Most of
us have seen the billboards identifying organ donors as "everyday heroes."
Anyone who drives is familiar with the question of whether or not to be an
organ donor. While being sensitive to the feelings of those who have lost a
loved one, Mount Carmel seeks organ, tissue
and eye donations whenever appropriate.
Q. Who
handles organ donations at Mount Carmel
hospitals?
A. Organ donation at Mount Carmel is handled
by one of the Designated Requesters who are available at each hospital. A
Designated Requester is someone who has been trained in the organ donation
process by Lifeline of Ohio, an independent, non-profit organization that
promotes and coordinates the statewide donation of human organs and tissue for
transplantation. According to Ohio
law, any donation of organs, tissues or eyes must be handled by a Designated
Requester.
Q. How do
medical personnel know that someone is an organ donor?
A. In most cases, patients have discussed this decision with their loved ones
and the family will initiate the conversation about organ donation. When the
family doesn't, Mount Carmel staff members must follow the procedure specified
by the Medicare Conditions of Participation for Hospitals, based on the
definition of death as "brain death" by Ohio
law. This procedure mandates that upon brain death or imminent brain death, Mount Carmel must call the Donor Information Line, to
identify whether or not the patient is a potential donor. If the patient
is on the list of self-identified donors, Mount Carmel
staff members will then approach the family about appropriate donations.
Q. What
is being done nationally to increase organ, tissue and eye donations?
A. The Department of Health and Human Services has begun an initiative called
the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative, with the goal of increasing
donations countrywide. Several hundred hospitals throughout the United States (including Mount Carmel West) have been chosen by the Collaborative for a
campaign to improve the organ donor "conversion rate" — that is, the number of
potential organ donors who actually go on to donate their organs. Focusing on
education about the lifesaving benefits of organ donation, the Collaborative
has reached a nationwide conversion rate of 75%.
Mount Carmel is proud of its efforts in the area of organ,
tissue and eye donations, knowing that organ donation does save many lives
that cannot be rescued in any other way. It's true what they say: Organ donors
are heroes, every day.
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