Cook Children's Pediatrics Henderson

09/08/2025

Dr Hamilton is back from maternity leave and is looking forward to seeing everybody! 💙💙💙

09/03/2025

The transformation of the Las Vegas Trail corridor isn’t the work of one person. It’s the result of community and collaboration, and many have played a role in making way for the area’s newest addition—the neighborhood health center serving the Las Vegas Trail area.

The foundational gift that made this one-of-a-kind health care hub possible is the 3.7 acres of land on which the facility now sits. Thank you to the John David Moritz Family, the Mark Moore Family and the Reilly Family Foundation for donating the bedrock upon which the pathway to a healthier, more prosperous future for thousands of families was built.

Many other organizations and individuals also championed this project. Cook Children’s is deeply grateful to:
• Amon G. Carter Foundation
• An Anonymous Donor
• EECU
• Epic Systems Corporation
• Genevieve Eagon Tillar Trust
• Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation
• The Fort Worth Foundation
• The Junior League of Fort Worth, Inc.

“The investment these individuals and organizations have made in the Las Vegas Trail community has not just built a building,” said Kyle Edgington, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief development officer at Cook Children’s Health Foundation. “It has built hope. It has built stability. It has built a healthier future and made a lasting impact. Their unwavering commitment has been invaluable every step of the way.”

To read more about these generous collaborators, visit https://tinyurl.com/mws5xrba For the complete story behind the center and information about its services, visit Cook Children’s website. To help support Cook Children’s Promise to improve the health and well-being of every child in our care and communities, visit http://cookchildrenspromise.org/

08/29/2025

While you’re having fun by the pool or lake with your family over Labor Day weekend, ensure your pool safety plan includes a Water Watcher: an adult who is designated to watch children around the pool at all times. Drowning is silent, so it’s vital to designate a Water Watcher when children are around all bodies of water - swimming pools, kiddie pools, lakes, or the beach. Kids can drown in just 2 inches of water.

Cook Children’s created a wearable Water Watcher tag to ensure that the adult wearing the tag is in charge of watching the children in or near water. Fifteen-minute shifts are recommended for the Water Watchers. During that time, the designated Water Watcher should have no distractions, this means no phone, magazines, books, eating, alcohol or conversing with friends. The only time a phone should be used is during an emergency to call 911. After 15 minutes, pass the tag to the next adult in charge.

Water Watchers add an extra layer of protection to prevent children from drowning. Swimming lessons are just one layer of protection and do not guarantee safety. Even strong swimmers can drown, so always designate a Water Watcher. Other extra layers of protection include maintaining barriers to and around the pool, keeping pools clear of toys attractive to little ones when not in use, having a designated water watcher and wearing a life jacket.

A Water Watcher tag can be found in many of Cook Children’s pediatrician offices. Call your pediatrician to get one to use next time you're at the pool. You can also reach out to the Lifeguard Your Child department and one will be mailed.

When wearing the Water Watcher tag, you have one job and one job only -- . Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/k238ebj9

08/29/2025

This fourth week of our 30 Days of Wellness events at the neighborhood health center in Las Vegas Trail was full of fun!

Cook Children’s The Center for Community Health shared activity dice games and easy 5210+ lessons. JPS Health Network stopped by to give lactation education and a behavioral health overview. Cook Children’s, JPS Health Network, Tarrant County College and Workforce Solutions provided on-site job training information, registration, and answered any questions. The Demo Kitchen held its second nutrition class with practical meal ideas for picky eaters and growing appetites. We had more guided walk-throughs of the facility for local agencies to learn how to collaborate for community care. The week ended with JPS’s Connection Program Engagement and Cook Children’s Health Plan Engagement Table.

Join us for free wellness activities, education and family-friendly celebrations designed to help our community thrive. Every weekday until September 5, you’ll find hands-on demos, health screenings, safety workshops, nutrition classes and more, all hosted by Cook Children’s and trusted local partners. No registration is needed!

To learn more about the 30 Days of Wellness and see a full calendar of events, visit: https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/30days/

08/28/2025

En julio, Texas superó el número de muertes por golpes de calor en vehículos registradas en 2024, según el Departamento de Servicios de Salud de Texas (DSHS). Lamentablemente, en tan solo un mes, se han reportado la sexta y séptima muerte en el norte de Texas.

