JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Brooke Army Medical Center kicked off the 2017 National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign with the release of hundreds of balloons to commemorate the day at the medical center Feb. 14. Seventeen of those were dedicated to honor those who have given the gift of life to save others.
BAMC, with partnership from the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, facilitated the annual campaign to promote the importance of donation and transplantation and to educate the community on the crucial need for organ, eye and tissue donation.
“It is no doubt that organ donation is life changing and the awareness of how to become an organ donor is vital to the future success of our program,” said Col. Douglas Soderdahl, surgical services deputy commander. “I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of organ donation as an urologist being involved in a kidney transplant program at BAMC. This experience allowed me to get a true appreciation for the large team of individuals that are responsible for making this happen.”
Soderdahl also added it takes a tremendous teamwork to make this program a success.
“Early identification of potential donors, successful maintenance of donors in the Intensive Care Unit and the emergency room, and ward nursing that promptly calls in the time of cardiac death, maximizing the chance for eye and tissue donation is essential to a successful donation,” he said.
In 2016, BAMC had 17 donors, 70 organs transplanted, 30 cornea and 20 tissue donors with 100 percent referral rate and 80 percent conversion rate (converting eligible donors into actual donors), Soderdahl said.
“BAMC has a great team of dedicated professionals and it is my hope that this campaign continues to increase awareness in the facility and the community. We all need to get involved and inform others on the critical need for donors and the need to increase registrations on the donor registry,” he said.
This year, BAMC is aiming to register at least 40 new organ donors to the state registry to contribute to the national goal and to earn national recognition from HHS for activities that promote enrollment in the state organ donor registries.
“We will earn points for each activity we implement between Oct. 1, 2016 and April 30 and will be recognized nationally for collecting enough points to reach a platinum, gold, silver or bronze level,” said Lt. Col. Jovitta Chandler, TOSA committee. “In 2016, BAMC received the silver level award for reaching more than 750 points for hospital and communication events.”
The campaign has nearly 400,000 donor designations and more than 118,000 people are waiting for the gift of life from an organ donor. Trauma, bone damage, spinal injuries, burns, hearing impairment and vision loss are the main cause of why someone may need an organ, tissue or blood donation.
“Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the organ donor waiting list and every year thousands die waiting for an organ,” said Chandler. “We are asking our entire hospital community to help us educate staff members, patients and their families, visitors and the extended community on the critical need for organ donation. BAMC and TOSA need your involvement and support. By working together, we can make a difference.”
For more information or to join the donor registry, visit http://www.donatelifetexas.org.