A Message from Nancy A. Kay
President & CEO of LifePoint, Inc.

This year marks LifePoint's 25th anniversary and there is so much to celebrate as we all work to increase donation awareness and honor the final life-saving gifts of donors. At the official online launch of South Carolina's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, on Jan. 14, 2009, in Columbia, S.C., nine South Carolina legislators were given the first opportunity to register their legal consent to become organ and tissue donors. Since the registry launch, more than 185,000 people have registered their legal consent either through the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) or on the official registry Web site www.Every11Minutes.org.

In fact, during June, we had our first donor who had signed up on the registry at the SCDMV just a few months prior. Plan to read more about his generous life-saving gift in our next edition of Life Points.

Another donor's gifts became the focus of a project that was three years in the making. After several years of planning and production, with tremendous help to LifePoint from WYFF-TV4, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina and Mid-South Transplant Foundation, the documentary Chronicle: Paul's Gift aired in May. Following the sudden and tragic death of South Carolina donor Paul Savitz, his family selflessly allowed cameras to follow the process of organ recovery during one of the toughest times of their lives. This extraordinary special chronicles the life and death struggle and the effort to save as many lives as possible. The DVD will continue to be a great inspiration and very educational program for all of us.

Jimi Hendrix once said that "the story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye." And so, is the story of LifePoint. The last 25 years have flown by amazingly fast. So many changes and accomplishments have been made over the years making LifePoint one of the most successful OPOs in the United States. This has only been achieved through the true commitment and dedication of the LifePoint staff, the physicians and nurses in our donor hospitals, and moreover, the love and compassion shown for others by the donors and their families. In the next 25 years, may we never lose sight of the continued challenge that we have in meeting the needs of those who wait for the gift. May we never lose sight of the honor and privilege we have as professionals in facilitating those gifts through the generosity of the donors and their families.

Regards,

Latest Legislation

• Dec. 23, 2008 – S. C. Department of Motor Vehicles Launch of S.C. Organ & Tissue Donor Registry
• Jan. 14, 2009 – Official Online Launch of S.C. Organ & Tissue Donor Registry (see story below)
• May 21, 2009 – Revised United Anatomical Gift Act signed into law.
• June 2, 2009 – S.C. Bill #3347 signed into law giving each South Carolinian who obtains a driver's license the choice to contribute more than $1 to the donation cause on the Credential Form #447.

S.C. Launches Online Donor Registry Approx. 6,200 Potential Donors Registering Each Week The Jan. 14, 2009, official ceremony and online launch of South Carolina’s Organ and Tissue Donor Registry in Columbia, S.C., was the historic culmination of 1-1/2 years of preparations that followed the passage of House Bill 3317 into law by Governor Mark Sanford. Among the ceremony guests were nine South Carolina legislators who were given the first opportunity to register online their legal consent to become organ and tissue donors. More than 100 supporters of organ and tissue donation packed the meeting for the online launch of www.Every11Minutes.org. The registry site name reflects the urgent need for donors, because every 11 minutes another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Pre-Registry Numbers: Prior to the Donor Registry launch, approximately 34% of those with a SCDMV Credential had indicated they wished to be an organ and tissue donor. Registry Update: Through the First Quarter of 2009 – 53% of the people who received, renewed or updated their SCDMV credentials became registered donors. That is well above the national average of just 38%. As of July 20, 2009, an average of approximately 6,200 people per week are signing up on the South Carolina registry and the total number of registrants had reached 185,233. Potential Benefits of the Donor Registry: Making a tragic time less stressful for loved ones left behind because the decedent’s wishes regarding donation will be clear. Streamlining identification of organ and tissue donors following pronouncement of death. Saving more lives by expediting the process of matching transplantable organs with potential recipients. Helping reduce the number of people waiting for organ transplants in South Carolina. (Presently there are approximately 850 people on the South Carolina list.) Note: The names of those desiring to be donors, who obtained the former heart symbol on their license (prior to Dec. 2008), could not be transferred to the registry. They must register online at www.Every11Minutes.org or with the SCDMV to obtain the symbol verifying registered donors. Check out the Every 11 Minutes Campaign TV commercial >>

DVDs Available of Documentary
Chronicle: Paul's Gift

Watch the actual process of organ donation and transplantation in the real-time documentary Chronicle: Paul's Gift, produced for LifePoint by WYFF-TV4 in Greenville, SC.