La organización NoHeatStroke.org informó que, hasta el 26 de agosto de este año, se han registrado más de 20 muertes por esta causa en todo el país.

La coordinadora de programas del Centro de Salud Comunitario, Viviana Esparza, ofrece consejos esenciales para prevenir tragedias por golpes de calor en vehículos. Lee más aquí: https://tinyurl.com/2m9eh9yf

08/28/2025

Texas surpassed its number of hot car deaths from 2024 on July 14, according to the Texas Department of Health Services (DSHS). A sixth and seventh fatality was reported in August in North Texas. The increase contributes to the more than 20 hot car deaths reported nationwide this year as of August 28. Vehicular heatstroke is the second-leading cause of vehicle-related deaths in children under 15, trailing only car crashes.

Taryn Wilson, RN, trauma injury coordinator at Cook Children’s emphasizes the preventable nature of these tragedies. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/6j7kej29

08/28/2025

Michael Ramirez’s asthma has landed him in urgent care multiple times after asthma attacks that scared him and his mother. Recently, he visited Cook Children’s new clinic focused on helping kids with asthma: the Nelson Ku High Risk Asthma Clinic.

The clinic is named in honor Nelson Ku, an 11-year-old who died after an asthma attack in February 2024. Nelson’s parents, Peter and Beth Ku, are working with Cook Children’s to educate families, schools and sports organizations about the serious health impacts of asthma and the tools available to intervene when a child experiences an attack.

Patients are referred to the clinic if they meet the criteria to be considered “high-risk;” by having a certain number of visits to urgent care or the emergency room, hospitalizations or PICU admissions due to asthma.

Read about Michael’s appointment and learn how the Nelson Ku High Risk Asthma Clinic is providing hope and help to families: https://tinyurl.com/jwpjdya5

08/27/2025

Fifty-five families that once struggled with homelessness now live at the Casa de los Sueños apartments, where Cook Children’s The Center for Community Health helps support the health, safety and wellness of residents.

Fort Worth Housing Solutions operates Casa de los Sueños, an option for affordable housing in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood. Extensive remodeling turned the property – formerly an Express Inn motel – into a 55-unit apartment complex. Each unit is fully furnished.

Casa de los Sueños opened its doors in December 2024, and as residents moved in, the Center for Community Health and Children’s Health Plan staff members supplied each household with crockpots, cookware and a variety of items geared to prevent injury and promote health.

Now, to help meet ongoing needs, the Center for Community Health teams stock a diaper closet and an emergency food pantry at Casa de los Sueños. They also organize gatherings called Caregiver Alliance, which brings residents together for a meal and a facilitated conversation on various parenting topics.

“We continue to support these families on their climb out of the situation that they were previously in,” said Lenee Bassham, MSSW director of Child Safety in the Center for Community Health. “We want to surround them with the resources they need to succeed.”

Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/vxm3t5xb

08/27/2025

Time to get those pedals pumping to support Cook Children’s! The Trek 100 is just four weeks away. Join us for a “wheelie” fun cycling event with food, games and a specially themed rest stop at every turn.

Make it your own by choosing the route that’s best for you and your family. There are options for all ages! Sign up now at www.trekbikes.com/trek100texas

08/22/2025

We had lots of smiling faces at our third week of our 30 Days of Wellness events at the neighborhood health center in Las Vegas Trail!

To kick off the week, The Parenting Center shared tips on discipline, positive communication and stress management while KERA Family Resources offered their services for kids and parents. JPS Connections program explained their financial resources and JPS Women’s Services provided support for breastfeeding families. The American Heart Association - Texas stopped by with lifestyle coaching to prevent or manage type 2 diabetes. Cook Children’s Center for Community Health brought fun fitness stations for every age and ability. Wednesday focused on poison prevention with The Center for Community Health and poison education with North Texas Poison Center. Jacob’s Journey stopped by to distribute naloxone as well. The Demonstration Kitchen hosted its first infant nutrition class alongside Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas.

The week wrapped up with CHAMP Texas having peer-led discussions and referral information. Cook Children’s, JPS Health Network, Tarrant County College, and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County had on-site job training information, registration, and answered questions. JPS Community Outreach provided information on behavioral health service lines, programs, and clinic locations. Cook Children’s Center for Community Health had several nutrition booths providing information on growing healthy foods, making healthy snacks, and promoting healthy development in your family.

