SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Madison receives honor for maximizing the gift of life

MADISON, Wis. – Eighteen hospitals were recognized by UW Organ and Tissue Donation this year for their ongoing commitment to saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation. UW Organ and Tissue Donation is a federally-designated organ procurement organization serving more than 116 hospitals in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. Each year, the organization presents four different awards to hospitals and staff for excellence in maximizing the gift of life.

The UW Organ and Tissue Donation Award of Hope recognizes the comprehensive work of hospitals that achieve or exceed goals that maximize the gift of life. The two measurements for receiving the award are the true conversion rate, which calculates the percent of medically eligible donors that become actual donors; and organs transplanted per donor, which evaluates the average number of organs recovered from each donor. Hospitals can earn a gold, silver or bronze award. A rate of organs transplanted per donor of 3.25, earns a bronze award, a true conversion rate of at least 75%, a silver award, or a gold award for meeting both metrics.

The Excellence in Tissue Donation Award is given to partner hospitals that achieve at least a 60% consent rate. This metric measures the collaborative work between the hospital staff and tissue bank in coordinating communication around tissue consent conversations.

The Nachreiner Family Care Award recognizes the comprehensive work of one hospital each year that exemplifies the highest standards of family support during an organ donation case. To be eligible for the award, a hospital must demonstrate consistent innovative family support practices, and have at least one outstanding case example of those practices in action from the previous calendar year.

In 2022, UW Organ and Tissue Donation established Tyler’s Award to recognize the work of a provider for showing remarkable donation advocacy. To be eligible for the award, the provider must deliver care within the UW Organ and Tissue Donation service area and serve as an outstanding advocate on behalf of organ donor patients and families.

“The clinical management of donor heroes, coupled with a hospital’s compassionate support of donor families, is a critical component to saving lives through the gift of organ donation and transplantation,” said Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation. “We honor these hospitals and their incredible physicians and nursing teams for working so hard to help ensure that those who are waiting for a transplant will get a second chance at life.”

The 2022 winners were honored during a ceremony on May 23 in Wisconsin Dells and included the following institutions: