All potential organ donors at PRHC became donors

The city’s hospital turned all potential organ and tissue donors into actual donors during a threemonth span late last year.

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) was one of a dozen hospitals in Ontario to achieve that level success between October and December.

Trillium Gift of Life Network released their data on hospital organ and tissue donation performance on Wednesday. The network is a non-profit provincial government agency that’s responsible for planning and co-ordinating donor transplantation across Ontario. It also works to improve the system in order to save more lives.

Jennifer Long, the spokeswoman for Trillium Gift of Life Network, says the network works with 70 hospitals in Ontario in the recovery of organs and tissue.

“Organ and tissue donation is incredibly complex. There’s a lot of moving pieces that have to happen in order to convert a potential donor to an actual donor,” Long said.

PRHC is among the 58 out of 70 hospitals that are able to maintain and recover organs and tissue for transplantation. Transplants are done at eight centres in the province.

To donate organs, the donor has to die in hospital while on a ventilator. Only 2 to 3 per cent of hospital deaths happen in a way that allow for donation, Long said.

If there’s a potential donor in hospital, a staff member from the network visits the hospital to speak to the loved one’s family about organ and tissue donation.

By collaborating with hospitals, the network works to increase the number of donations that could help enhance or save lives.

Only 31 per cent of Ontarians are registered to donate their organs or tissue, Long said.

PRHC and the network’s success in turning all potential donors into actual donors last year was a testament to collaborative work between the two organizations, she said.

“It really success.”

The 12 hospitals in Ontario to convert potential donors into actual donors between October and December 2016 were: is a marker of

• Health (Sudbury) • Hopital Môntfort (Ottawa) • Lakeridge Health (Oshawa) • Michael Garron Hospital (Toronto) • Niagara Health System • Peterborough Regional Health Centre

• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (Barrie)

• Southlake Regional Health Centre (Newmarket)

• University of Ottawa Heart Institute

• Windsor Regional Hospital Sciences North