(St. Louis, MO) A historic number of tissue donations in Mid-America Transplant’s service area led to hundreds of thousands of life-enhancing and lifesaving gifts in 2018. Mid-America Transplant facilitated the recovery of the gifts of cornea, skin, bone, vein, and heart valves from 1,986 generous donors, the most in the organization’s 45-year history. 

“It is remarkable to think that upwards of 99,300 people could be directly impacted by the gifts given by generous donors and their families in 2018,” said Diane Brockmeier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mid-America Transplant. “Many people are familiar with organ transplants, yet don’t realize the incredible potential impact of tissue donation. One of the remarkable things about tissue donation is that, over time, one tissue donor may improve the quality of life for more than 50 people.  That’s an inspiring legacy.”

In addition, the organization experienced these exceptional results:

• 629 organs transplanted to save lives (second most in organizational history), including the gifts of heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys. 
• 196 generous organ donors (second most in organizational history)
• 1,108 corneas placed for vision-saving transplants in the nation and beyond

An ongoing commitment to performance excellence has led Mid-America Transplant to experience an overall growth in the number of organ donors and organs transplanted since 2003. Inspired by saving more lives, Mid-America Transplant continues to apply innovative approaches for increasing organs and tissues for transplant.

The generosity of the region contributed to a record-breaking year nationwide, in which the number of organ transplants exceeded 750,000 since 1988. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reported 36,527 organ transplants were performed in 2018 from both deceased and living donors. UNOS, the non-profit organization that manages the nation’s organ transplant system under contract with the federal government, also reported 5% increase in organs transplanted from 2017. 

Mid-America Transplant proudly supported the community in 2018. The organization increased funding of grief centers throughout the region; continued its commitment to support research aimed at improving the lifesaving impact of organ and tissue donation and transplantation through the Clinical Innovation Fund;  launched the Green Up Games; and hosted its inaugural Research and Innovation Symposium. In addition, Mid-America Transplant supported Missouri legislation in 2018 to increase education opportunities about donation and collaborated with state leaders to incorporate the option to join the Missouri Organ and Tissue Donor Registry when purchasing a hunting or fishing license from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

We are inspired by the opportunity to save more lives in the years to come. More than 1,400 people in the region and 115,000 nationwide continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant. Visit www.midamericatransplant.org for more information about organ and tissue donation. You may also register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at RegisterMe.org or in the Medical ID tab of your iPhone Health App.

About Mid-America Transplant
For 45 years, Mid-America Transplant has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ donors, donor families, and recipients, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S., and is the first organ and tissue procurement organization to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence. For more information, visit www.midamericatransplant.org. 

Members of the clinical team at Mid-America Transplant showed their holiday spirit for the organization’s annual Cubicle and Door Decorating Contest with a special acknowledgment to the heroes who gave the Gift of Life in 2018. A dozen clinical employees made 240 paper angels to hang from the ceiling in the new on-site Intensive Care Unit at Mid-America Transplant, earning them first place in the group entry of the contest. 

The 240 paper angels represent the number of donors who have agreed to organ donation at Mid-America Transplant in 2018. Fourteen smaller paper angels represent the number of pediatric donors.

A sign on the door to the ICU includes a slight variation of the well-known line from the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life: “Every time the phone rings, an angel gets their wings.”

The adapted movie line has multiple meanings. When the phones ring at Mid-America Transplant, it’s the beginning of the donor process. It also speaks to recipients receiving a life-changing phone call, all because of the selfless acts of a donor and their family.

For the creators of the display, it was important to have a visual representation of the the number of organ donors the organization had cared for so far this year. It also served as a reminder to be thankful for their loved ones during the holiday season.

Mid-America Transplant’s clinical employees care for a donor in the hours leading up to the recovery of lifesaving organs. They also coordinate the allocation of organs while following protocols to improve the viability of the donor’s organs before recovery and transplant into a recipient. This process occurs at Mid-America Transplant in a new six-bed, on-site ICU, which opened in November.

Through November, more than 580 organs have been transplanted from donors at Mid-America Transplant.

The family of Christopher Vieth put the finishing touches on a special floragraph portrait that will be displayed on the Donate Life Float honoring organ and tissue donors at the 130th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on January 1, 2019. Mid-America Transplant was proud to host the special ceremony on Thursday for Christopher’s parents, Bob and Mary, and his siblings to add the last organic materials to the floragraph portrait of Christopher. He was a 19-year-old sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis when he died in 1990 after a tragic accident while crossing a street near campus.

