DONATION Connection
In This Issue
Donors are SuperStars!
Observed annually in April, National Donate Life Month raises awareness and encourages people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. The 2024 theme is Donors are SuperStars! It’s a fitting theme for many reasons, including that “stars remind us that even in the darkest night, there is light.”
Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) will join transplant centers, donor hospitals, Donate Life America, and many others to recognize and celebrate those who have given hope and shared life through organ donation.
MTN has a National Donate Life Month toolkit that’s available online for you to use as you see fit for your NDLM awareness events and celebrations. For details, visit mwtn.org/ndlm .
A newsletter for our frontline partners QUARTER 2 • 2024 MTN Updates Donors are SuperStars! 1 National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16 ...............................................................................2 National Volunteer Appreciation Week 2 2024 Donate Life Legacy Walk 2 MTN’s 2023 Annual Report 3 Funeral Home & Medical Examiner Partners Creative Ways to Celebrate National Donate Life Month and Honor Donors 3 By the Numbers ................................................................3 Hospital Partners Making the Call that Saves Lives 4 ICU/ED Corner: Pre-Donor Management Makes a World of Difference in Transplant Outcomes .................................................. 4 Family Readiness Assessment Tool (FRAT) 5 By the Numbers ............................................................... 5 Updated OR Procedural Guides for Organ Recovery and Education Opportunity 5 Licensing, Treasury and Department of Revenue Partners National Donate Life Month 6 Donate Life Legacy Walk Registration 6 DMV Virtual Education 7 Let’s Connect! 7
Key Dates: • April 3: Donate Life Living Donor Day • April 6-12: Blue & Green Spirit Week • April 12: National Donate Life Blue & Green Day • April 21 – 27: National Pediatric Transplant Week Learn more about NDLM celebrations: donatelife.net/celebrations
National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16
What does it mean to make decisions about your personal health and care? Who should know? Why? How do I get started?
National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16 and was established in 2008 by Nathan Kottkamp, a healthcare lawyer in Virginia. The purpose of NHDD is to “inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.” It’s also meant to be inclusive among healthcare, legal and religious communities to work toward the benefit of patients, families and providers to ensure information is available and can be accessed to document decisions.
For more details about National Healthcare Decisions Day, go to theconversationproject.org/nhdd .
If you’re a registered organ donor, please be sure to tell your family and have a conversation. It may be easier to have the conversation now rather than in a moment of uncertainty, and it helps your family know exactly what you intended as an organ donor.
National Volunteer Appreciation Week
(April 21-27, 2024)
April is a time for celebration in the organ, eye and tissue donation community, including celebrating our amazing MTN Ambassador team!
Our MTN Ambassadors are volunteers who serve in a variety of ways, from sharing their donation journey in the community to assisting in our office throughout the year. In 2023, MTN benefited from the time and talent of 100 dedicated individuals at more than 140 community events — a gift of more than 862 hours of their time in serving our mission.
We are grateful every day for the impact Ambassadors have, and we know the influence on our community is because of their dedication!
Learn more about MTN’s Ambassador program: mwtn.org/ambassador
2024 Donate Life Legacy Walk
Registration for the 2024 Donate Life Legacy Walk is open. We hope you will join us on Saturday, June 1, to celebrate organ, eye and tissue donation and those who gave the gift of life. The free event is from 6-9 p.m. at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. Come enjoy the sounds of live music from local band 2 Proud 2 Beg, make new memories with family-friendly activities, and check out a variety of food trucks with meals available for purchase and more.
This year, it’s easier than ever to create a Legacy Walk team. After identifying a team captain and starting the registration process, select “YES” to join or create a team. From there, share your team’s name and encourage others to join when they register.
Registered walkers will receive an emailed link to our Legacy Walk T-shirt store. Please place your orders by Tuesday, April 23, to ensure your T-shirts are delivered prior to the walk.
