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In This Issue:
From left: Galen Henderson, MD; Phillip Camp, MD, director, Lung Transplant Program; Andy Whittemore, MD, CMO; Richard Luskin, president and CEO, New England Organ Bank; Shaun Golden, RN, nursing director, NeuroScience ICU; Martha Burke, MSW, director of Social Work and Clinical Services; Kathy Gallivan, PhD, director of Chaplaincy Services; and Kevin Kiely, hospital relations coordinator, New England Organ Bank.
For the fifth consecutive year, BWH is the recipient of a Medal of Honor for Organ Donation, an honor bestowed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2010, BWH had 16 organ donors, matching the record number set in 2009. There were 45 organs recovered and transplanted, as well as 36 tissue donors that benefitted more than 400 patients who received corneal donation, heart valves, skin, bone and tendons.
“It’s an honor to be recognized nationally for our role in continuing success in organ donation,” said Galen Henderson, MD, medical director of the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, who was in attendance when representatives from the New England Organ Bank presented the medal at a Dec. 21 ceremony. “But, it’s the organ donors and their families who truly deserve recognition for making the decision to help give life during an emotional time.”
Medals are awarded to hospitals that achieved high performance on some or all national benchmarks for organ donation from Oct. 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010. These benchmarks include: Conversion rate (the percentage of eligible donors who actually became donors); the ratio of organs transplanted per donor; and the percentage of donors after cardiac death.