time, dedicated driver that delivers our kids to every appointment that we make,” Ballard explained. “That means picking up the parent at the shelter, going to school and getting the child, bringing them back to the clinic, whatever we have to do to get that child to an appointment we do.”

And if an appointment interferes with a family’s ability to eat lunch, the driver will make a special stop to make sure parents and children don’t miss a meal.

Another major goal for the Homeless Initiative is to make sure families transitioning out of homelessness have everything they need to succeed. Cynthia Thomas, LMSW, another case manager for the program, spearheads this mission. She says her job is to support and empower families experiencing homelessness.

“I provide strollers, car seats, anything a parent would need. They may need assistance in the education system, or school supplies. My role is to find out what non-health resources are necessary for them to be successful,” expressed Thomas, who works for The Women’s Center of Tarrant County.

While such supplies are necessary for success, Thomas’ main goal is to cultivate life skills families can take with them when they leave the shelters. To foster these skills, she organizes parenting classes several times a week at all three shelters. Thomas works with community volunteers and organizations across Tarrant County to create educational presentations meant to equip parents for raising children and teens.

“When they leave the shelter, we want them to feel empowered and we also want them to be able to speak for themselves,” said Thomas.

Some families need a little extra help with this, especially those who have children with special needs. Thomas often acts as a mentor and spokesperson for these parents who may have trouble navigating the special education system.

“A lot of times, the parent doesn’t understand the verbiage of the special education program, so I will go through it with them so they understand it better,” said Thomas. “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is seeing parents gain confidence and feel empowered. One mother was too afraid to say anything during meetings we had with the school. I was able to watch her learn how the system works, become comfortable and lose that fear.”

It’s been 11 years since the Homeless Initiative began and the impact is visible. As of December 2018, nearly 16,000 children and their families had been transported to medical appointments through the effort. Forty-five percent of those children returned to a neighborhood clinic after leaving the shelters, meaning they were no longer using emergency rooms as their medical home.

“I can go in the clinic two, three years later and I’ll see a mom sitting in the clinic with her kids,” said Ballard. “That’s really nice to see that you’ve made a difference in their medical care.”

The program isn’t intended to be just an appointment at a doctor’s office. Cook Children’s hopes it will be a support system when families need it most.

“It’s a chaotic world right now, but this is one of the things we don’t have to stress about,” said Brown-Bonner. “When I forget something, I get a reminder. They go above and beyond to make sure you’re comfortable and that things are taken care of. I’m very grateful and I know that there are other parents that are as well.”

For the Homeless Initiative team, the work seems never ending, but they know their efforts have a higher purpose.

“We know the outcomes for these children are not good if there’s no intervention medically and emotionally,” said Coover. “But the thing about resilience, that is the ability to bounce back from difficult life experiences, is it just takes one person believing in a child to build the resiliency they will need to succeed.”

In The Media

At 2 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, Jamye Coffman, M.D., will be a featured expert on Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy on 'The Dr. Oz Show.' The episode will explore the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose mother (Dee Dee Blanchard) claimed she was terminally ill and wheelchair-bound since childhood. Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Dee Dee and is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Anyone who has ever heard of Munchausen syndrome by proxy has probably asked themselves the same questions:

Why in the world would a mother want to hurt her own child?

And how does a child end up receiving unnecessary medical procedures? Don’t doctors know when a patient is really sick?

The answers are complicated. But each year, experts in Tarrant County get a little better at understanding how to spot these abusers and bring them to justice.

What is medical child abuse?

You may have heard about the HBO documentary ‘Mommy Dead and Dearest’ about the 2015 murder of Dee Dee Blancharge. Her daughter, Gypsy Rose, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving a 10-year sentence for her death. The trial uncovered a number of unknowns about the relationship between Dee Dee and Gypsy.

To everyone who knew Gypsy, she was believed to have been wheelchair bound and have a myriad of medical problems. It turns out those issues were largely fictitious and now, at 25 years old, Gypsy is arguably one of the most notorious victims of medical child abuse.

Medical child abuse is the diagnosis given to a child whose parent or guardian is suspected of lying about their medical history, leading to unnecessary treatments and procedures. This condition was formerly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The abuser has what’s known as factitious disorder imposed on another.

