St. Anthony Regional Hospital was recently awarded the Iowa Donor Network LEGACI Award for Innovation. LEGACI stands for Leadership, Education, Gratitude, Advocacy, Clinical Excellence, and Innovation. LEGACI Awards are given in each of these six categories to Iowa Donor Network partners that go above and beyond to collaborate to fulfill the mission of “Working Together to Transform Lives Through Organ and Tissue Donation.”
When considering which of Iowa Donor Network partner agencies met the criteria for the LEGACI Award for Innovation, network staff looked for agencies that seek new ways to promote and educate about donation as well as develop and implement breakthrough best practices.
Iowa Donor Network recognized that St. Anthony Regional Hospital has gone above and beyond to promote donation within the hospital and the community. During Donate Life Month in 2017, a registration event took place in the hospital atrium and 42 new donors became registered. During Donate Life Month in 2017 and in 2018, a flag raising ceremony was held, Inspire Iowa t-shirts were given away, and several educational and inspiring newspaper articles were submitted in an effort to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation in the community.
“St. Anthony has always been very mindful of the tremendous impact that the gift of organ donation can have on the lives of so many others,” said Karen Timm, St. Anthony Director of Patient Services. “We are happy to be recognized for our efforts and will continue to encourage families to have a simple conversation about organ donation and to get registered.”
Iowa Donor Network Spokesperson Sarah Jaschen shared the organization’s appreciation for its collaboration with St. Anthony.
“St. Anthony is consistently looking for new and innovative ways to engage both staff and the community in conversation about donation,” Jaschen said. “We thank you for your advocacy and your dedication to donation.”
Approximately 70 percent of adults in Iowa are registered donors. Still, the number of people in need of transplants continues to outpace the number of donors. There are currently over 114,000 Americans waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, over 600 of those people live right here in Iowa. Unfortunately, not all those waiting will receive an organ in time. On average, 22 people die each day in the United States while waiting for a transplant.
One organ donor can save the lives of as many as eight people, and one tissue donor can impact the lives of between 50 and 300 people. Last year in the United States, there were over 33,000 organ transplants and over 1 million tissue transplants. It is the vision that all Iowans are inspired to donate life. Registering your decision to become a donor is the most effective way to ensure you can save lives through donation and serves as a sign of hope for those who continue to wait. You can register online today at www.iowadonornetwork.org. For more information about the Iowa Donor Network and how you can become an organ donor, visit www.iowadonornetwork.org.