Parkview Health earned national recognition for its efforts to end the wait for lifesaving organ transplants through a partnership with Indiana Donor Network, the state’s federally designated organ recovery organization, and the 2020 Workplace Partnership for Life Hospital Organ Donation Campaign.
As part of the national campaign, Parkview Health collaborated with the Indiana Donor Network team to educate staff, patients, visitors and the northeast Indiana community about the critical need for organ, tissue and eye donation, including signing up as donors. Parkview Health was one of 60 Indiana organizations to participate in the 2020 campaign – up from 50 participating organizations in 2019.
“Indiana hospitals are supporting donation in a way we have never seen previously,” said Kellie Hanner, Indiana Donor Network president and CEO. “Together with Parkview Health and our other partners, we are finding new ways to bring hope to the 113,000 people nationwide awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant and the many more in need of healing tissue transplants.”
While more than 4 million Hoosiers are registered to give the gift of life, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes, reaffirming the critical and growing need for more people to say yes to donation. Nationwide, the 2020 WPFL campaign efforts to raise donation awareness prompted 59,662 new donors to sign up for donor registries in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“We are proud of this recognition received by Parkview Health,” said Mike GeRue, senior vice president/chief operating officer, Parkview Heart Institute, who chairs Parkview Health’s donor council. “It demonstrates the partnership we have with Indiana Donor Network and VisionFirst to optimize organ, eye and tissue donation within Parkview Health hospitals. These partnerships enable us to help those in need of a donation and also provide for the wishes of family for their loved one to be a donor.”
Anyone, regardless of age or medical history, is eligible to sign up as an organ, tissue and eye donor. To learn more, visit IndianaDonorNetwork.org.
The WPFL Hospital Organ Donation Campaign is a national initiative that unites the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the organ donation community with workplaces around the nation to spread the word about the importance of donation. For more information about the campaign, visit OrganDonor.gov/hospitals.