Join us for a full month of free wellness activities, education and family-friendly celebrations designed to help our community thrive. Every weekday until September 5, you’ll find hands-on demos, health screenings, safety workshops, nutrition classes and more, all hosted by Cook Children’s and trusted local partners. No registration is needed!

To learn more about the 30 Days of Wellness and see a full calendar of events, visit: https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/30days/

08/20/2025

Since 2016, Cook Children’s has helped children express their feelings through art. This month, some of that art will be displayed for millions of people.

Children’s Feelings are a Work of Art is a mental health initiative designed by Cook Children’s The Center for Community Health to teach kids and teens how to identify, manage and express their feelings. The program includes a curriculum focused on how to express one’s feelings, and the group partners with community organizations to provide the lessons.

Activities might look like, “how do you feel when it's your birthday,” or “what do you do when you get angry?” Those prompts help kids to learn and name their feelings in specific scenarios, and then teach them healthy coping skills of what to do when they have big feelings, explained Program Coordinator Emily Russell.

One of the lessons is how to manifest those feelings into art. Kids from four years old to older teens are encouraged to draw pictures and write a short description of what the piece means. This year, for the first time, 50 of those drawings will be displayed at the Dallas Love Field Airport. The exhibits went up July 30 in the airport’s baggage claim area and will remain until September 30.

“We really hope that the kids are learning about healthy expressions of their emotions and appropriate expressions of their emotions, but not being afraid to share those emotions or being embarrassed by their emotions,” Russell said. “We’re also teaching the parents that kids can have emotions and that they do want to share those emotions. It's not something that you should be ashamed about, and your mental health isn't something that you should be ashamed about.”

Russell hopes the exhibit encourages children and adults alike to dive into their own feelings on a deeper level. The goal of the entire program is to encourage more community conversation around mental health, and these exhibits aim to do just that.

To learn more about this mental health initiative and exhibit, visit: https://tinyurl.com/4e3z3795

08/18/2025

Nelson Ku didn’t just attend school, he starred in it. The hallways and classrooms of Fort Worth’s All Saint’s Episcopal School were center stage for his uncanny ability to make his friends and classmates laugh. Nelson was known as a smile maker and deeply loved for it.

“Nelson loved going to school because of his love for his classmates,” said Nelson’s father, Peter Ku, D.D.S., a long-time Fort Worth dentist and a member of the Board of Trustees for Cook Children’s Health Care System. “He loved hanging out with them. His love for his friends is why he enjoyed so much being silly and trying to make others laugh.”

So when an asthma attack during Lacrosse practice took his life in February 2024, it devastated the All Saint’s community and left Nelson’s father, mother, Beth, and big brother, Marshall, reeling from their loss. Nelson was just 11 years old when he died.

Dr. Ku and his wife, Beth, believe proper training and education, coupled with the use of rescue tools, could have made a difference in Nelson’s life that day. In hopes of saving others, they are working with Cook Children’s to educate families, schools and sports organizations about the serious health impacts of asthma and the tools available to intervene when a child experiences an attack. The couple hopes asthma rescue medications and resources will one day be as standard in schools, on practice fields and at every sporting event as automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are today.

In June, Cook Children’s officially launched a new program to help children and families better manage asthma and its hidden threats. It’s known as the Nelson Ku High-Risk Asthma Program. The goal of the program is to identify and address the barriers to asthma care and symptom control of children who often seek care for the condition in the emergency department. The program aims to give them the education and tools they need to reduce the severity of their attacks and the need for hospitalization.

To learn more about the Nelson Ku High-Risk Asthma Program, visit: https://tinyurl.com/wvzzxnuc

08/15/2025

We loved having our second week of our 30 Days of Wellness events at the neighborhood health center in Las Vegas Trail! It was the first full week of events and we were thrilled to see so many new faces stop by.

To celebrate the first week of school, the NHC Demo Kitchen invited kids to create quick, nutritious treats they can make at home for an after school snack. Cook Children’s The Center for Community Health had multiple events throughout the week covering various topics such as asthma action plan basics for kids, safe sleep education, infant resources and parenting tools for communication, routines and resilience. JPS Health Network also hosted several events about their Connection Program, behavioral health services, diabetes education as well as lactation education. My Health My Resources (MHMR) shared early-childhood development screening and support referrals. Lastly, Cook Children’s had art projects that teach kids to identify and express emotions and support coping skills.

