GBGH awarded for championing organ and tissue donation
Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) was recently honoured by Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) with a Provincial Conversion Rate Award. This award is presented to hospitals who exceed the target of 63 per cent conversion rate set by TGLN, reaching 100 per cent. This is the first year GBGH is receiving the Provincial Conversion Rate Award. Accepting the award on behalf of GBGH are (form left): Tyler Pilon, GBGH’s TGLN operations lead and manager of Intensive Care, Surgical Services & Respiratory Therapy, and Dr. Khalid Tahir, GBGH’s TGLN medical lead, intensivist and chief of Critical Care.
November 24, 2020 – At a virtual awards ceremony held November 24, Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) was honoured with a Provincial Conversion Rate Award by Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), Ontario’s organ and tissue donation and transplantation agency. This award recognizes GBGH for its outstanding efforts to integrate organ and tissue donation into quality end-of-life care in 2019-2020.
The Provincial Conversion Rate Award is presented to hospitals who exceed the target of 63 per cent conversion rate set by TGLN, reaching 100 per cent. 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.
“Organ donation is a complex process, and the conversion rate reflects how well Trillium Gift of Life Network and GBGH are working together to save lives,” says Dr. Khalid Tahir, TGLN medical lead, intensivist and chief of Critical Care, GBGH. “By working closely with TGLN in 2019-20, GBGH was able to identify and facilitate one organ donation which lead to one transplant and 25 tissue donations. I know our GBGH team is extremely proud of our role in helping facilitate these donations which enhance the lives of many.”
Although GBGH is one of 30 hospitals to be awarded a 2019-2020 Trillium Gift of Life Network Achievement Award, this is the first year GBGH is receiving the Provincial Conversion Rate Award. In the past two years, GBGH has received consecutive Provincial Routine Notification Rate Awards. Routine notification is the rate at which hospitals notify TGLN when a patient has died and there may be the potential for organ and/or tissue donation.
“GBGH has made an outstanding contribution to organ and tissue donation in Ontario and this award is a reflection of that important work,” says Ronnie Gavsie, president and CEO, TGLN. “The collaboration and partnership we have with our hospitals is critical to saving lives. Every Ontarian can play a part by registering to donate at BeADonor.ca. Now is the time to think about what we can do to protect the health of others, and this includes saving more lives through donation.”
Today, more than 1,600 people in Ontario are on the waitlist for a life-saving organ transplant, and every three days someone will die without one. While the majority of Canadians support donation only 35 per cent of Ontarians have formally registered their consent for organ and tissue donation.
While some people believe that their age or medical condition prevents them from donating, in actuality, neither age nor health precludes someone from becoming a donor. Every potential donor is assessed at the time of death for medical suitability. Others may believe that doctors won’t work hard to save a life if someone is a registered donor, but in fact, saving a life is always the priority. Donation is only considered after all lifesaving efforts are exhausted, there is no chance of recovery, and the family accepts the diagnosis of death.
Midland and Penetanguishene – both with 54 per cent donor registration rates – well exceed the average provincial registration rate of 35 per cent. Midland ranks 19th and Penetanguishene ranks 20th for organ donation registration out of 170 communities in Ontario. Visit www.beadonor.ca to register or find out more.
Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Communications Officer, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca