Hospital recognized for tissue donation practices

Local residents urged to register PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — During the annual Regional Donor Council Meeting and Organ and Tissue Donation Collaborative, Bon Secours Community Hospital was one of six member hospitals of the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association (NorMet) recognized for “Best Practices,” and asked to share those procedures with other facilities. The event, sponsored by NorMet in partnership with the New York Organ Donor Network, was held at Westchester Medical Center on April 22. The “Best Practices” designation refers to those “top performer” hospitals with a high rate of obtaining consent for life saving tissue donations. In its effort to save lives through organ and tissue donation, staff members of Bon Secours Community Hospital work closely with the New York Organ Donor Network, the nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization serving this region. “We congratulate and thank all the personnel at Bon Secours Community Hospital for partnering with us and, as a result of their level of excellence, achieving this recognition,” said Elaine Berg, New York Organ Donor Network president and CEO. “Your hospital has played a leading role in saving precious lives through organ and tissue donation.” This past April, Bon Secours Community Hospital participated in “National Donate Life Month,” a time to raise awareness about the need for organ, tissue, blood and bone marrow donors. The United States Health and Human Services Department/Division of Transplantation established that this special month be observed each year. One of the Nation’s most pressing public health issues is the widening gap between the supply and demand for organs and tissues. Best Practices associated with a hospital’s higher rates of obtaining consent for organ and tissue donation are identified based on site visits, in-depth face-to-face discussions, and other data collection. According to Jeff Lewis, director of the Tissue and Preservation Department at the New York Organ Donor Network, hospitals, such as Bon Secours Community Hospital, that are recognized for Best Practices, have common threads that include good communication with family members and early referral. “It’s also very important to have a point person, a champion, and a dedicated staff,” said Lewis. One such person at Bon Secours Community Hospital is Emergency Room Clinical Director, Bonnie Heal. “When it comes to educating our staff about the importance of obtaining consent for organ and tissue donations that can save lives in our own community, we take that extra step,” said Heal. In April, the hospital hosted a luncheon for staff and organ/tissue recipients and their families in honor of “National Donate Life Month.” Two of the invited guests from the community, a law enforcement professional who had received a heart transplant and the husband of a hospital employee who had received a liver transplant, were living proof of the importance of this program. “We explain to our staff,” said Heal, “that the potential for organ donation is most often preceded by a tragic event. Parties involved in organ donation are keenly aware that families come to these situations in shock, usually having last seen their loved ones under normal circumstances. But as demonstrated by our luncheon guests, this can be an opportunity to turn something terrible into providing the gift of life for another person, perhaps someone from our own community or even our own families.” While nearly 22,000 desperately ill patients received organ transplants in the United States in 2007, a total of 6,411 patients lost their lives because of the shortage of organ donors. According to the New York Organ Donor Network, its own registry of donors is disappointing in large part because the majority of people enroll when they apply for a driver’s license or when renewing their licenses, which has now been extended to 10 years. However those who wish to enroll in this confidential database can do so online or by mail. Visit www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/donor/agreement.htm Information is available from Bon Secours Community Hospital or the New York Organ Donor Network to dispel many of the myths and fears concerning organ and tissue donation. The surviving family must give consent before donation can take place, so it is essential that the family know the patient’s wishes.