The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) is being recognized for exceeding expectations with the number of organ donations completed within the municipality.
The Trillium Gift of Life Network presented the Provincial Conversion Rate Award to the CKHA on Tuesday for surpassing the network's target of a 58 per cent organ donation conversion rate with 67 per cent in 2017/2018. The conversion rate is the percentage of potential organ donors that went to become actual donors.
"We're very honoured to be recognized and it's certainly a team effort [for] our success in organ and tissue donation at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance," said Lisa Northcott, vice president, chief nursing executive and chief of professional practice at CKHA. "All of our staff is very committed to organ and tissue donation, and I'm very proud of all the work they've done to build a culture of organ and tissue donation here."
Chatham-Kent also exceeds the provincial average of registered organ donors with a registration rate of 47 per cent, which ranks the municipality at 52 out of 170 communities in Ontario. Only 33 per cent of Ontarians have formally registered their consent for organ and tissue donation.
"We're always looking for ways to improve our processes around this. We have an organ and tissue committee that meets on a regular basis," said Northcott. "Every time we have a donation that occurs we examine that and how we performed, and try and identify if there's anything we could have improved upon."
CKHA was one of 29 hospitals and partners to be awarded by the Trillium Gift of Life Network for 2017/2018.
According to the CKHA, there are more than 1,500 people in the province who are on the waitlist for a lifesaving organ transplant, and every three days someone will die without one.
To become an organ donor, visit BeADonor.ca.