Two ThedaCare hospitals were recently recognized by the University of Wisconsin Organ and Tissue Donation (UW OTD) for the ongoing commitment to saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation.
ThedaCare Regional Medical Centers-Appleton and Neenah were recently honored with the Bronze Award of Hope. The ThedaCare hospitals were among 22 in the state recognized for various awards.
“While this award recognizes our dedicated teams, we want to acknowledge the generosity of families who make the decision at a very difficult time to donate their loved one’s organs,” said Susan Broeren, RN, Organ and Tissue Donation Coordinator at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. “Those families make it possible for us to have a successful program, and we are incredibly grateful for their compassion for others.”
According to UW OTD, the Award of Hope recognizes the comprehensive work of hospitals that achieve or exceed the goals of the true donor conversion rate, which measures the percent of medically eligible donors that become donors, and organs transplanted per donor.
“Our teams are passionate about organ donation,” said Broeren. “Each person on the team truly cares about donor patients and their families. We all work together to take a tragic event and help turn it into something positive, knowing the decision to donate has helped others have a second chance at life.”
UW OTD is a federally designated organ procurement organization serving 108 hospitals in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. According to the organization, nearly 114,000 people are on the national waiting list for organ transplants, including more than 2,000 men, women and children from Wisconsin. On average, 22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.
Every year more than 900,000 lives are helped through tissue and eye donation. Tissue is used to treat burn patients, serious abrasions, and in reconstructive surgeries for patients such as breast cancer survivors. Donor tendons are used to repair torn ligaments, veins are used in surgeries, and bone is used to help heal fractures or to prevent amputation. Donor corneas can restore sight to people who are blind.
To learn more about organ and tissue donation, and to sign up to be an organ, tissue, and eye donor, please visit: DonorRegistry.Wisconsin.gov.
Image 1 Caption:
ThedaCare team members accept the Bronze Award of Hope for the ongoing commitment to saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation.
Image 2 Caption:
ThedaCare Organ and Tissue liaisons, Susan Broeren, RN and Beth Gundrum, RN, take part in the virtual Award of Hope Celebration, honoring hospitals recognized for their continued work in maximizing the gift of life.
About ThedaCare
For more than 110 years, ThedaCare® has been committed to improving the health of the communities it serves in northeast and central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 600,000 residents in 17 counties and employs approximately 7,000 health care professionals. ThedaCare has 180 points of care, including seven hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their best lives through easy access to individualized care, supporting each person’s own health and wellbeing. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand unique needs, finding solutions together, and encouraging health awareness and action. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care
Network Member, giving specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care.
For more information, visit thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on social media. Members of the media should call Cassandra Wallace, Public and Media Relations Consultant at 920.442.0328 or the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah switchboard at 920.729.3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.