“This is priceless and such a wonderful way to honor Christopher,” Mary Vieth said. “From a sad, tragic occasion, many good things have come from it. We are so happy that several other families had a number of years with their loved one because of Christopher’s donation. We were so thankful we were asked and able to donate.”

Mid-America Transplant is sponsoring Christopher’s portrait, which is one of 44 floragraphs to be showcased on the Donate Life Float during the parade. The portraits represent organ and tissue donors from across the nation and are made entirely of organic floral materials, such as spices, seeds, and crushed flowers. Thousands of additional roses with personal dedications of love and remembrance will be included as part of the float. Donor families and transplant recipients also will be riding the float.

The Vieths were selected because of Bob and Mary’s involvement with Mid-America Transplant, including countless hours as volunteers and board members advocating for programs and resources to assist donor families through grief support. Their contributions also include sharing Christopher’s story quarterly to new employees and serving on the planning committee for the Donor Memorial Monument.

“Because of Bob and Mary’s exceptional dedication to our mission and to donation and transplantation, we’re honoring Christopher’s legacy by placing his picture on the Donate Life Float at the Tournament of Roses Parade,” Mid-America Transplant CEO Diane Brockmeier said.  

Christopher is described by his mother as an “intellectual fellow, kind of a nerd in a laughing, funny sense.” As an older brother, he often teased his siblings. Christopher was a National Honor Society member at Saint Louis University High School, where he graduated near the top of his class. He was accepted to Washington University in St. Louis, earning several scholarships. He attended mass every day. “He grew in his faith, and was a good example to all of us,” Mary said.

At 16 years old, Christopher came home from his driver’s test and announced he passed. He also noted that he joined the organ and tissue donor registry while obtaining his driver’s license. “Christopher wanted something good to come out of something bad if it were to happen,” Mary said. Christopher saved four lives with his gifts.

The Tournament of Roses Parade will take place beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. More than 40 million viewers are expected to watch the parade on television. For more information on the Donate Life Float and all of the floragraph honorees, please visit www.donatelifefloat.org. 

November 2018 is Eye Donation Month, and Mid-America Transplant will be raising awareness about the vision-saving opportunities created through eye donation.

Eye Donation Month 2018 will focus on all the individuals who make the gift of sight possible. Cornea donor families, Cornea recipients, eye bank staff, funeral directors, medical examiners/coroners, and hospital administrators are the enduring champions for the millions of people around the world whose lives were transformed through cornea donation and transplantation.

• Mid-America Transplant's Eye Bank has distributed more than 500 corneas for vision-saving transplants this year in the United States. 
  *Data through September 30, 2018
   
• In 2017, 84,297 corneas were donated for transplant in the United States.
   
• Almost anyone can be a donor, regardless of vision, age, or past ocular health issues such as cataracts or laser vision correction.
   
• The transplants performed each year increase their recipients’ productivity and reduce their healthcare costs, contributing $6 billion in benefits to the U.S. healthcare system.

Find more statistics and facts on cornea donation here.

Supporting Eye Donation Month begins with registering to be an eye, organ, and tissue donor and sharing your decision with your family and loved ones. Register your decision to be a donor in the Medical ID tab of the iPhone Health app (iOS 10) or at RegisterMe.org.

During Eye Donation Month, Mid-America Transplant will promote cornea donation and transplantation awareness; encourage individuals to register as eye, organ, and tissue donors; honor donors and their families; and celebrate cornea recipients.

Follow Mid-America Transplant’s social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – throughout the month of November for stories about those touched by cornea donation.

About Mid-America Transplant
Mid-America Transplant enables adults and children to receive lifesaving gifts through eye, organ and tissue donations. For more than 40 years, it has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ and tissue donors, recipients and families, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant was the first such organization in the U.S. to use an in-house operating room for organ recovery and pioneered innovative models of increasing donor registry enrollment to provide more organs and tissues to those in need. It is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S., and is the first organ procurement organization to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence.

About the Eye Bank Association of America 
The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), established in 1961, is the oldest transplant association in the nation and sets standards, provides education, and engages in advocacy to support eye donation, and cornea transplantation and research. EBAA has led the transplantation field with the establishment of medical standards for eye banking, and comprehensive training and certification programs for eye bank personnel. Over 90 member eye banks operate in the United States, Canada, and Asia. These eye banks made possible 84,297 sight-restoring corneal transplants in the United States in 2017. To learn more, visit www.restoresight.org.

