Contact: Susan Barber Lindquist
715-838-3012
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. –– For the third year in a row, Luther Midelfort – Mayo Health System has received national honors for its commitment to organ donation.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Organ Transplantation Breakthrough Collaborative recently recognized Luther Midelfort with a National Medal of Honor for improving organ donation rates in Wisconsin. Luther Midelfort was honored at a ceremony November 5 in Madison.
An awards ceremony also will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, in the Healing Garden at Luther Midelfort’s Luther Campus. The UW Health Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) will present the award. A young heart transplant recipient plans to share his story.
Luther Midelfort was among two hospitals statewide and 30 nationwide to earn a gold Medal of Honor for reaching or exceeding three goals: improving donation rates, increasing the number of organs donated per individual donor to 3.75 or higher and expanding clinical processes for recovering organs.
To receive a Medal of Honor, hospitals must achieve at least a 75 percent donation rate, meaning three-fourths of the people who were eligible to be an organ donor became one. The national average is about 71 percent. The average in the UW Health OPO service area is 88 percent. Luther Midelfort was among 16 hospitals statewide to receive this recognition. Nationwide, 428 hospitals were honored.
Dr. Donn Dexter, neurologist
Dr. Donn Dexter, a neurologist and physician champion of the Gift of Life through Donation (GOLD) Committee at Luther Midelfort, thanked the families who make the decision for organ donation. “This life-giving gift can be a great legacy and comfort for donors and their families,” Dexter said. “When someone makes the generous offer of organ donation as many as eight lives can be saved.”
In Wisconsin, more than 1,500 people are currently on the organ waiting list, 40 percent are under the age of 50, and 30 of these people are under the age of 18.
“Wisconsin has a reputation as a national leader in organ donation largely because of the work of the nurses, physicians and staff in these hospitals,” says Dr. Anthony D’Alessandro, medical director at UW Health OPO and interim chair of the UW Health transplant program.
Adds D’Alessandro, “Our partners at Luther Midelfort are committed to the life-saving work we do,” says Dr. Anthony D’Alessandro, medical director at UW Health OPO and interim chair of the UW Health transplant program. “They recognize the important role they play in serving organ donors and their families. People can decide if they’ll give the ultimate gift of life, and that’s a life-or-death decision for people who are waiting for a transplant.”
By the Numbers
• In 2008, UW Health OPO worked with 137 donor families, resulting in 438 organs transplanted.
• Nationally, a new patient is added to the transplant waiting list every 11 minutes.
• Every day in the United States, 19 people die waiting for their organ transplant.
• According to the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles, about 53.5 percent of Wisconsin’s drivers and ID card holders have said “yes” when asked by DMV staff if they wish to be recorded as potential donors. That compares to 46 percent at the end of 2004.
For more information
• Wisconsin’s new online donation registry, where people can register themselves as donors, will be introduced in April 2010. However, people can go to donatelifewisconsin.org today to register their intent to be a donor and to receive an orange donor dot to place on their driver’s license.
• It is very important to tell your family that you support donation. People can also complete a living will and/or a Power of Attorney (POA) document that states their wishes to be a donor.
Note: Interviews with healthcare staff, organ recipients or families of donors are available upon request or on December 18: Contact Susan Barber Lindquist at barberlindquist.susan@mayo.edu.
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In partnership with Mayo Clinic, Luther Midelfort offers a full range of quality medical services, including cardiac and orthopedic surgery, cancer and trauma care programs. Through a network of community-based healthcare providers in west-central Wisconsin, Luther Midelfort provides access to experts close to home.
