News Releases
Memorial Hermann Hospital Honored as Nation's Top Organ Donor Recovery Site
Houston, Texas, February 14, 2003 -- Another
chance at life is a precious gift. Memorial Hermann Hospital and LifeGift
Organ Donation Center staff members know this better than most, as they
help make miracles from tragedies every day.
According to preliminary figures released by the United Network for
Organ Sharing (UNOS), Memorial Hermann Hospital recovered organs from
more donors than any other institution in the country during 2002. Collaborating
with LifeGift, the hospital recovered 233 organs from 64 donors. This
is the second time in three years the hospital has received this distinction.
"There's a critical shortage of organ donors in this country,"
said UNOS Executive Director Walter Graham. "We're hopeful that
success such as that achieved by Memorial Hermann will help raise awareness
and contribute toward saving even more lives in future years."
Sam Holtzman, president and chief executive officer of Houston-based
LifeGift Organ Donation Center, the agency responsible for working with
hospitals to recover organs and tissue in 109 counties in Southeast,
North and West Texas, attributes the success to a strong partnership
between the two institutions.
"With more than 85,000 individuals on the transplant waiting list
nationwide - 1,600 in Southeast Texas alone - the need is clear,"
Holtzman remarked. "Memorial Hermann Hospital has attained a level
of achievement unparalleled by any other institution."
In 1995, Memorial Hermann Hospital became one of two hospitals in the
country to pilot LifeGift's In-House Coordinator Program. The program
places LifeGift donation specialists inside the hospital to work side-by-side
with hospital staff to maximize donor opportunities. The program has
been so effective that it has been replicated in Level 1 trauma centers
across the country.
"There is no doubt Memorial Hermann has helped save and enhance
hundreds of lives due to the program. The hospital became the nation's
top donor hospital in 2000 and routinely surpasses the performance of
most other Level 1 trauma centers in the country," Holtzman said.
"Family members want to know they're doing the right thing. We
work with them to help them understand brain death," says Janine
Mazabob, director, Memorial Hermann Hospital Neuro Critical Care Unit.
"At the same time, we let them know we are here to support them
and respect their decision - whatever it is. My own experience has been
that when they see how their loved ones have helped so many survive,
they're comforted."
"Thanks to our strong collaborative efforts, our organ donation
program helped 134 transplant patients at Memorial Hermann Hospital,
alone, last year," said Juanita Romans, senior vice president and
CEO of Memorial Hermann Hospital. "Memorial Hermann is committed
to saving lives and providing LifeGift the support needed to connect
organ donors with patients waiting for transplants."
According to LifeGift, one organ and tissue donor can give the gift
of life to 50 people. LifeGift encourages individuals to make the decision
to become an organ and tissue donor and share the decision with family
members. The latter is crucial, as family must consent to donate.
For more information about organ and tissue donation and free donor
cards, contact LifeGift at 800-633-6562 or visit www.lifegift.org. For more information, contact Media Relations.
The 11-hospital not-for-profit Memorial Hermann Healthcare
System provides quality comprehensive programs and services for a person's
whole life. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Hospital
is an 818-bed tertiary teaching hospital affiliated with The University
of Texas Medical School at Houston.
In its 15th year
of operation, LifeGift is a not-for-profit organ procurement organization
dedicated to recovering organs and tissue for individuals needing transplants
in 109 Texas counties in Southeast, North and West Texas. For more information,
call 800-633-6562 or visit www.lifegift.org
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