| June 7, 2005
Marquette General earns national award for organ donations
MGH’s consent rates far exceed the national average
Marquette
General Hospital has received prestigious national recognition
for its outstanding success in working with
donor families on organ donations.
Photo cutline: Dennis Wagner, center, of
the Department of Health and Human Services poses for a photo
with Marquette General
Hospital registered nurses
who recently gathered in Pittsburgh to accept a Medal of Honor for MGH’s
organ donation consent rates, which vastly exceed the national average. From
left are Peggy Stille, RN; Hospital Supervisor Gail Brandly, RN; Wagner;
Ann Clancy-Klemme, RN; and Bronwyn Gray, RN. Marquette General was one of
150 hospitals across the United States and the lone Northern Michigan healthcare
system recognized.
Marquette General received a Medal of Honor from the Secretary
of Health and Human Services for its consent rates, which vastly
exceed the national average. It was one of 150 hospitals across
the United States and the lone Northern Michigan healthcare
system recognized. The award was presented at the National
Organ Donor
Coalition Conference in Pittsburgh.
According to Hospital Supervisor Gail Brandly, there’s
currently a national initiative — sponsored by the federal
government and endorsed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations — to increase organ donation
consent rates to 75 percent from the current national average
of 43.
“
Our consent rate is already consistently higher than 75 percent,” Brandly
said.
Brandly credits Marquette General’s success in receiving
donor consents to its highly compassionate and empathetic team
that works very closely with families in times of crises.
“
When patients come in, we do everything we can to save them,” Brandly
said. “We’re going to take good care of patients
and their families. Throughout the hospital, families say they’re
embraced by our staff, who are never hesitant to help out.”
Brandly said the key to successful organ donation is to develop
a positive, trusting relationship with families.
“
We treat everyone the way we’d want to be treated,” Brandly
said. “It’s all about caring and helping others.
That’s what our staff does best.
“
One organ/tissue donor can save seven lives and help up to an
additional 100 people,” added Brandly, whose staff keeps
in contact with many families who have donated organs. “When
the donor families tell us, ‘Thank You,’ for what
we do, it makes it all worthwhile. Every donor is a hero … something
good can come out of a tragic situation.”
A recent example of successful organ donation occurred when
an accident victim passed away at Marquette General. The University
of Wisconsin Organ Procurement Organization was able to recover
the lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys, and as a result, the
lives of five people were saved.
One of the lungs was transplanted into a patient from Wisconsin
who had been on the waiting list since May 2003; the second
lung was transplanted into a patient from Illinois who had
been on
the waiting list since October 2003; the pancreas was transplanted
in a combination procedure with one of the kidneys into a patient
from Virginia who had been on the waiting list since January
2005; the second kidney and the liver were transplanted into
two other patients who suffered from end-stage organ failure.
Bill Nemacheck, chief executive officer at MGHS, said Marquette
General’s role in securing organ donations is bittersweet.
"
Although it is a sensitive time, many patients and their families
see the greater good that’s possible for others who can
be saved from similar grief through organ transplantation," Nemacheck
said. "We’re pleased that through the participation
of our doctors and staff, we are able to facilitate organ and
tissue donation."
Becoming a donor is actually quite simple. All one needs to
do is say yes to organ and tissue donation on their donor card
and/or
driver’s license and discuss their decision with their
family. The donor’s family does not pay for the cost of
organ donation. All costs related to organ and tissue donation
are paid by the organ procurement organization.
Each day, across the United States, an average of 57 patients
receive organ transplants. Another 13 people on waiting lists
die because not enough organs are available.
Medical suitability for organ donation is determined at the
time of death. Newborns to those in their early 80s can be
organ donors,
Brandly said. The deciding factor is the person’s physical
condition, not the person’s age. Those 17 years of age
and younger must have the consent of a parent or guardian.
To learn more about organ and tissue donation at MGHS, contact
Brandly at 225-3460 or 1-800-562-9753, ext. 3460; or visit
www.mgh.org/life/index.html. Those interested
in signing up at the donor registry in Michigan can do so by visiting www.giftoflifemichigan.org.
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