A Message from Nancy A. Kay 
President & CEO of LifePoint, Inc.
We received several nice emails in response to our first LifePoint E-newsletter and certainly appreciate your feedback. One suggestion was to provide this communication in an easily printable format and we plan to do so in a future edition. Keep in mind, too, that we will archive Life Points on our Web site for easy reference. Let us know other ways we can serve you even better. There is a great amount of news to share with you, so I will get started. Please join me in welcoming Tracy Rachele to her new role as Executive Director of Donate Life South Carolina (DLSC). Read more about her later in this E-newsletter. We, at LifePoint, are looking forward to working with DLSC as they move forward with the development of a statewide donor registry and as LifePoint proceeds with a much higher profile role in public education to promote donation. For more details on these and many other news items, please continue reading this issue of Life Points. We trust this information will be beneficial to you as we continue partnering to save and improve increasingly more lives through organ and tissue donation. Regards,
DLSC & South Carolina Donor Registry As many of you probably know, Donate Life South Carolina is the non-profit organization based in Greenville, S.C., that previously handled the majority of statewide public education about organ and tissue donation. Late in 2007, DLSC underwent changes that included a downsizing of staff; however, DLSC is still based in Greenville and, like LifePoint, remains devoted to the cause of saving more lives through donation. The DLSC board has hired a new Executive Director, Tracy Rachele.
Prior to moving to the Upstate, Tracy served for over twenty years in a directorship position with non-profit agencies serving the needs and improving the vocational lives of developmentally disabled individuals in Arizona. She added, "I look forward to sharing my knowledge in marketing greater causes to communities through public outreach and collaborative efforts, while personally gleaning an understanding of the procedures of organ and tissue donation and transplantation." Tracy has personal experience with the hope and anguish that being on a donor waiting list brings to recipients and their loved ones. "My late husband was diagnosed with a rare heart tumor at the age of twenty seven. Subsequently, he passed away due to complications from his illness. Because I am a fervent supporter of organ and tissue donation, I have shared my story and support of organ and tissue donation with countless individuals over the years." Tracy will be leading DLSC's new focus on working with the Division of Motor Vehicles to establish and promote a statewide donor registry for South Carolina. Although we don't yet know when the registry will be up and running, we believe it will be active by the end of this year. Until the launch of the registry, we are continuing to encourage everyone to download and complete a donor card from our Web site: www.lifepoint-sc.org and to tell their next-of-kin of their desire to become a donor. With their primary concentration on the registry, DLSC will no longer be conducting the full range of public education they previously handled and LifePoint is taking increasingly more responsibility for raising donation awareness in South Carolina.
Newberry Hospital Has First Organ Donor LifePoint extends gratitude and congratulations to the staff at Newberry County Memorial Hospital for success with their first organ donation. The Newberry staff has always been diligent about making appropriate referrals and, during May 2008, their efforts resulted in a life-saving organ donation. Staff members of the ER, ICU, and OR went 'above and beyond' with their helpful suggestions, assistance and positive attitudes toward the donation process. Nurses and Respiratory Therapy Staff provided excellent support. Many special team members ensured the success of this donor/recovery process. Dr. Ronald Price, ER Attending, recognized the waste and sadness in losing a young life and realized that organ donation would be the only way to gain any benefit from losing a patient so young and otherwise healthy. Dr. Oscar Lovelace, Family Practitioner in the Newberry area, assisted the family through their loss and supported the decision to donate life. The family also consented to corneal donation.
Also worthy of great thanks are Melba Graham the ER Secretary, who quickly handled many aspects of donor and family support and Deborah Trinidad, Pharmacy Tech, who made a long late night drive to ensure the staff had the needed meds for donor support. For a team who has never done this before, their enthusiasm and pride in a job well-done certainly shone through. I know that many more hands were responsible for the success of this life-saving process, and if I've forgotten any names, please rest assured that I will never forget the pleasure it gave me to work with such a wonderful staff. Many thanks to all of you who were so helpful and welcoming to the LifePoint staff in supporting our mission. LifePoint Hospital Development Coordinator Mark Podmore received a follow-up message from Kay Traylor who "was impressed with the professionalism and knowledge of the LifePoint staff." She wrote, "From the Emergency Room to the ICU to the OR, the process was handled with ease. Jean Mayes, Family Support Counselor, was very easy to work with and made the donation process easy. LifePoint's Mckenzie Klotz, Nurse Clinician, guided the ICU nurses through each step; making the process flow smoothly. The LifePoint staff eased the anxiety of hospital staff members and were there to guide the Newberry staff every step of the way!" Although this was the Newberry hospital's first organ donor, transplant and research eye donors have been recovered there in the past.
LifePoint recently presented DOVE awards recognizing exceptional support for organ and tissue donation to: Gregg Shore, Anderson County Coroner; Rae Wooten, Charleston County Coroner; Tim Carlton, Aiken County Coroner; Dr. Kim Collins, Forensic Pathologist; Robert Edge, Horry County Coroner, and Parks Evans, Greenville County Coroner.
Awards to LifePoint:
The Partnership Award recognizes organizations for outstanding partnership efforts that foster and promote the NKF-SC goals of awareness, prevention, early detection and treatment of kidney disease. "LifePoint is deserving of this distinction for their outstanding work with us recruiting members and helping with fundraising for the U.S. Transplant Games, which display the success of organ transplantation," said Peggy Strawhorn, Director of Patient Services for NKF-SC.