Learn more and register today: mwtn.org/legacy-walk
2 • Learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at mwtn.org
MTN’s 2023 Annual Report
In 2023, MTN celebrated five decades of commitment to organ donation, donor heroes, donor families, transplant recipients, hospital and community partners, community engagement, and so much more. MTN also achieved new levels of success in organ, eye, and tissue donation and recovery.
MTN’s 2023 Annual Report will highlight the achievements of the organization and will be available online and in print in the coming weeks.
View MTN’s annual report: mwtn.org/annual-report
Creative Ways to Celebrate National Donate Life Month and Honor Donors
April is National Donate Life Month, and MTN created a toolkit to help our hospital and community partners celebrate. The toolkit features many free resources, including social media graphics, posters, program templates, written materials and more. Find the toolkit on our website: mwtn.org/ndlm .
If you are interested in finding creative ways to help honor donors while also spreading the message about donation, please contact Brad Marten, our Funeral Home Liaison, for materials for your funeral home: bmarten@mwtn.org .
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Some examples of how funeral homes can display support for organ, eye and tissue donation
By the Numbers Referrals from medical examiner partners in 2023
Hospital Partner Education
About this newsletter
This insert is intended for clinical staff and not for the general public. Please post in a highly visible clinical area such as a break room.
Making the Call that Saves Lives
Organ Donor Referrals from the Emergency Department (ED)
The three primary clinical triggers for organ donation referrals often met while a patient remains in the ED are:
• Intubation/mechanical ventilation
• A GCS of <6
• A traumatic neurologic injury, post code event or devastating illness The referral must be made within ONE HOUR of meeting these triggers (per hospital policy), and ED staff are essential in making the call that saves lives
Please notify Midwest Transplant Network (MTN) the moment you assess that your patient meets the criteria at 1-800-366-6791
Contact Us
For more information or questions, call 913-262-1668, email info@mwtn.org or visit mwtn.org
Follow Us
/MidwestTransplantNetwork
/MidwestTransplantNetwork
/MidwestTransplantNetwork
@MWTransplant
Midwest Transplant Network
ICU/ED Corner: Pre-Donor Management Makes a World of Difference in Transplant Outcomes
When there is potential for organ donation, excellent critical care and working to maintain the following key parameters prior to donation authorization ensures the potential for donation is preserved and life-saving organs for transplant are maximized.
• SBP > 100
• UOP maintained at 0.5ml/kg/hr
• pH 7.35-7.45
• PO2 > 100
• Basic metabolic panel (BMP) values within normal limits
• Normothermia maintained
• Hgb, Hct and coagulation values addressed
• Blood glucose kept between 80-100 with an insulin gtts
Consideration of these clinical parameters increases donation outcomes and generally demonstrates benefits in the broader critical care population.
MTN’s Associate Medical Director, Dr. Michael Moncure, advises, “What’s good for the patient is good for the donor.”
Please ask your Hospital Services Coordinator (HSC) for a copy of the Catastrophic Brain Injury Guidelines (CBIGS) pamphlet.
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Learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at mwtn.org
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Family Readiness Assessment Tool (FRAT)
MTN recognizes the challenges faced by hospital staff members when a family adamantly requests immediate extubation, and a donation conversation needs to be facilitated. To support hospital staff in providing more timely donation conversations with families, our goal is to partner with you to proactively assess family readiness for donation conversations using the FRAT.
You may notice that while rounding/calling on open referrals, additional questions may be asked regarding family readiness for “next steps” discussions. These may include the responsiveness of family toward a grave prognosis, comments by the family that may lead you to believe they may elect comfort care in the next day or two, or any red flags such as distrust, ethics consult or family members who are not clearly aligned. Your communication is key in supporting families through the end-of-life process while ensuring a space remains for the donation process that meets the family’s desired time frames.