“Anyone who has worked in pediatrics for very long has run across these kids. The question is whether or not you recognize it because it is so difficult to diagnose,” said Jamye Coffman, M.D., medical director of the Child Advocacy Resources and Evaluation (CARE) team at Cook Children’s. “We call it medical child abuse because in all of the other names, abuse is nowhere in it. But it’s abuse. And it’s medical, because we are the weapon.”

Few people may realize just how experienced experts in Tarrant County have become with this disturbing crime.

Since January 2009, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office has investigated 19 reports of medical child abuse. Of the eight prosecutable cases, five were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) by attending physicians at Cook Children’s. In each case, the abuser was the child’s mother.

“Tarrant County is pretty good at identifying and handling these cases,” said Michael Weber, a Tarrant County investigator who specializes in medical child abuse. “We have a system in place that is better than most counties in America.”

That system heavily relies on information provided by the medical community.

They’re using us to harm their child

In the medical field, the Hippocratic Oath is sacred. At the beginning of a physician’s career, they make a promise to ‘do no harm.’ But when a parent gives a doctor false information, they may unintentionally end up breaking the oath by providing procedures the child did not really need.

“The most common unnecessary surgery is placement of a feeding tube, or G-tube,” said Dr. Coffman. “That’s because there are very few tests that tell us if a child needs a G-tube. We are dependent on a history showing a failure to gain weight.”

The inability to gain weight is one of the top symptoms in medical child abuse cases. The abuser may withhold food and water from the child to make it seem as though there is a medical issue preventing weight gain. Besides inducing symptoms, abusers may also exaggerate and even fabricate symptoms.

“The parent may say their child threw up seven times in 12 hours, but they really threw up once. Or, if they are fabricating symptoms, they may say a child threw up seven times but there was never any vomiting at all,” said Dr. Coffman.

The severity of these cases can vary, and some symptom fabrications that seem mild may actually end up being life threatening.

For instance, a parent may tell a physician their child has been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), physicians cannot access another hospital’s records unless they have written permission from a parent or guardian. Without approval to access information protected by HIPAA, the physician has no way of knowing if the parent is being truthful about the apnea diagnosis. Once admitted to the hospital, the parent may actually suffocate their child in order to set off alarms, thus inducing symptoms.

“We’ve seen kids in wheelchairs who said they could not walk, even though there was no problem with their ability to walk. We’ve had parents tamper with lab tests and falsify records. Abusers have even gone as far as injecting feces into a feeding tube or IV line to make a patient septic,” said Dr. Coffman.

“In most cases, the abuse has been going on for many, many years. It’s psychological manipulation, physical manipulation and total control of the child by the parent,” said Weber.

It may seem baffling that children, who would be perfectly healthy otherwise, end up in these situations.

“You have to remember that ninety-nine point nine percent of our parents are good parents giving us accurate information,” said Dr. Coffman. “But if all an abuser has to do is say their child is vomiting and they’re secretly withholding food from them, how are we supposed to know that? We are depending on parents to tell the truth.”

Hiding in the spotlight

Identifying medical child abuse cases can be difficult for a number of reasons. The medical team is usually being lied to by the abuser, patients may be too young to speak for themselves or they may have been conditioned to lie as well.

Also challenging is the fact that the person harming the child is often the last person anyone would suspect.

“You may have a mother who seems like the best parent ever. The medical staff loves them, they are extremely concerned about their child, and they have a lot of medical savvy,” said Dr. Coffman. “We used to think these people had a medical background, but now with the internet, that’s not necessarily the case.”

According to Weber, Google and social media are key to the investigation.

“When we are building a case, we take all of the child’s medical records and dump it into a spreadsheet with social media posts and internet search history. When arranged by date, we can see the abuse pattern, and the lies,” said Weber.

He says in one case, a mother falsely told a doctor that she took her child to an emergency room the night before. Then later, she made posts on her Facebook page about her child being admitted to the hospital, though that never happened.

“She had numerous Facebook posts that were all lies,” said Weber. “Social media is a huge part of these cases.”

When the hero is the villain

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding medical child abuse cases is ‘why.’

For Dr. Coffman, that’s not something she spends time worrying about.

“We don’t have to know the reason why. Just like I don’t understand why a pedophile is sexually attracted to a child, I don’t have to understand why a parent is doing this.”

Instead, she says she needs to know if a parent is exaggerating, fabricating or lying about a child’s symptoms. Then, a report can be made to CPS.

