ROCKFORD, Ill. — UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital was recently recognized as a top performer for saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation.
During a ceremony in Wisconsin Dells earlier this month, UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital was honored with the Bronze Award of Hope from UW Organ and Tissue Donation. The award recognizes the comprehensive work of the care team in facilitating organ donation with compassion and efficiency, according to John Patterson, critical care unit manager, UW Health in northern Illinois.
“It’s an incredible honor to serve our donor heroes and their families,” he said. “This recognition highlights the unwavering commitment by our entire critical care team to respect the decisions of donors, support their loved ones and bring hope to those waiting for the gift of life.”
The award is based on three measurements. One is the true conversion rate, which calculates the percentage of medically eligible donors who become actual donors. Another measurement is organs transplanted per donor, which evaluates the average number of organs recovered from each donor or an observed/expected organs transplanted outcome. The final measurement is referral rate, which calculates the percentage of patients who met a threshold to be referred to UW Organ and Tissue Donation for evaluation. Hospitals can earn a gold, silver or bronze Award of Hope for meeting all three, two or one of these metrics, respectively.
“Hospitals are essential partners in the life-saving work of organ donation,” said Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation. “We commend the entire team at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital for their diligent efforts to honor the selfless generosity of organ donors and ensure their life-saving gifts reach those who need them most.”
UW Organ and Tissue Donation is a federally designated organ procurement organization serving more than 100 hospitals in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.