MADISON, Wis. — A specialized surgical unit dedicated to managing the care of organ donors has served more than 200 donors and given life-saving gifts to more than 700 transplant patients since opening nearly four years ago.
The UW Organ and Tissue Donation Centralized Recovery Center brings together experts from UW Organ and Tissue Donation and UnityPoint Health – Meriter to serve organ donors and their families. The unit opened in May 2022 and serves as a dedicated organ recovery facility for the more than 100 designated donor hospitals served by UW Organ and Tissue Donation. There are fewer than 25 of these specialized donor care units nationwide.
Transferring stable, adult donor heroes who have experienced brain death to a centralized recovery center is a national best practice. This approach helps eliminate delays in securing necessary staffing, testing and resources for donation at donor hospitals and allows those hospitals to better use their intensive care beds, operating rooms and staff for other patients.
Centralizing donation care to UnityPoint Health – Meriter, with dedicated critical care staff, intensive care unit beds, equipment and operating rooms allocated specifically for this purpose, ensures consistent treatment for donor heroes, according to Mike Anderson, director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation.
“This process allows us to provide the right care in the right place, giving families a predictable, compassionate experience while ensuring high-quality coordination for transplant teams,” he said. “We are committed to meeting and exceeding the needs of our patients, families and hospital partners in this life-saving work.”
Since this center opened, care teams have coordinated transfers for 232 donor heroes, supported the recovery of 826 organs for transplant and given 705 transplant recipients a second chance at life, with additional gifts contributing to research and education, according to Tressa Gill, director of perioperative services at Meriter.
“This milestone is about the donors, their families and the teams who honor those gifts every day,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud of our surgical and support teams’ dedication to healing and compassion. Their unwavering focus ensures each donor is honored and each gift is stewarded with the utmost respect.”
These centers also increase the number of transplantable organs and improve transplant outcomes, according to Jeff Ethington, program manager at UW Organ and Tissue Donation.
“Families tell us the process feels clearer and less stressful, and our hospital partners appreciate the consistency a centralized approach provides,” he said. “By concentrating recovery at the CRC, we strengthen every step, from clinical readiness to surgical coordination, so more organs can reach recipients in time.”
The location of organ recovery does not change how donated organs are allocated; placement is still determined by strict national criteria and policies to ensure organs go to the patients most in need, according to Trisha Siler, director of critical care intervention at Meriter.
“Together, our team is able to improve the lives of transplant recipients, and it is an honor to witness that transformative impact,” she said. “We’re immensely proud of the ripple effect of our meaningful work.”
UW Organ and Tissue Donation partners with UW Health Med Flight, as well as Midwest Medical Transport, for transportation and there are no additional fees to donors, families or hospitals. Programs to honor organ donors, including honor walks, moments of silence or raising the Donate Life flag, are held at the local hospital prior to transfer. Upon arrival at UnityPoint Health – Meriter Hospital, the staff holds an honor walk to recognize the donor’s life-saving gift.
More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant. Learn more about organ donation and register as a donor by visiting uwotd.org.