Join us for a full month of free wellness activities, education and family-friendly celebrations designed to help our community thrive. Every weekday until September 5, you’ll find hands-on demos, health screenings, safety workshops, nutrition classes and more, all hosted by Cook Children’s and trusted local partners. No registration is needed!

To learn more about the 30 Days of Wellness and see a full calendar of events, visit: https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/30days/

03/05/2025

https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/measles-faqs-what-parents-need-to-know/

This is an ever-evolving situation. As information changes, we will update you here and on our website at cookchildrens.org.For a downloadable flyer, click here. 

02/15/2025

Hello, Henderson Families.

We need to talk MEASLES.

It is extremely contagious--for every person who gets it, it is thought that 12-18 other, unvaccinated people will get it. And it is in Texas.

In Gaines county near Lubbock, two unvaccinated children tested positive for measles last week, and that number has since increased to 48, with 13 requiring hospitalization. All of these cases involve patients who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. There have also been cases in the Houston area. To date, Cook Children’s Healthcare System has not reported any cases, but we are bracing ourselves.

Measles is a disease caused by the measles virus, and 1 out of every 4 people who contract measles in the US will be hospitalized. Signs of measles typically appear 1-2 weeks after becoming infected, and the symptoms typically include fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, red eyes, tiredness, and eventually a head-to-toe rash. It is miserable. Measles can cause complications such as ear infections, croup, and pneumonia and, less commonly but more devastatingly, measles can lead to encephalitis (brain swelling), severe pneumonia, and even death. Even in those who recover from measles, progressive and debilitating brain complications such as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) can occur, even years later. This is one of the worse imaginable health conditions.

Thankfully, we have a tried and true vaccine for measles that provides long-lasting protection against this disease. The MMR vaccine is typically given to children at 12 months, with a booster at 4 years of age. If you think your child may be due for their MMR vaccine, please reach out to our office!

If you think your child might have measles, please call our office ahead of coming in. We will need to make preparations for your visit (and for your entry into our office) in order to prevent any potential spread.

More information on the measles: https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/measles-and-community-health/

11/01/2024

Some cutie-pie patients who came into the office today in costume--Happy Halloween!

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween 🎃 #2024

07/11/2024

Please help us congratulate Terri for her care and dedication of 35 YEARS. We appreciate everything you do for our office!

06/05/2024

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, but it's also a critical time to prioritize child safety. Over Memorial Day Weekend, Cook Children's Medical Center - Fort Worth experienced a rise in drownings, sunburns, dehydration, and injuries from ATVs, dirt bikes, and even fish hooks. This article serves as a reminder for parents and caregivers to be vigilant as children participate in summer activities. Learn more about how to keep your family safe this summer:

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, but it's also a critical time to prioritize child safety. Over Memorial Day Weekend, Cook Children's Medical Center - Fort Worth experienced a rise in drownings, sunburns, dehydration, and injuries from ATVs, dirt bikes, and even fish hooks. This article serves a...

05/24/2024

With the long weekend with beautiful weather coming up, your family is bound to spend time in the water. The majority of drownings we see at Cook Children's occur in swimming pools often during unplanned swim time. Whether it's a public pool, your neighbor's pool or your own pool, it's important to put certain safety measures in place to keep your child from drowning. Learn more about how to protect your family here:

Home safety plans should always include an adult water watcher around the water. If an emergency does happen, remember, seconds count. The adult should call 911 immediately and then begin CPR while EMS is in route.

05/22/2024

04/09/2024

Part of what we pediatricians LOVE about our work is watching kids grow up. Here is a picture of me examining Isabella when she is a baby, and here we are again when she came in at age FIVE the other day. Time flies! Amazing girl!
--Dr. Shaw
P.S. Open the pics for the full view of the spectacular growing flower she is!

03/08/2024

Imagine my surprise when I lifted his shirt to examine his belly and saw his “six pack.” He had prepared for the visit with a marker and an awesome sense of humor that made my day! LOVED IT.

Reba McEntire says you need three things in life— “a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” That sounds about right!

- Dr. Shaw