In with the new – Magnifying a donor’s impact
05/30/2024In November 2023, Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) finalized an agreement with Banner Health to create Arizona’s first donor care center (DCC) at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix (B-UMCP).
That means deceased organ donors who meet criteria will be transported to the DCC for continued donor care and the recovery of donated gifts for transplantation.
In 2022, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) committee recommended that organ procurement organizations (OPOs) should have a DCC as a best practice. Through strategic planning, DNA determined that a Phoenix-based hospital DCC would magnify the generosity of donors and their families, expand our impact on lives saved through transplantation, and increase effectiveness for an everchanging health care system.
THE GRAND OPENING
Fast forward from November to now: DNA and B-UMCP celebrated with a ribbon cutting of the DCC Friday, May 24 at the B-UMCP Healing Garden.
“The way we see it, organ and tissue donation offers an additional, meaningful way for a family to remember a loved one they’ve lost. We do this in partnership with Arizona hospitals – especially with Banner Phoenix,” said PJ Geraghty, DNA vice president of Clinical Services during the ceremony.
This event honored the tireless work of many individuals from across Banner Health and DNA, alongside the generosity of donors who have and will be cared for in the DCC before saving countless lives.
“Our names have changed, but our service to the community has only gotten better,” said Kathy Mills, DNA senior vice president and chief financial officer, referring to DNA’s origins as Arizona Organ and Tissue Bank as part of B-UMCP when its name was still Good Samaritan Medical Center. “This is where organ donation started for our state. So, for us, this is a homecoming of sorts.”
benefits of this change
This change addresses an inconsistency in resources during a donor case depending on variables at any given hospital: access to services, staffing shortages and OR space, to name a few. The DCC has critical care space for up to four donors. It is centrally located in the state and near Sky Harbor International Airport, which will help make donor care and organ allocation more efficient.
The originating hospital from where the donor is referred, in turn, will benefit by shifting priority to other types of procedures in their own ORs, which DNA has historically shared, as well as freeing up ICU space the donor would occupy ahead of scheduled organ recovery.
continued donor and family care
Prior to transportation to the DCC, DNA’s donation and family advocates (DFAs) will still collaborate with the originating hospital to complete memory making with the donor family. DFAs will also stay in touch with the donor family throughout the donor care process, then bridging to DNA’s two-year donor family aftercare program.
increasing lives saved
The mission of Banner Health is “making health care easier, so life can be better,” and the mission of DNA is “to make the most of life through the gifts of organ and tissue donation.” Both organizations’ missions align in this new collaboration as we seek to honor the gifts given by donors and their families and to make life better for patients who are waiting for a second chance.