Jennifer Moe
Director of Communications/PR
Donor Alliance
303-329-4747

DONOR ALLIANCE RECOGNIZES THREE COLORADO HOSPITALS; HOSPITAL CEO FOR ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION EFFORTS

Donor Alliance’s CEO presents awards at Colorado Hospital Association’s 84th Annual Meeting

DENVER—September 24, 2009—On Friday, September 11th, Donor Alliance, the organ procurement organization and American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) accredited tissue bank serving Colorado and most of Wyoming, awarded Longmont United Hospital, Swedish Medical Center and Vail Valley Medical Center Ending the Wait awards at the Colorado Hospital Association’s 84th annual meeting in Keystone, Colorado. Additionally, Donor Alliance presented Robert W. Ladenburger, president and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center in Grand Junction, with the Senior Leader award.

The awards were presented as a result of increased collaboration between Donor Alliance and the Colorado Hospital Association over the past year. It was the first time donation awards have been presented at Colorado Hospital Association’s annual meeting, representing closer partnerships between the two organizations and local hospitals and leaders.

Donor Alliance’s President and CEO Sue Dunn presented the Ending the Wait award to Longmont United Hospital, recognizing them as a leading community hospital in Northern Colorado. Swedish Medical Center won the award for having the highest number of combined organ and tissue donors in 2008 and Vail Valley Medical Center was honored for going to great lengths to make donation possible for families on the Western Slope.

Robert W. Ladenburger was presented with the Senior Leader award for exceptional commitment to organ and tissue donation. Over the past year, Donor Alliance and St. Mary's have collectively worked together to promote organ and tissue donation throughout the hospital and among St. Mary’s Governing Board of Directors, making donation top of mind to leaders within the hospital system.

“We continue to be encouraged by the commitment our region’s hospitals are making to keep organ and tissue donation a top priority,” said Sue Dunn, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. “Colorado has high donation rates in large part due to the work of hospitals like Longmont United Hospital, Swedish Medical Center and Vail Valley Medical Center. We will continue to collaborate with the Colorado Hospital Association, hospitals, transplant centers and the Colorado Donor Registry in working toward our ultimate goal of ending the wait for lifesaving organ transplants.”

“The Colorado Hospital Association is committed to working with Donor Alliance on behalf of its 92 member hospitals and health systems, to encourage the donation and recovery of transplantable organs and tissues,” said Steven Summer president and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association. “We are encouraged when organizations like Donor Alliance reach out to the hospital community and encourage recognition of the extraordinary efforts they demonstrate every day for the citizens of Colorado.”

According to Dunn, organ donors save the lives of more than 28,000 Americans on average each year and close to half a million Americans benefit from the lifesaving and healing gifts organ and tissue donors provide. Last year in Colorado, 115 organ donors provided 356 organs for transplant. Each donor has the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal more than 100 through the gift of tissue donation.

“In 2008, Colorado’s donor designation rate ranked second nationally with 63 percent of people saying yes when renewing or receiving their driver’s license. Our goal is to be number one,” explained Dunn.

Hospital Awarded Organ Donors Tissue Donors
Longmont United Hospital - 0 Organ Donors 26 Tissue Donors
Swedish Medical Center - 17 Organ Donors 58 Tissue Donors
Vail Valley Medical Center - 0 Organ Donors 2 Tissue Donors
*This data is provided by Donor Alliance for 2008.

Coloradans can register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor in the following ways:
• Online at DonateLifeColorado.org
• At the Division of Motor Vehicles the next time you obtain or renew your driver’s license
• By calling 1-888-256-4386

We are pleased to announce the creation of Colorado’s new specialty Donate Life license plate. CLICK HERE.

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