Mercy Hospital Cassville urges organ donation
April 10, 2019
In 2018, organ donors saved 818 lives in Kansas and western Missouri, more than ever before for a single year. To keep that momentum going strong Mercy Hospital Cassville is honoring National Donate Life Month in April by engaging an influential group of people: its employees.
The initiative – part of a regional awareness campaign in partnership with Midwest Transplant Network and its Green Ribbon Champions – aims to increase the number of registered organ donors in Kansas and Missouri.
According to Jan Finn, Midwest Transplant Network’s chief executive officer, nearly 171,000 new or renewed donors joined the Kansas and Missouri donor registries in 2018. That’s an outstanding accomplishment, she says, but the need for organs still vastly exceeds the number of registered donors. To increase registrations, the organ procurement organization introduced its Green Ribbon Campaign in 2018 and is partnering with hospitals and transplant centers again to broaden the outreach.
“In our region of Kansas and western Missouri, there are more than 125,000 hospital and transplant center employees, and each of them can be a green ribbon champion by inspiring others to give hope and share life,” said Finn. “As transplant waiting lists continue to grow, the voices of health care professionals will be powerful in spreading this lifesaving message.”
In addition to motivating hospital employees to join the state’s donor registry, the campaign encourages them to serve as advocates among their families, friends and the general public. Key points for educating the public and creating awareness include:
• Everyone can be a registered donor regardless of age or medical history.
• A commitment to donation never interferes with medical care. Saving the registered donor's life is always top priority whenever someone becomes sick or injured.
Joining the donor registry is a simple process. Individuals can register online at sharelifemidwest.com or at the DMV when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or ID card.
About Midwest Transplant Network
Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, MTN provides services that include organ procurement and surgical tissue and eye recovery, laboratory testing, and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top quartile nationally among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.
In 2018, organ donors saved 818 lives in Kansas and western Missouri, more than ever before for a single year. To keep that momentum going strong Mercy Hospital Cassville is honoring National Donate Life Month in April by engaging an influential group of people: its employees.
The initiative – part of a regional awareness campaign in partnership with Midwest Transplant Network and its Green Ribbon Champions – aims to increase the number of registered organ donors in Kansas and Missouri.
According to Jan Finn, Midwest Transplant Network’s chief executive officer, nearly 171,000 new or renewed donors joined the Kansas and Missouri donor registries in 2018. That’s an outstanding accomplishment, she says, but the need for organs still vastly exceeds the number of registered donors. To increase registrations, the organ procurement organization introduced its Green Ribbon Campaign in 2018 and is partnering with hospitals and transplant centers again to broaden the outreach.
“In our region of Kansas and western Missouri, there are more than 125,000 hospital and transplant center employees, and each of them can be a green ribbon champion by inspiring others to give hope and share life,” said Finn. “As transplant waiting lists continue to grow, the voices of health care professionals will be powerful in spreading this lifesaving message.”
In addition to motivating hospital employees to join the state’s donor registry, the campaign encourages them to serve as advocates among their families, friends and the general public. Key points for educating the public and creating awareness include:
• Everyone can be a registered donor regardless of age or medical history.
• A commitment to donation never interferes with medical care. Saving the registered donor's life is always top priority whenever someone becomes sick or injured.
Joining the donor registry is a simple process. Individuals can register online at sharelifemidwest.com or at the DMV when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or ID card.
About Midwest Transplant Network
Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, MTN provides services that include organ procurement and surgical tissue and eye recovery, laboratory testing, and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top quartile nationally among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.