Order Your DVD Copy: Please call WYFF-TV at 864-242-4404 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT to order your DVD for a nominal fee of $15. The station will accept credit cards for payment and will direct ship your order.

Ceremony Celebrates
South Carolina Organ, Tissue & Ocular Donors

This year's donor recognition ceremony attracted 900 people who honored their loved ones for choosing donation as their final gift. A video depicting each donor’s name and photo was a focal point of the ceremony, along with special remarks and music. For details >>

East Cooper Demonstrates Commitment to Donation

Nearly 50 professionals from East Cooper Regional Medical Center took advantage of a LifePoint educational opportunity to gain an even greater understanding of organ and tissue donation at the hospital’s ICU, ED and PCU May skills fair. LifePoint’s Staff Development and Special Projects Coordinator Darla Welker and Hospital Development Coordinator Debby Broughton provided donation details related to brain death, donor management, policy compliance and many other related topics.

Darla said, "ICU Nurse Manager Dawn Ojeda and Educator Joanne Liu were excited about the information that we provided to the staff. And all of us from LifePoint were very excited about the amount of interest and questions we received that reflect East Cooper's real commitment to partner with us in saving lives through donation. We look forward to an ongoing relationship that offers donation as an option to families."

Attendees included an ER doctor, nursing supervisors, the pharmacist, respiratory therapists, ICU and ER nurse managers and many other staff members. East Cooper nurses also participate in the Best Practices Class at LifePoint.

Staff Trained on New Kidney Perfusion Machine

When preserving kidneys for transplantation, LifePoint's Organ Perfusion Staff is now using new kidney perfusion machines available from Waters Medical Systems in Alabama.

Charles Patrick, the company's Manager of Clinical Support Services, recently visited LifePoint to train the Organ Perfusion Staff on the new state-of-the-art machines.

LifePoint's Ocular Services has met the requirements for re-accreditation for another three years by the Eye Bank Association of America.

New S.C.-Based Biotech Company Supplying Preservation Solution

Bridge to Life (BTL), based in Columbia, S.C., is now providing LifePoint with Belzer UW Cold Storage Solution. It is used in the procurement, storage and shipping of human organs for transplantation.

LifePoint will also work with BTL to advance the research for organ preservation and to improve transplantation outcomes.

LifePoint Presents Awards at South Carolina Coroners' Meeting

LifePoint gave awards to seven individuals during the June 2009 South Carolina Coroners' Association Training Conference in recognition of their outstanding commitment to promoting organ, tissue and eye donation.

Recipients of LifePoint's Dove award included four county coroners: Karl Addis, Oconee; Johnny Fellers, Kershaw; Kenny Johnson, Georgetown; and Donnie Porth, Colleton. Two deputy coroners also received Dove awards: David Chambers, York; and Scott Ramsey, Greenville. Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore received the LifePoint Coroner of the Year award.

LifePoint Earns Special Honors Military Award LifePoint has been honored by the United States Army for its "participation and unselfish support of the Military Share Program" that has enabled them to "care for those beneficiaries in need of kidney transplantation." Nancy Kay, LifePoint President/CEO says, "It has been a great privilege through the years for all of us at LifePoint to honor the final wishes of our military donors while at the same time provide organs for transplant to the selfless soldiers who serve our country."   Every 11 Minutes Video Wins Donate Life Hollywood Film Festival Award LifePoint has topped 16 entries to win first place among OPOs and Donate Life organizations from throughout the U.S in the Donate Life Hollywood Film Festival. Media Relations Coordinator Mark Johnson for LifePoint was instrumental in partnering with the bounce agency to produce the winning Every 11 Minutes video for marketing South Carolina's new organ and tissue donor registry. The inspirational video features a donor mom, a heart recipient and a man whose son died while waiting for an organ he needed for transplant. Entries were judged for excellence in entertainment, education and production values and the award was presented at a ceremony in Los Angeles. View the video at www.Every11Minutes.org >>   LifePoint's Patti Thompson Receives Special Award The South Carolina Coroners’ Association has presented an award to Patti Thompson, LifePoint Coroner Liaison, in appreciation of her support of the association. She accepted the honor during the group’s June training conference.

2009 Donation Stats

There are 102,371 patients on the National Transplant Waiting List and 858 of those patients are on the South Carolina waiting list, based on OPTN data as of July 10, 2009. (UNOS).

Feedback

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