HHS honors Children's Hospital Los Angeles for excellence in organ donation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is honoring Children's Hospital Los Angeles for its commitment to saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The hospital will receive the Silver Medal of Honor today for excellence in organ donation at the 7th National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice in Grapevine, Tex.

“Helping families understand the importance of donation and coping with the decision is a team approach. This great honor reflects the dedicated and delicate work of our physicians, nurses, respiratory care practitioners, social workers, child life specialists, hospital chaplains and many others.”

The HHS Medal of Honor is awarded in three categories to hospitals with an organ donation rate that meets standards for excellence: an organ donation conversion rate of 75 percent or higher, greater than 3.75 organs transplanted per donor (OTPD), and at least 10 percent of all donors recovered via donation after cardiac death. These clinical achievements indicate that the hospital has integrated practices of donation in their standard procedures so more lives can be saved through organ transplants.

"Organ donation is the one positive thing that can come out of tragedy - the donor is giving another family and another child a second chance at life," said Nancy Blake, Director of Critical Care Services and liaison to OneLegacy, the organ procurement agency for greater Los Angeles area. "Helping families understand the importance of donation and coping with the decision is a team approach. This great honor reflects the dedicated and delicate work of our physicians, nurses, respiratory care practitioners, social workers, child life specialists, hospital chaplains and many others."

Awardees are determined based on organ donation performance data for a two-year interval, beginning April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2012. During this two-year period, Children's Hospital Los Angeles maintained a conversion rate in excess of 75 percent and also exceeded the OTPD goal of 3.75. The hospital's efforts during this time resulted in 42 organs transplanted from donors, offering others a second chance at a healthy life.

Out of 48 hospitals in the Greater Los Angeles area that met the criteria to be considered for a medal, 22 were recognized. A total of 13 hospitals received Silver medals for meeting or exceeding two of these three national goals.

Source Children's Hospital Los Angeles