NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH GENERAL HOSPITAL
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Guelph General Hospital (GGH) was recognized by Trillium Gift of Life Network, Ontario’s organ and tissue donation and transplantation agency, for the hospital’s outstanding efforts to integrate organ and tissue donation into quality end-of-life care in 2018/19.
GGH was presented with the Provincial Conversion Rate Award for meeting or exceeding the target conversion rate of 63 per cent set by Trillium Gift of Life Network. The conversion rate is the percentage of potential organ donors (patients who die in a hospital setting and are deemed medically suitable for donation) who went on to become actual donors. GGH’s rate was 78 per cent.
“At GGH we’re proud of our team’s success in helping loved ones work through such a difficult time in their lives. It really is a team effort from staff in our Emergency Department to our Intensive Care Unit to our Surgery Department,” says Melissa Skinner, VP Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive. “At the end of the day, our staff know that organ donations save lives or vastly improve the quality of life for people within the Guelph community and beyond.”
Guelph General Hospital is one of 30 hospitals and four community partners to be awarded a 2018/19 Trillium Gift of Life Network Achievement Award. Last year, there were seven organ donors at GGH which led to 17 transplants. In addition, there were 31 tissue donors enhancing the lives of hundreds of others.
“Guelph General Hospital is an outstanding example of how applying leading donation practices can save lives,” says Ronnie Gavsie, President and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network. “The award is a reflection of the culture of donation established at Guelph General Hospital, and a reminder of the work that we still need to do in other communities across Ontario. We will not be complacent.”
Today, more than 1,600 people in Ontario are on the waitlist for a lifesaving organ transplant, and every three days someone will die without one. While the majority of Canadians support donation only 34 per cent of Ontarians have formally registered their consent for organ and tissue donation.
Guelph exceeds the province with a registration rate of 43 per cent, ranking 107 out of 170 communities in Ontario. Visit http://www.beadonor.ca to register or find out more.
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