Together, we have the power to:
• Provide excellent support to families through the end-of-life process
• Match the donation discussion to the family timeline for end-of-life decisions/palliative extubation
• Decrease family donation declines due to not being able to meet time frame expectations
• Uphold First-Person Authorization
• Decrease the number of expedited DCD cases
• Increase/maximize the number of lifesaving transplants
• Decrease the number of organs not transplanted
By the Numbers
Total Organs Transplanted
Jan. 1 – Feb. 29, 2024
13 hearts
16 lungs
33 livers
6 pancreata
72 kidneys
1 intestines
Updated OR Procedural Guides for Organ Recovery and Education Opportunity
During second quarter, MTN’s Hospital Services Coordinators will be delivering updated OR Procedural Guides for both Death by Neurological Criteria Organ Recovery and Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) Organ Recovery. Please consider contacting your assigned HSC to schedule educational training at an upcoming OR in-service or staff meeting.
A newsletter for Midwest Transplant Network's frontline partners • 5
Hospital Caregivers Midwest Transplant Network Family Family Readiness Assessment
National Donate Life Month
April is National Donate Life Month. We are excited to announce the return of our Blue & Green Day Spirit Day. Join the fun on Friday, April 12. Decorate, dress up, and most importantly have fun showing your support for organ, eye and tissue donation. More details about National Donate Life Month and Spirit Week will be sent in an email newsletter to DMV offices by April 1.
Donate Life Legacy Walk Registration
Join us for the eighth annual Donate Life Legacy Walk on Saturday, June 1, from 6-9 p.m. at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. This free community event features a live concert, food trucks with meals available for purchase, a Tribute Trail honoring donor heroes and transplant warriors, and the opportunity for those impacted by organ, eye and tissue donation to gather together. Come celebrate the gift of life while helping raise awareness about the importance of registering as organ, eye and tissue donors.
Register today: mwtn.org/legacy-walk
6 • Learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at mwtn.org
DMV Virtual Education
We value your role in sharing the donation designation opportunity with your customers. We invite you to complete the online education module that shares about the donation process. This module provides a helpful overview for new employees or a refresher for those who are seasoned. At the completion of the training module, there is a short knowledge check.
Complete the module now: mwtn.org/dmv
Let’s Connect!
Midwest Transplant Network is busy planning for outreach opportunities in 2024 and would appreciate including your community! Do you know of a festival, health fair or other community outreach opportunity to share the message of organ, eye and tissue donation? Well, send them our way, please! You do not have to know all the details, just knowing the community and name of the event will allow us to get started. Please send your ideas to Nichole Asquith, Community Engagement Coordinator, at nasquith@mwtn.org
A newsletter for Midwest Transplant Network's frontline partners • 7
Mission
Saving lives by honoring the gift of donation with dignity and compassion
Vision
Leading organ and tissue donation through excellence, quality and partnerships
Contact Us
For more information or questions, call 913-262-1668 or visit mwtn.org
Follow Us
/MidwestTransplantNetwork
/MidwestTransplantNetwork
/MidwestTransplantNetwork
@MWTransplant
Midwest Transplant Network
Upcoming Events
Event Audience Key
General MTN
Funeral Home & Medical Examiner Partners
Hospital Partners
Licensing, Treasury and Department of Revenue Partners
View all upcoming events: mwtn.org/events
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April
Friday, April 12 • National Donate Life Blue & Green Day
During National Donate Life Blue & Green Day, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green and to engage in sharing the Donate Life message and promote the importance of registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor.
For more information: donatelife.net/blue-green-day
April 21–27 • National Pediatric Transplant Week
National Pediatric Transplant Week focuses on the powerful message of ending the pediatric transplant waitlist.
For more information: mwtn.org/pediatric-transplant-week
June
Saturday, June 1 • Donate Life Legacy Walk
Join us for the eighth annual Donate Life Legacy Walk, featuring free opportunities for participants to celebrate the gift of life with live music, food trucks and more.
For more information: mwtn.org/legacy-walk
W. 47th Place, Suite 400 Westwood, KS 66205