“I do believe it’s a compulsive behavior that creates some sort of internal gain for them. They like to be the hero,” Dr. Coffman said.

That doesn’t mean they can’t control their actions, she said.

“They know what they are doing, and they know it’s wrong. It’s premeditated.”

Both Dr. Coffman and Weber say anyone who suspects a child is being subjected to unnecessary medical care should report their concerns to CPS.

“If you suspect it, report it,” says Weber. “It’s no different from physical or sexual abuse.”

But are they ready for the hottest part of the year?

Locally, the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory that remains in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday. Daily temperatures will range between 94 to 102 degrees, with a heat index between 105 to 109 degrees.

So while you don't want your children to waste their summer vacation away playing video games inside, warm summer temperatures can lead to more than just a sunburn. Being outdoors in the heat for too long can pose a heat-safety risk.

Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of the Emergency Department at Cook Children's, says eight kids have been treated in the ED this summer with a chief complain of heat related illness.

"As the outside temperature rises, your family's risk of heat stroke rises right along with it," Dr. Warmink said. "On 100-degree days, it's best to stay inside when it gets that hot. If temperatures exceed 90 degrees, stay in the shade and keep an extra eye on the kids."

Children today are spending increasing amounts of time in air conditioned environments, lured indoors by the constant upkeep of social media accounts and online gaming. One study of nearly 9,000 U.S. children, ages 3 to 5 years old, found that only half were taken outside by their parents on a daily basis to walk or play.

"The more you're out in the heat, the more your body gets used to it, or 'acclimatizes,'" Dr. Warmink said. "Children who are always inside are more prone to heat exhaustion and heatstroke than those who are frequently outdoors and active."

Play it cool

But don't mistake what Dr. Warmink is saying. Too much time out in the heat can cause heat-related illnessess such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Lack of acclimatization has led to an uptick in heat illness among children in recent years, according to Dr. Warmink. Most incidents occur during the first two weeks of school athletics training when kids begin cross country, football, cheerleading or band practice.

"More is being demanded of young athletes during the late summer months," Dr. Warmink said. "Kids who spend all summer indoors and then go out for training in August are setting themselves up for heat illness."

Staying safe

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include flu-like symptoms such as paleness, sweating, nausea and vomiting. Signs of heatstroke include hot, red and dry skin, as well as confusion, vomiting, rapid heart rate, decreased sweating, shortness of breath, decreased urination, increased body temperature (104 to 106 degress Farenheight), or convulsions.

MedStar reminds us that heatstroke and heat exhaustion are common this time of year, but they can be easily prevented:

• Hydrate: Drink plenty of water during the day, especially if you are engaged in any strenuous activity. Sports drinks are a good choice if you're exercising or working in hot conditions, but water is a good way to hydrate as well.
• Ventilate: Stay in a place where there is plenty of air circulating to keep your body cool. If you are indoors and don't have access to air conditioning, open windows and use a fan.
• Cover Up: Wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing to avoid absorbing the sun's light and trapping heat. Wear a hat to shield yourself from the sun, but once you feel yourself getting warm, remove any items covering your head which can trap heat close to your body.
• Limit Activity: Heatstroke can occur in less than an hour when you are participating in strenuous activity during a hot day. If you feel yourself getting hot or light-headed, stop your activity and rest in a cool place out of the sun. Be sure to drink water or a sports drink before, during, and after any strenuous activity.
• Check on Loved One’s: MedStar reminds families to make sure that your child's grandparents are OK. The elderly are especially vulnerable to heat related emergencies. Many elderly residents are not aware of how hot it may get in their residence. Call on older friends and family members regularly to assure they are doing OK.

About the source

Corwin Warmink, M.D., is the medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children's. Cook Children's Emergency services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cook Children's Emergency Department (ED) treats more than 105,000 patients every year. Our ED is the only EMS-designated pediatric trauma center in Tarrant County. 

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"There was a drone flying above Thistle Hill next door," said Debbie Boudreaux, director of Transport at Cook Children's. "It could have been bad if the pilot had not seen it."

The helicopter, which was on its way to pick up a patient, had to sit in place until the drone's operator could be located. The result: the patient had to wait 20 extra minutes for help to arrive.

"These kids need medical attention, and they need it rather fast," said pilot Gary Colecchi, who flies for Teddy Bear Transport. "This could mean the difference between life and death."

