Only the - Cook Children's

“Being able to personalize a bear at our own Build-A-Bear Workshop will allow our patients to work
through many feelings related to their illness or injury,” said Jill Koss, director of Family Support
Services for Cook Children’s. “Being able to choose their animal, use their own voice to create a
message and then have a heart ceremony is a powerful experience for patients and siblings
alike.”
Along with the comfort provided by the stuffed animal, bringing a Build-A-Bear
Workshop to Cook Children’s made financial sense. Each year, more than 3.3 million
people enter the doors of the medical center. And, with the recent expansion at
Cook Children’s, even more visitors are anticipated. The leadership team at
Cook Children’s embarked on a retail assessment plan three years ago. The plan
included talking to families, patients, physicians and staff members to learn the
types of retail stores they wanted to see in the medical center.
The assessment showed a need for more food and drink options, which
led to a Starbucks in the medical center. The Starbucks was an immediate
success, selling three times the volume expected. To meet the growing
need for food items, a Chick-fil-A ® will be housed at the expanded medical
center. Cook Children’s also has plans for a retail pharmacy within the
medical center to help educate families needing medicine for their children
and offer the convenience of getting the medication immediately
after the prescription.
All of these new amenities are designed to make
the time spent at Cook Children’s better for families,
patients and staff. But in addition to adding more
convenience, the leadership team wanted to add
more fun! At Cook Children’s, we never forget that we
are a pediatric health care organization. One of the
stores mentioned throughout the survey was Build-A-
Bear, which also happens to be a favorite of Nancy
Cychol, the president of Cook Children’s Medical
Center.
“The partnership between Cook Children’s and
4 Children’s Promise | The magazine of Cook Children’s