Tulane Medical Center earns national recognition for promoting organ donation

NEW ORLEANS -- Tulane Medical Center has earned platinum recognition for its efforts to increase organ, eye and tissue donor registrations across the state. The award was presented by the Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL) Hospital Organ Donation Campaign, a national initiative that unites the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the organ donation community with workplaces across the nation in spreading the word about the importance of donation.

Tulane Medical Center participated in HRSA's WPFL Hospital Organ Donation Campaign from October 2018 to April 2019. The program challenges hospitals and healthcare organizations to "let life bloom" by educating their staff, patients, visitors and communities about the critical need for organ, eye and tissue donation and by offering them opportunities to register as donors. Tulane Medical Center earned points for completing awareness and registry activities and prompting 10 new donor registrations during the campaign period.

Tulane Medical Center was one of more than 1,490 organizations to participate in the 2019 campaign and one of 639 organizations to earn platinum recognition.

"One organ donor has the power to save up to nine lives, restore sight to two people and enhance the lives of up to 50 more through tissue donation," said Ed Medina, vice president of the Tulane Transplant Institute. "While our transplant team cares for and surgically facilitates transplantation, it's the organ donors that truly give the gift of life.

"It's part of our mission to make sure as many people as possible sign up to become organ donors and provide that gift of life to the patients we serve, and others all over the country awaiting a transplant."

This year's Hospital Organ Donation Campaign added more than 48,000 registrations to state registries and the Puerto Rico registry, which also includes registrations from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The campaign has generated more than 492,000 registrations since its inception in 2011 and unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from their local organ procurement organizations, Donate Life America affiliates and state and regional hospital associations. Tulane Medical Center worked with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency to leverage its outreach efforts.

Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the organ transplant list, reaffirming the critical and growing need for registered organ, eye and tissue donors. For more information about the hospital campaign, visit HRSA Organ Donor. To sign up as a donor, go to Donate Life LA.

The Tulane Transplant Institute has clinic locations in New Orleans at Tulane Medical Center and in Covington at Tulane Lakeview Hospital. For more information about the Tulane transplant program, visit Tulane Transplant Institute