Federal government recognizes St. Elizabeth for organ-donation outreach

UTICA — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recognized St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC) and other hospitals nationwide for their work in public education about donation and state donor registries.

SEMC announced its recognition in a news release this week.

St. Elizabeth Medical Center conducted awareness and registry campaigns to educate staff, patients, visitors, and community members about the “critical” need for organ, eye and tissue donors, the hospital said.

Its effort increased the number of potential donors on the state’s donor registry, SEMC contends.

SEMC earned points for each activity planned between September 2012 and May 2013.

The Workplace Partnership for Life Hospital Campaign, a program that HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) launched in 2011, awarded SEMC gold recognition, the hospital said.

SEMC was among 131 hospitals nationally that earned the gold-level recognition. A total of 924 hospitals and transplant centers participated in the campaign, 322 of which earned either gold, silver or bronze-level recognition, the hospital said.

St. Elizabeth Medical Center worked with the Center for Donation & Transplant in Albany on the campaign to coordinate a number of events, such as posting donation information, displaying posters, and hosting several donor-registry enrollment events in the hospital and throughout the community.

HRSA’s Workplace Partnership for Life is an effort to mobilize the nation’s hospitals to increase the number of people nationwide who are registered organ, eye, and tissue donors. More than 119,000 people are currently waiting for a “life-saving” organ transplant in the U.S.

On average, 17 people die every day due to lack of organs available for transplantation, according to SEMC.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

PHOTO CAPTION:  St. Elizabeth Medical Center staff members who work with families to discuss organ donations include: from left, front row: Lissette Grimaldi, Ida Simard and Andrew Sigond from the Center for Donation and Transplant.

Back row: Varinya Sheppard and Sally Davidson.

PHOTO CREDIT: St. Elizabeth Medical Center