MTF (Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation) has presented LifePoint with the 2008 Hour Glass Award. The award is given to the tissue recovery partner who most consistently provides timely, correct and complete donor paperwork to the processor post-donation. Mark Reiner, Director of Donor Services at MTF presented the award to LifePoint's case management crew, Communications Center and technical staff at the July 11 Pastry and Positives session. Graphic Design USA recently honored LifePoint with an American Inhouse Design Award for the 2006 Annual Report. The publication, created during 2007, was designed in the Communications Department by Meg Trott. Content was written by Sue Poveromo. Dr. Foster Named to AHA Mid-Atlantic Affiliate's Board LifePoint's Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Rick Foster, who is also Senior Vice President of the South Carolina Hospital Association, has been elected to the American Heart Association's Mid-Atlantic Affiliate board of directors for a two-year term, which began July 1. The AHA Mid-Atlantic Affiliate serves Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. LifePoint, Funeral Industry Collaborate Building a Bridge
The half-day seminar included informative talks by Nancy A. Kay, LifePoint President and CEO; Brenda Horn, LifePoint Vice-President, Tissue Services; and Dr. George McCann, from the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. Ed Billings as well as Nann Manning, both of whom lost their sons in tragic accidents, each recounted how their sons' respective organ and tissue donations impacted so many lives and, in turn, continues to help them personally as parents throughout their grieving processes The program, co-sponsored by LifePoint and the SCFDA, was organized by Tina Holmes, LifePoint Funeral Home Liaison, and provided attendees with continuing education credits. Meet Mike Morales, Physician Liaison
He works closely with LifePoint administration, Hospital Development, and Family Support as well as Dr. Rick Foster, LifePoint's Senior Medical Advisor.
Serving You Better Many LifePoint staff members are attending monthly "Pastry and Positives" breakfast meetings to share good news and success stories from their respective departments. The informal gatherings are proving to be a great (and tasty) way of learning about accomplishments throughout the company and remaining highly motivated about sustaining the highest possible service quality. A few announcements from recent meetings:
2008 Donation Stats There are approximately 98,000 patients on the National Transplant Waiting List and, as of July 11, 2008, 740 of those patients are on the South Carolina waiting list. Source: United Network for Organ Sharing UNOS.
LifePoint Participates in Cornea Donor Study LifePoint was proud to participate in a study by the National Eye Institute by supplying donor corneas for research. Results show that older corneas are suitable for transplantation. Based on the findings, The National Institutes of Health have reported that the age pool of corneas for transplant should be expanded to include donors up to 75 years of age.
Roundup of Transplant Games Although all are winners in life thanks to the generosity of organ donors, 13 of the 31 recipients also had medal-winning results in their respective events. They cycled, golfed, jumped, ran, swam, threw and walked their way to an impressive 17 medals (3 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze).
In addition, donor families received special honors in appreciation for their loved ones' gifts of life during recognition and quilt-pinning ceremonies.
View our Photo Galleries of the Transplant Games > > Learn More About Tissue Donation What tissues can be donated? Tissues which can be donated include bone, tendons, ligaments, heart valves, skin, veins, cartilage, pericardium and fascia lata (the thin covering of the muscles.) Where are these tissues used? Long bones may be used to replace those invaded by cancer. Without such a transplant, the limb may have to be amputated. Smaller sections of bone are used to strengthen areas of a deformed spine and to fill areas where bone has been lost due to conditions that have damaged existing bone. Damaged tendons and ligaments may be reconstructed as well, thus strengthening the joint and assisting the patient in walking or running. Skin recovered by LifePoint is used for mastectomy reconstruction and abdominal wall reconstruction. Heart valves are used to replace damaged heart valves. Saphenous and femoral veins from the legs are used in cardiac by-pass surgery for patients who have suffered cardiovascular (heart) disease. For additional information about tissue donation, visit the Web site of the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF). Resources:LifePoint annual report available online (click here) for those who haven’t seen it. Feedback If you have comments, story ideas or announcements, please contact Life Points' editor Sue Poveromo. |
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Congratulations on a very fine news letter. I do have one suggestion. Sometime in the future could you also introduce a printer-friendly version for those who want to make a copy from the Internet?
March 19, 2008, started out as a normal day for the ICU staff at Wallace Thomson Hospital in Union, S.C. None of the staff knew it would turn out to be the day of their very first organ donation. 
Kudos to Meg Davis RN, Assistant Nurse Manager, for identifying the potential for this referral, and Ginger Simmons, RN, who stayed long beyond her shift to provide continuity of care for our donor. Rhonda Perrell, Karla Gilliam, and Frances Bates from the Respiratory Dept. were there to assist with all aspects of the recovery. Julie Black, RN and House Supervisor, was so wonderfully supportive that mere words can't thank her enough. Chuck Fenters RN, Gayle Renwick RN, and Pam Phillips RN, were all invaluable and generous in giving their time and hard work. Kay Traylor, RN and Nursing Supervisor, has a team to be proud of. We appreciate her leadership and desire for superb professionalism among her staff. 
Awards from LifePoint: Honors Given at Coroners' Convention 
The National Kidney Foundation of South Carolina (NKF-SC) presented LifePoint with their 2007-2008 Partnership Award. LifePoint President and CEO Nancy Kay accepted the honor at the Kidney Foundation's Annual Meeting June 19 in Columbia. 
Members of the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association (SCFDA) joined with LifePoint on May 15, 2008 to continue building a strong bridge of communication to benefit families of organ and tissue donors. A shared concern for treating families with utmost respect at the time of donation prompted discussion of internal processes, concerns and ways to enhance the sharing of information. 
Mike Morales, who has joined LifePoint as Physician Liaison, is focused on increasing the number of pro-donation physicians and donor champions within hospitals throughout South Carolina. His responsibilities include:
During the six-day event, athletes were cheered on by many of South Carolina's donor families as well as by donation/transplantation professionals representing LifePoint, the NKF-SC office as well as the MUSC transplant center.