The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital has established an endowed distinguished chair in lung transplantation.  The chair is created with an initiating  gift from Mid-America Transplant, an organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donations throughout Missouri, Southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas.

The establishment of The G. Alexander Patterson, MD / Mid-America Transplant Endowed Distinguished Chair in Lung Transplantation marks the first time an OPO has provided a gift to initiate the formation of such an endowment.

Daniel Kreisel, MD, PhD, the surgical director of the lung transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University, was installed as the inaugural recipient on August 15. Funding from the chair will support Dr. Kreisel’s research in the immunology of lung transplantation and was made possible by the generosity and innovation of Mid-America Transplant.

“Honoring the decades-long partnership between Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Mid-America Transplant was motivation for our board of directors’ to make this unprecedented gift,” said Diane Brockmeier, president and CEO of Mid-America Transplant. “The board’s decision to make this gift ensures the advancement of innovative research in transplantation and we are honored to have our organization’s name linked to Dr. Alec Patterson’s in perpetuity.”

Brockmeier said ultimately the gift is in honor of the heroic and selfless gifts of organ and tissue donors.

“We believe the most important way we can do that is through intentional stewardship of those gifts,” she said. “Our decision to make the initiating gift for this endowed distinguished chair is simply an act of stewardship because we are ensuring that right here in our own community we have world class surgeons and physicians like Dr. Patterson and Dr. Kreisel working each day to save more lives.”

An Innovative Partnership 

Endowed chairs, among of the highest honors bestowed upon the hospital’s physicians, give outstanding researchers and clinicians the ability to pursue groundbreaking work that helps them develop better treatments and technology. The Foundation currently stewards endowments that fund 28 chairs held by faculty at Washington University School of Medicine.

The gift from Mid-America Transplant was matched by the Department of Surgery and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, and represents an innovative collaboration between hospital, academic medical center and OPO.

“The synergy of this group of donors reflects a day-to-day collaboration that is the reason we have one of the leading programs in solid organ transplant in the world,” said Bob Cannon, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and group president of BJC HealthCare. “In fact, we are currently No. 4 in the nation for solid organ transplants. The hospital, the organ procurement organization and the surgeons work together every day to ensure our patients and their families have extraordinary experiences.”

The installation ceremony also honored Dr. Patterson for his enormous impact on the field of thoracic surgery including participating in the first-ever successful lung transplant and helping to build a pioneering lung transplant program at Barnes-Jewish. In addition to his outstanding surgical skills and clinical care, he has been a cherished teacher and mentor to generations of trainees, including Dr. Kreisel.

Named director of the Lung Center in 1991, Dr. Patterson’s pioneering work set the standard for thoracic surgical technique and advanced the field of transplantation, making the curriculum taught at Barnes-Jewish one of the world’s most distinguished lung transplant programs.

A Surgeon and a Scientist

Graduating from New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1995, Dr. Dan Kreisel trained in general surgery at The Hospital of The University of Pennsylvania and completed his residency in 2003. He earned a PhD in 2002 from The University of Pennsylvania and completed his training in cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Prior to joining the faculty at Washington University as an assistant professor of surgery, pathology and immunology in 2006, he completed a visiting fellowship in thoracic oncology at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a fellowship in lung transplantation at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish.

He was promoted to associate professor of surgery, pathology and immunology with tenure in 2010 and then to professor of surgery, pathology and immunology with tenure in 2014. Also in 2014, he was named the surgical directorship of the lung transplant program at Barnes-Jewish and Washington University School of Medicine. In 2017, he was asked to serve as the scientific director of the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center.

During his installation, Dr. Kreisel said he was extremely honored to hold a chair named after his mentor. He said Dr. Patterson gave him a fellowship position in the cardiothoracic surgical division, taught him lung transplantation and offered him a faculty position.

“You supported me and my academic career in every imaginable way, every step of the way,” Dr. Kreisel said. “Clearly I would not be standing here today without Alec’s mentorship.”

About Mid-America Transplant
Mid-America Transplant enables adults and children to receive lifesaving gifts through organ and tissue donations. For more than 40 years, it has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ and tissue donors, recipients and families, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant was the first such organization in the U.S. to use an in-house operating room for organ recovery and pioneered innovative models of increasing donor registry enrollment to provide more organs and tissues to those in need. It is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S., and is the first organ procurement organization to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence and a three-time recipient of the Missouri Quality Award.

About The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital
The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help donors enrich lives, save lives, and transform patient care through charitable gifts. 
We proudly support the world-class health care organizations of St. Louis: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Siteman Cancer Center, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, BJC Home Care and Hospice, Evelyn’s House (hospice), and Washington University School of Medicine.
 

