Summer heat, snow or ice: It doesn’t matter the forecast, Cook Children’s Health Care System is ready for its patients and families.

 As severe winter weather blankets North Texas, Cook Children’s employees continue to shine. Their dedication to patient families and one another ensures that every child receives the care they need, regardless of the conditions outside.

 Dozens of staff members have stayed overnight at “Hero Hotel,” designated on-site spaces providing a safe and secure place to sleep. This allows essential personnel to remain available while avoiding travelling on dangerous roads.

 Additionally, Cook Children’s facilities crews have worked tirelessly to clear roads and sidewalks at the Fort Worth and Prosper medical centers. Food services and environmental services teams are working around the clock to ensure staff members have clean linens and warm meals.

 Cook Children’s Urgent Care Centers, Primary Care, Home Health and specialty clinics continue to monitor the weather closely. Click here to view closures and delayed openings at our Cook Children's locations. 

A winter storm that turned North Texas into a sheet of ice has led to a spike in emergency room visits related to sledding accidents, prompting pediatricians to urge parents to take immediate safety precautions.

Cook Children’s Health Care System has treated more than 60 children for sledding-related trauma since this weekend, with children as young as 2 years old. Injuries include bone fractures, head and facial trauma and internal organ lacerations.

Medical experts emphasize that the region's current conditions are far more dangerous than typical soft snow.

“This is not snow that we have here in Texas; this is ice,” said Taylor Louden, M.D., medical director of emergency services at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth. “When kids hit their head on ice, it can cause catastrophic injuries.”

Dr. Louden warned that because most sleds are not equipped with a braking system, children have little to no control once they gain momentum on icy slopes.

“Sledding can be extremely dangerous,” said Dr. Louden.

As children head outdoors to enjoy their day off from school, Cook Children’s urges families to follow these safety guidelines to prevent injuries:

• Always wear a helmet.
• Never be pulled behind any sort of motorized vehicle.
• Do not sled on pool equipment or other non-sleds. These "non-sleds" offer no stability or steering.
• Avoid sledding on city streets or where objects that people can run into are located. 

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