Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network and Claxton Hepburn Medical Center Earns National Recognition for Promoting Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and other hospitals partnering with the Finger Lakes Donor and Recovery Network (FLRDN) have earned national recognition for efforts to engage hospitals in increasing organ, eye, and tissue donor registrations, through the Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL) Hospital Organ Donation Campaign. The WPFL is a national initiative that unites the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the organ donation community with workplaces across the nation in spreading the word about the importance of donation.

With the work of Stefany Carville, RN, BSN, organ donation liaison at Claxton Hepburn Medical Center, the facility was able to achieve the Platinum Award, which is the highest award level. To encourage people to sign up as an organ donor, Carville provided organ donor events such registration tables at various organizations, a teaching day at a local high school, and frequent educational emails and social media posts. Carville stated, “My goal was to register 50 new organ donors because one eye and tissue donation can potentially help 50 people.” She continued, “The gift of life is so important to me; I can’t stress it enough.”

The program challenges hospitals and healthcare organizations to “let life bloom” by educating their staff, patients, visitors, and communities about the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donation and offering them opportunities to register. Hospitals earned points for each activity and were awarded platinum, gold, silver, or bronze recognition based on the number and types of activities conducted.

This year’s Hospital Campaign efforts added more than 48,000 registrations to state registries and the Puerto Rico registry, which also includes registrations from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The campaign has generated more than 492,000 registrations since its inception in 2011 and unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from their local organ procurement organizations, Donate Life America affiliates, and state and regional hospital associations. FLRDN worked with Stefany Carville, and CHMC to leverage their outreach efforts.

Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the organ transplant list, reaffirming the critical and growing need for registered organ, eye, and tissue donors. For more information about the Hospital Campaign, visit www.organdonor.gov/hospitals. To sign up as a donor, go to www.donatelife.ny.gov. Your tomorrow is worth defending. Shown in the photo is Carville.