QHC employees boost organ and tissue donation drive

Employees at Quinte Health Care, with support from Trillium Gift of Life Network, have committed to save lives through organ and tissue donation and are inviting community members to join in.

The contribution is simple: register your consent for organ and tissue donation.

Throughout BeADonor month in April, QHC is encouraging everyone – not only health care providers but people in the community as well – to take two minutes to register their consent online through QHC’s campaign page: www.beadonor.ca/quintehealthcare. All that is required is the individual’s health card. You can also visit this page to check your registration status.

Dr. Carolyn Tram, Intensivist (Critical Care Physician) at QHC Belleville General Hospital, said that although there are currently more than 1,500 people in Ontario waiting for an organ transplant, only 29 per cent of Ontarians are registered.

“It’s an extremely challenging issue to have enough organs to meet the demands of the patients in need who are out there,” she said.

Trillium Gift of Life Network co-ordinates organ and tissue donation for transplantation across Ontario and Quinte Health Care became a designated hospital in June 2014. Prior to the partnership, there was often a delay between the time of death and determining whether or not the individual wanted to be an organ and/or tissue donor.

Sarah Corkey, manager of QHC’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) said that since the formal relationship began, staff have become engaged and the results are positive.

“This last quarter, we realized a 93 per cent notification rate (notification of deaths) to Trillium Gift of Life Network, which means that nearly all potential donors are being considered at the time of death,” she said. “We had four organ donors between April and December 2015 where eight people benefited and between April 2015 and February 2016, we had 28 eye donors from three of our hospitals.” These donors have changed the lives of countless recipients.

“One organ and tissue donor can save up to eight lives and enhance 75 others through the gift of tissue,” says Ronnie Gavsie, TGLN President and CEO. “Trillium Gift of Life Network works hard to save lives every day through organ donation and transplant, but it is not possible without our hospital partners. Quinte Health Care’s commitment to donation makes transplant possible.”