Hospital Recognized for Achievement in Organ & Tissue Donation

Trillium Gift of Life Network has once again presented Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with an achievement award for its dedication to organ and tissue donation in Ontario.

Our Hospital received the Provincial Benchmark for Conversion Rate Award for meeting the target set by Trillium Gift of Life Network. Conversion Rate is the percentage of actual organ donors from the total number of potentially eligible organ donors identified upon deceased patients’ health records review. Key factors that influence Conversion Rate are the notification of potential organ donors and working with Trillium Gift of Life Network to promote optimal approach planning.

“Organ and tissue donation truly is the gift of life”, said Jean Bartkowiak, President & CEO of the Hospital and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “We take great pride in our continued role as champions of organ and tissue donation registration. I thank all those who have registered to be a donor and I encourage anyone who has not yet done so, to visit www.beadonor.ca.”

In 2016/2017, 58% per cent of potential donors referred by our Hospital went on to give the Gift of Life, which is on par with the provincial target and only 5 percentage points below the provincial average (63%). Organ and tissue donation is a complex process and the conversion rate reflects how well Trillium Gift of Life Network and our Hospital collaborate to save lives.

“Ontario has made remarkable advances in organ and tissue donation, resulting in more lives saved than ever before – and this would not have been possible without the active involvement of our hospital partners,” said Ronnie Gavsie, President and Chief Executive Officer, Trillium Gift of Life Network. “Together, our goal is to ensure that all families are provided with the information they need and the opportunity to make a life-saving choice.”

Currently, there are 1,500 people in Ontario waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and, unfortunately, every three days someone dies waiting. Register your consent for organ and tissue donation at www.BeADonor.ca and talk to your family about your wishes.

Northern Ontario cities are among the leaders in the province in numbers of registrants per capita. Thunder Bay has 49% of its eligible population registered as organ donors, putting the city in 22nd place provincially out of 170 communities.

Quick facts:

• Donation and transplant statistics are available by hospital: www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/publicreporting.htm
• One organ donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of 75 more through the gift of tissue.
• 32 percent of eligible Ontarians are registered donors.In the 2016/17 fiscal year:
• 354 deceased organ donors gave the gift of life.
• 1,256 people in Ontario received a life-saving organ transplant.
• 2,200 tissue donors enhanced the lives of thousands of patients.

For more information on organ and tissue donation in Ontario, or to learn more about the Trillium Gift of Life Network Awards, please contact Jennifer Long at jlong@giftoflife.on.ca or 416-619-2327.