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HOSPITALS IN COLORADO AND WYOMING RECOGNIZED FOR HIGH ORGAN DONATION RATES
DENVER – October 19, 2006 – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) honored a record 11 Colorado and Wyoming hospitals for excellence in organ donation at the National Learning Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana, today. The HHS Medal of Honor is awarded to hospitals with at least eight eligible organ donors and achieving a donation rate of at least 75 percent for any consecutive 12-month period between September 2004 and July 2006.
The awards, which are presented in conjunction with Donor Alliance, Colorado’s federally designated organ procurement organization, reflect the success of the National Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative, an HHS initiative launched in 2003 to save and enhance thousands of lives annually by spreading best organ donation practices to the nation's largest hospitals. The national initiative provides hospitals and organ procurement organizations with the tools and processes needed to dramatically increase organ and tissue donation rates.
“One of the nation’s most pressing public health issues is the widening gap between the supply and demand for organs and tissues for transplant,” explained Sue Dunn, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. “Currently, 93,000 people across the country and 1,600 in Colorado and Wyoming are waiting for an organ transplant.”
Because of the Organ Donation & Transplantation Breakthrough Collaborative and efforts to improve organ donation rates throughout Colorado and across the country, the following Colorado and Wyoming hospitals achieved Medal of Honor status:
- The Children’s Hospital
- Denver Health Medical Center
- The Medical Center of Aurora
- North Colorado Medical Center
- Poudre Valley Hospital
- Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center
- St. Anthony Central
- St. Mary’s Medical Center
- Swedish Medical Center
- University of Colorado Hospital
- Wyoming Medical Center
Together, a total of 431 organs were transplanted from these hospitals between September 2004 and July 2006.
“We’re proud of the number of Colorado and Wyoming hospitals that have earned this award,” said Ms. Dunn. “Both states have had excellent donation rates due to the work of our hospitals. We will continue to excel through collaborative initiatives with hospitals, transplant centers and state donor registries in Colorado and Wyoming, working toward our ultimate goal of ending the wait for life-saving organ transplants.”
About Donor Alliance
Donor Alliance is the federally designated non-profit organ procurement organization serving Colorado and most of Wyoming. As a recognized leader in facilitating the donation and recovery of transplantable organs and tissues, Donor Alliance’s primary objectives are to save and enhance the lives of others. To achieve these objectives, Donor Alliance employs an effective family approach and recovery programs in over 100 hospitals, and increases the awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation through public awareness and education campaigns in its service area. For more information, please visit www.DonorAlliance.org.
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