Baldrige Award-winning organization receives highest honors from Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence

Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx) today announced Donor Alliance as the sole winner of its 2020 Peak Performance Award, the highest-state level recognition for performance excellence.

This marks the second Peak Performance Award for Donor Alliance, and the first performance-excellence-related recognition since receiving the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2018. Donor Alliance, the federally designated not-for-profit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming, is one of only 10 organizations recognized with a Peak Award twice since 1988, and joins Elevations Credit Union as the only two-time recipients in the non-profit category.

“Congratulations to Donor Alliance who joins an exclusive club of only a handful of high-performing organizations to be recognized at our highest level twice,” said RMPEx Executive Director Mike Gratz. “Their dedication to continuous improvement was evident, demonstrating sound framework, proven results and a documented benefit to the community.”

RMPEx, the regional chapter of the prestigious national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, is dedicated to helping organizations improve and succeed through the effective application of Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, established by Congress and President Ronald Reagan in 1987. Each year, RMPEx formally recognizes role-model applicants from the Rocky Mountain region for performance excellence achievements with four levels of awards.

The highest level recognition, Peak Performance Awards are presented to applicants that demonstrate role-model results, plus systematic and mature approaches, effective deployment, process learning and process integration in their response to the criteria questions. Though the RMPEx Peak Performance Award traditionally qualifies organizations to apply for national recognition, as a 2018 Baldrige Award recipient, Donor Alliance is not eligible to apply for the award on the national level again until 2024.

“We are proud to accept this award and plan to continue advancing our operational and organizational processes, which is crucial in our mission to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation,” said Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. “It’s the generosity of our community, organ and tissue donors and their families that truly make this lifesaving work possible. We’re also grateful for the dedication of our employees and partners to continuous improvement, helping maximize the gift of life.”

RMPEx is funded solely by contributions and operational revenues and is one of more than 30 similar state programs that exist throughout the U.S. The approach is based on the Baldrige criteria for Performance Excellence framework, a proven program that brings innovation and results to any organization. More information about RMPEx is available at: RMPEx.org.

About Donor Alliance 

Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ and tissue procurement agency for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 5.8 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance adheres to the highest medical, regulatory and ethical standards, and meets every performance standard. By respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state’s donor registry, Donor Alliance is able to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation. Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages. 

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