In July 2020, Indiana Donor Network recovered 92 lifesaving organs for patients on the national transplant waiting list, the highest monthly total in the organization’s 33-year history.
July’s total breaks Indiana Donor Network’s existing record of 91 organs recovered for transplant in November 2019. The organization is also on pace to recover 18.5% more organs for transplant in 2020 than in 2019 – which was also a year of growth, with 5.2% more organs recovered for transplant in 2019 than in 2018.
Indiana Donor Network says several process improvements contributed to the increase in organs recovered for waiting transplant recipients. Staff members have been working closely with hospital partners to increase donor referral rates and do more on-site evaluations than ever before. Indiana Donor Network is also coordinating more cases of donation after cardiac death and has increased the age range for evaluations.
Additionally, Indiana Donor Network quickly identified ways to move forward with donation at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as testing all potential donors for COVID-19 through a partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health.
“The ability to recover a record 92 organs for transplant in July – saving dozens of lives – tells us we are on the right track with the work we’re doing every day to save and enhance lives through organ, tissue and eye donation,” said Indiana Donor Network President and CEO Kellie Hanner. “We are proud of our team, and we are grateful to our donor heroes and donor families, who continue to give new hope to those in need of a lifesaving gift.”
Nationwide, 113,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and 1,300 of those patients are here in Indiana. Each donor hero can save up to eight lives through organ donation and heal up to 75 people through tissue donation.
Everyone is eligible to sign up as an organ donor. To learn more, visit IndianaDonorNetwork.org
The decision to become an organ, tissue and eye donor is a decision to give the gift of life. Indiana Donor Network serves as the vital link between donors and patients waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, healing tissue and corneas to restore sight. We are the state’s federally designated organ recovery organization and an accredited tissue bank. Our team of nearly 200 dedicated professionals is committed to saving and healing lives through donation and transplantation, championing the cause through education and outreach and supporting donor families in their time of need. For more information or to sign up as a donor, visit IndianaDonorNetwork.org.