The audience was silent as Bill Coon hunched over to describe how he walked from a public transit train platform through the streets of Chicago to the radio station at which he was interning. Bill had captivated the audience of 300 high school students by telling them he was a kidney recipient and a two-time heart recipient. The students came to Central Visual Performing Arts High School from around the St. Louis area for Mid-America Transplant’s first Donate Life High School Rally. 

Twenty years earlier, Bill was born with a congenital heart defect. The odds were stacked against him. Heart transplants, let alone infant heart transplants, were not a common procedure. Few had performed the surgery. Still, Bill’s parents signed the paperwork to add him to the list. 

One month after he was born, Bill became the fourth heart transplant recipient in the Midwest and the eighth in the nation. As an infant, Bill wasn’t made aware of all of the signs that could indicate a problem with his new heart.

Bill was two blocks from the radio station when everything “started moving in slow motion,” he said. He reached for a planter box on the sidewalk to steady himself. He could see the radio station, yet it seemed so far away. His vision started spinning. He was struggling to breathe.

Bill explained to the students at the Donate Life High School Rally that he completed his work shift that day. About a month later, a new symptom – pain in his leg – prompted him to talk with his mother. She knew both episodes were signs of heart failure. The heart he received as an infant wasn’t working.

He spent 70 days in the hospital with many complications, including seizures, before a heart and kidney were found for him. Three hours later, he was in surgery.

He said he only received a transplant because of someone like the donor family member who spoke before him. Tara Zobrist shared about the life and legacy of her brother, Cody, who was a tissue donor. Tara told the crowd about Cody’s decision to help others and how it has shaped her life, passion and career. She works for Mid-America Transplant as an aftercare coordinator, serving donor families through their grief journey.

As Bill continued, he told the students his experience in 2009 led him to that moment on stage, telling his story in honor of his donor’s legacy: “I wanted to live the life that I wanted to live.”
 

The Southeast Missouri Department of Athletics and Mid-America Transplant have announced a new partnership aimed at raising awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation while honoring and celebrating organ and tissue donors, donor families, and transplant recipients.

The three-year partnership will be featured in April, which is designated as National Donate Life Month. The partnership is highlighted by two “Green Up” games, one each in baseball and softball season. The baseball “Green Up” game is scheduled for April 21 against OVC-rival Murray State. The softball “Green Up” game is April 14 against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Fans will have the opportunity to learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and register their decision to be a donor at the “Green Up” games.

“This is an exciting, new partnership for our organization,” Mid-America Transplant President and CEO Diane Brockmeier said. “For years the Cape Girardeau community and the surrounding area have shown exceptional generosity to help others through organ and tissue donation. With the support of the Southeast Missouri Department of Athletics, this partnership will allow us to continue honoring organ and tissue donors, while also educating the public on the lifesaving benefits of donation.”

SEMO Athletics will “Go Green” during the month of April. Baseball, softball, and soccer will have Donate Life-themed uniforms for select games while student-athletes participating in tennis and track and field will have the opportunity to wear Donate Life-themed headbands, wristbands and other accents. The Donate Life shades of green and blue represent ongoing efforts to increase the number of people registered as organ, eye, and tissue donors.

“We are thrilled to partner with Mid-America Transplant for this unique initiative,” Southeast Missouri Director of Athletics Brady Burke said. “Organ and tissue donation is such an important topic, and we are honored to be able to use our athletics platform to help raise awareness in our community.”

Mid-America Transplant is eager to partner with the Southeast Missouri Department of Athletics to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation. More than 115,000 people are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant nationwide after a year in which a record 34,768 organ transplants were performed in the United States. Mid-America Transplant contributed to the 2017 record by facilitating the recovery of an organizational record 718 lifesaving organs from 223 selfless, heroic organ donors. 

The Department of Athletics and Mid-America Transplant selected April because of its designation as National Donate Life Month (NDLM). Created in 2003 by Donate Life America, NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

About Mid-America Transplant
Mid-America Transplant enables adults and children to receive lifesaving gifts through organ and tissue donations. For more than 40 years, it has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ and tissue donors, recipients and families, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant was the first such organization in the U.S. to use an in-house operating room for organ recovery and pioneered innovative models of increasing donor registry enrollment to provide more organs and tissues to those in need. It is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S., and is the first organ procurement organization to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence and a three-time recipient of the Missouri Quality Award.