Experts from the Consumer Electronics Association predict more than 700,000 drones will be wrapped under Christmas trees this holiday season. But with the surge in popularity seems to be a lack of education about where and when drones are ok to be flown.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), hobby and recreational drone users should follow these guidelines:

• Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles
• Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times
• Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations
• Don't fly within 5 miles of an airport (including hospital helicopter pads)
• Don't fly near people or stadiums
• Don't fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 lbs
• Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft – you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft

"Drones are here to stay, we know that, but we want to make sure people know the dangers they pose to medical response," said Colecchi. "Our top priority is getting these children the care they need, safely and quickly."

If you plan to fly a drone, Cook Children's asks you know the recommendations before you fly. You can find them here.

Now she prays for Tre’s caregivers to make her son all better.

Tre, who is 9 years old, has been seen by the Rehabilitation Services team at Cook Children’s since his parents adopted him as an infant. Most of those issues centered on his articulation skills. Tre’s history with Rehabilitation Services started with audiology and other physician specialists; speech therapy services began at 7 years old working on articulation skills. 

Then about 15 months ago, Sara Adams, Tre’s speech pathologist, received a call from Jennifer to say her work with him would have to go on hold indefinitely.

Tre was involved in a horrible boating accident. He sustained a head injury and was in a coma at another hospital. But the miracle for the Faulkner family occurred and within two weeks, Tre was up and walking.

After his accident, Tre returned to therapy at Cook Children's Urgent Care and Pediatric Specialties – Mansfield and worked with Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy to regain skills that were lost after his brain injury.

A year later, much of Tre’s care takes place at the Cook Children’s Rehabilitation Services at Mansfield. The focus is on Tre’s short-term memory loss and his severe ADHD, as a result of the injury.

“God has blessed us so much,” Jennifer said. “The Mansfield community has been with us since the beginning, I’m so thankful. I’m also thankful for the amazing care Tre has received since his injury. At Mansfield, Tre has really been helped in many ways, through his physical, occupational and speech therapy. They have helped him so much with his memory and his balance. It’s truly been miraculous.”

The rehab at Mansfield is working for Tre. Academically, Tre’s test scores are in the average range for a child his age. His mom says he’s learning and making strides every day.

And Tre’s doing very well physically. He recently received his gold belt in karate. Makes sense for a kid who has proven time and time again how tough he is.

“The progress Tre has made since his accident is truly remarkable,” Adams said. “Tre still has some struggles with his attention and memory that impact him every day. However, he continues to improve and learn how to work through these struggles. Tre’s sense of humor, determination, and supportive family are his greatest strengths. Tre is such a funny kid! He loves to tell jokes and riddles. One of his favorite jokes is: ‘Why don’t ducks tell jokes when they are flying? … They might quack up!’”

To see how far Tre’s come since his injury it’s hard not to smile at the miracle that’s occurred and the occasional duck joke.

For more information

At Cook Children's, we provide more than 60 pediatric medical and specialty clinic offices throughout Texas. Thanks to our skilled group of clinicians who support the leading-edge technology found among our specialty services, Cook Children's is the destination when it comes to taking care of your children.

Cook Children's Urgent Care and Pediatric Specialties - Mansfield is located at:

801 Matlock Road

Mansfield, TX - 76063

To make an appointment, call 817-347-8400.

Specialty services at Mansfield inlcude:

• Endocrinology and diabetes
• Gastroenterology and nutrition
• Nephrology and dialysis
• Neurosciences
• Orthopedics
• Pediatric surgery (inpatient/outpatient)
• Psychiatry and psychology
• Rehabilitation
• Urgent care

1. Have you ever fainted, passed out, or had a seizure suddenly and without warning, especially during exercise?
2.  Have you ever had exercise-induced chest pain or shortness of breath?
3. Are you related to anyone with sudden, unexplained, and unexpected death before the age of 50?
4. Are you related to anyone who has been diagnosed with a sudden death-predisposing heart condition like Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Long QT syndrome?

Early detection could save your child’s life. Cook Children’s will offer free EKGs during the month of February. An EKG is non-invasive and takes less than five minutes. The EKG shows how fast the heart is beating, the heart’s rhythm and the timing of the heart’s electrical signals. Any child can get one with a referral from a primary care doctor. Just ask your child’s pediatrician to order a “sports EKG.” Results are sent back to your pediatrician.

For more information, please call the Heart Center office at Cook Children’s at 682-885-2140.