Fort Worth Hospitals Nationally Recognized for High Organ Donation Rates

Fort Worth – The mood was celebratory at the Fifth National Learning Congress on Organ Donation and Transplantation as teams of leaders and clinicians from Fort Worth-based LifeGift and its hospital partners Cook Children’s Medical Center, John Peter Smith Hospital and Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth were recognized for saving lives by increasing the number of organs available for transplantation. The institutions are among only 428 of the nation’s approximately 5,000 hospitals honored during the recent event in Grapevine, Texas.

The hospitals received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medal of Honor for achieving or exceeding a 75 percent “conversion” rate – when potential donors become actual donors – during any 12-month period within the 22-month award period ending in April 2009. Cook Children’s is the only hospital in Texas and one of two pediatric hospitals nationwide to receive a gold medal. Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth received silver and John Peter Smith Hospital received bronze.

“The commitment of our hospital partners helps give the gift of life to hundreds of men, women and children in Texas and nationwide every year by helping us [LifeGift] increase the number of organs available for transplant,” said LifeGift President and Chief Executive Officer Sam Holtzman. “We’re especially proud that our hard work is putting Fort Worth on the map.”

Fort Worth was further “placed on the map” when Cook Children’s President Nancy Cychol was one of only 11 recipients nationwide to be named a Regional Champion. Cychol is the Region 4 Regional Champion for Texas and Oklahoma. Recognition is given to individuals who demonstrate superb leadership in helping a hospital reach or exceed the national goal.

The strength of the partnerships is illustrated by the data. These three hospitals met or exceeded their goals, with Cook Children’s reaching 100 percent of those saying “yes” to donation during the entire 22-month award period. Plaza Medical Center surpassed its goal and achieved a 90 percent rate between April 2008 and March 2009 and also during May 2008 and April 2009. And, John Peter Smith reached 75.4 percent between December 2007 and November 2008.

Additionally, the success of the national effort made it possible to transplant 3,088 more organs from deceased donors in 2008 than in 2003. The number of transplants performed from deceased organ donors in 2008 was 21,746

“These achievements are a big step toward increasing donor designation rates in Texas, but we still have many more lives to save,” Holtzman said. Nearly 10,000 Texans and more than 103,000 individuals nationwide currently await a lifesaving organ donation and thousands more need donations of tissue. Texans can do their part in saving lives by registering as organ and tissue donors at DonateLifeTexas.org.