The Mid-America Transplant Foundation showcased groundbreaking research in the field of organ and tissue donation at its first Research and Innovation Symposium on January 18, 2018. Clinical researchers who have received funding from the Mid-America Transplant Foundation, presented progress on their research, which is expected to impact donation and transplantation within the next three to five years.

“This evening really showcased the local, cutting-edge research that will soon impact the industry on a national level,” said Dr. Gary Marklin, Chief Medical Officer at Mid-America Transplant. “It’s exciting to see the progress of these innovative projects, and we look forward to hosting many more research symposiums in the future.”

To date, the Foundation has awarded $1.29 million in funding to innovative clinical research that will address issues in the area of organ and/or tissue transplantation and will have a measurable impact on the field. 

“We believe funding specifically for organ and tissue donation research is an innovation in our industry. There’s nothing else quite like it,” Mid-America Transplant President and CEO Diane Brockmeier said. “We appreciate the dedication and commitment shown by these researchers, and we’re excited to see their inspiring work impact the national stage.”

The research included:

• Dr. Gregory Ewald and his team from the Department of Cardiology at Washington University School of Medicine are exploring data from 500 heart donors in St. Louis over the past eight years. They have completed a one-year retrospective analysis of transplanted hearts to identify markers that may predict the successful transplant of donor hearts. In the next few months, they will begin a prospective trial utilizing this data. If successful, the results potentially increase the number of lifesaving heart transplants and improved patient outcomes.
• Dr. Raj Dhar of the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine researched two different types of thyroid hormone therapy and its impact on the function of the heart of potential organ donors. While heart function improved equally with both types of thyroid medication in this randomized study, more hearts were transplanted with the use of T3 rather than T4. This research was accepted for a poster presentation at the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation national meeting in France.
• Dr. Mark Schnitzler, from Saint Louis University’s Department of Surgery, and his team are studying the financial barriers preventing the investment in new technologies needed to make organs available that are discarded under the current system. They have analyzed cost reports for kidneys with outcomes data from the United Network for Organ Sharing. Their initial findings are under review with the American Journal of Transplantation. Moving forward, the team continues to seek alternative pricing options for organs, specifically looking at technologies that may improve the function of marginal organs. The results of this study could influence policy change, which could make more lifesaving transplants available nationwide.
• Drs. Anthony Lubniewski, Joel Palko and Catherine Reppa from the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Department at Washington University School of Medicine have conducted research into the durability of thinner corneal tissue transplants in repairing corneas damaged by infection or perforation. To date, they’ve found no difference in the durability of thinner corneal material. The benefits of thinner corneal material including shorter operating room times and the ability to provide two transplants with one cornea. The team hopes to implement the practice within five years.
• Drs. Rajendra Apte and Jonathan Miner of Washington University School of Medicine are studying the Zika virus and its ability to spread through human tears and corneal transplants. While they have found the virus survives in Optisol, a common liquid used to preserve corneas, their research thus far has shown that Zika does not survive in tears. They continue to study the transmission of Zika virus through corneal transplants and the effectiveness of an antibacterial solution used to kill Zika in an infected cornea. This pre-clinical study will provide important data to eye bank professionals, corneal surgeons and the scientific community by answering critical questions about corneal transplants.
• Dr. Gary Marklin of Mid-America Transplant and Dr. Raj Dhar of the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine studied the effect of Naloxone on oxygenation in potential lung donors in a multi-organ procurement organization (OPO), randomized, controlled trial. Based on limited scientific evidence, OPOs throughout the nation have used Naloxone to improve lung function in brain dead donors and the number of lungs transplanted. The study by Drs. Marklin and Dhar did not demonstrate any significant improvement in oxygenation, nor lung transplantation rates with Naloxone. Because of the results of this study, Mid-America Transplant has stopped using Naloxone in their organ donors. The abstract of this research has also been accepted for oral presentation at the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation national meeting in France.

The Mid-America Transplant Foundation recently announced a third RFP for clinical research within the guidelines of the Clinical Innovation Fund. More information about the RFP can be found here.

About Mid-America Transplant
Mid-America Transplant enables adults and children to receive lifesaving gifts through organ and tissue donations. For more than 40 years, it has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ and tissue donors, recipients and families, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant was the first such organization in the U.S. to use an in-house operating room for organ recovery and pioneered innovative models of increasing donor registry enrollment to provide more organs and tissues to those in need. It is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S., and is the first organ procurement organization to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence.

