October 22, 2006

U-M Transplant Center again receives HHS Medal of Honor for efforts to increase organ donation

U-M maintains organ donation rate of more than 75 percent for second year in a row

ANN ARBOR, MI – The University of Michigan Health System Transplant Center, in collaboration with Gift of Life Michigan, received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ distinguished Medal of Honor for achieving an organ donation rate of more than 75 percent for a unprecedented second year in a row, making it one of the leading transplant centers for organ donation in Michigan and one of the best in the country.

Mark Gravel, Dennis Wagner (HRSA Collaborative Leader), Richard Chenault, and receive Medals of Honor from HHS.

This joint effort resulted in 40 organs for transplantation at U-M hospitals in 2005 – 22 kidneys, 10 livers, three hearts, four lungs and one pancreas.

The U-M Transplant Center was one of 16 hospitals in Michigan, and one of 300 hospitals nationwide, to receive the HHS Medal of Honor for achieving a life-saving organ donation rate of 75 percent or greater for a sustained 12-month period. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also recognized U-M in 2004 and 2005 for its significant efforts to increase the organ donation rate.

Much of the U-M Transplant Center’s success is credited to the work of Jeffrey Punch, M.D., F.A.C.S., director of the UMHS Transplantation Division; Mark Gravel, director of UMHS Donation Initiatives; and Richard Chenault, transplant/donation specialist – all of whom received individual HHS Medals of Honor for their significant efforts to increase organ donation at U-M.

Those efforts include the development of the Organ Initiatives program at UMHS, which strives to shrink the gap between patients on organ wait lists and organs available for transplantation. The program works to increase U-M Health System staff education, and applies a more organized approach to talking with patients' families about the potential for organ donation.

The Medal of Honor is part of the HHS Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative.

The Collaborative, which the U-M Transplant Center and Gift of Life Michigan joined in 2003, is designed to combat the growing disparity between the supply and demand of organs for transplantation in the United States by pairing the hospitals with the highest number of eligible/potential donors with their local organ procurement organization. Its goal is to raise the donation rate at these institutions to 75 percent. Thanks to these efforts, the current national average organ donation rate is 60 percent.

Facts about organ and tissue donation in the State of Michigan:

• 614 Michigan patients received a life-saving organ transplant from a deceased donor in 2005.
• 278 Michigan patients received a life-saving organ transplant from a living donor in 2005.
• 65 Michigan children received an organ transplant in 2005.
• More than 7,500 Michigan patients have received a life-saving organ transplant in the last 10 years.
• One organ and tissue donor can save and enhance the lives of over 50 people!
• The gift of life is ageless. Everyone can sign up to donate life.
• Cornea transplants have been successful for more than 100 years.
• Organ transplants have been saving lives for more than 50 years.
• On average, 77 U.S. patients receive an organ transplant every day.
• On average, 17 Michigan residents receive an organ transplant each week (5 of those are from living donors).
• Nearly 1,000 cornea transplants are performed in Michigan each year.

 
To learn more about the HHS Organ Donation Breakthrough, visit www.organdonor.gov.

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