About Mid-America Transplant Foundation
The Mid-America Transplant Foundation seeks to reduce the need for organ and tissue transplantation; increase the availability of organs and tissues for those who need them; and to improve the lives of recipients and donor families. For more information, visit www.midamericatransplant.org.

You’ve probably heard that Facebook is making changes to its news feed. As a result, you may no longer see our posts in your news feed. That was disappointing to us because we’re inspired by interacting with you on Facebook. We are interested in your comments and reactions. And we’ve seen you help us spread the lifesaving message of organ and tissue donation by liking, commenting and sharing our posts. 

So here’s an easy, simple fix to be sure you continue to see our posts:

DESKTOP

1. Click the down arrow on the “Following” button at the top of our page to display your options in the drop-down menu.
2. Under “In Your News Feed,” click “See First.”
3. Under “Notifications,” select “On.”

MOBILE

• Tap “Following.”
• Tap “Get Notifications.”
• Tap “See First.”

That’s it! Easy and simple. And now you’ll see our posts every time.

Be sure to comment, react and share our posts. You can also follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A historic number of organ donations in Mid-America Transplant’s service area led to more lives saved than in any other year in its history. Mid-America Transplant facilitated the recovery of 718 lifesaving organs from 223 selfless, heroic organ donors in 2017.

The number of organs made available for transplant in 2017 is 100 more than the organization’s previous high of 618 in 2015. The number of organ donors is a 17 percent increase from the previous record of 190, also in 2015.

“This remarkable achievement would not be possible without the incredible generosity of our donors and donor families,” said Diane Brockmeier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mid-America Transplant. “We are inspired by their noble act of helping others, especially in a time of unimaginable grief. I am humbled by those who have made life possible for others.”

More people also said yes to tissue donation in 2017 in Mid-America Transplant service area at a record rate of 61 percent. The gifts of cornea, skin, bone, veins, and heart valves from 1,860 generous donors will change tens of thousands of lives for the better.

Mid-America Transplant also experienced a record number of liver and lung donations in 2017. Livers and lungs transplanted from local donors increased about 30% over the previous year. One lung recipient from 2017 shares her inspiring story, which includes the ability to raise her twin four-year-old daughters.

“Our dedicated and skilled staff is passionate about saving lives through organ and tissue donation,” said Dr. Gary Marklin, Chief Medical Officer of Mid-America Transplant. “They are committed to preserving and pursuing every donation opportunity while providing compassionate care to donors and their families. Together, we were able to save more lives.”

This year marks the first year Mid-America Transplant has recovered lifesaving gifts from more than 200 organ donors in a single year. “I recall a time when 50 organ donors and 150 organs transplanted was an extraordinary accomplishment,” said Brockmeier, who joined the organization as a nurse in 1986. “Without the support of our hospital partners, donor families, team members, and peer organizations around the country, we truly could not do this lifesaving work. We are achieving more together.”

The generosity of the region contributed to a record-breaking year nationwide, in which the number of deceased donors topped 10,000 for the first time. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) reported 34,768 organ transplants were performed in 2017 using organs from both deceased and living donors. UNOS, the non-profit organization that manages the nation’s organ transplant system under contract with the federal government, also reported 10,281 deceased donors in 2017, a 3.1 percent increase from 2016. Mid-America Transplant observed an increase in organ donors of 24 percent over the same time frame. 

Quality and Collaboration Lead Mid-America Transplant

More than 15 years ago, Mid-America Transplant began its quality journey, through which the organization applied innovative approaches for increasing organs and tissues for transplant. Mid-America Transplant’s commitment to quality was recognized in 2017 by the Midwest Excellence Institute, which named Mid-America Transplant a recipient of the Missouri Quality Award.  The organization is a three-time recipient of the honor and a 2015 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Mid-America Transplant’s work in saving lives is built on strong relationships and collaboration with about 120 acute care hospitals and four transplant centers: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “We have tremendous relationships with our hospital partners and transplant centers,” said Dr. Marklin. “Their dedication and support of our mission is paramount to making sure more lives are saved.”

We are inspired by the opportunity to save more lives in the years to come. More than 1,400 people in the region and 115,000 nationwide continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant. A record number of guests staying at Family House in 2017 underscores the need for more people to register as organ and tissue donors. Family House offers comfortable, safe and affordable housing for patients and their families who must relocate to St. Louis to receive life-saving pre- and post-transplant care.

Visit www.midamericatransplant.org for more information about organ and tissue donation. You may also register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at RegisterMe.org or in the Medical ID tab of your iPhone Health App.