U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Recognizes Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Jessamine for Organ Donor Enrollment Achievement - Archived

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David McArthur, Senior Manager
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Recognizes Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Jessamine for Organ Donor Enrollment Achievement

Lexington, Ky. (August 11, 2015) –Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Jessamine, all part of KentuckyOne Health, are among a select group of hospitals and transplant centers nationwide recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for achievement by conducting activities that promoted enrollment in state organ donor registries.

Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Jessamine’s awareness and registry campaigns educated staff, patients, visitors and community members on the critical need for organ, eye and tissue donors and thereby increased the number of potential donors on the state’s donor registry. The three hospitals earned points for each activity implemented during Phase IV of the campaign, between August 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015, and were all awarded silver recognition by HRSA.

The hospitals are part of the national Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL) Hospital Campaign, sponsored by HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Of the 1,658 hospitals and transplant centers enrolled in the campaign, 736 were awarded recognition during this phase of the campaign. These numbers represent a 29 percent increase in enrollment and a 56 percent increase in recognition over Phase III, and, according to HRSA, are “a tribute to the work that so many have dedicated to this effort. Most important, since launching in 2011, the campaign has added more than 350,000 donor enrollments to state registries around the country, far surpassing the original goal of 300,000.”

Other KentuckyOne Health facilities honored include Jewish Hospital, University of Louisville Hospital, Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph London and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling.

“Being an organ donor means truly giving the gift of life to someone in need,” said Eric Gilliam, president, Saint Joseph East. “As health care professionals, we are stewards of this need and hope our efforts can help bring wellness, healing and hope to all through our work in the Fayette community.”

This campaign is a special effort of HRSA’s WPFL designed to mobilize the nation’s hospitals to increase the number of those registered as potential organ, eye, and tissue donors. The campaign unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from their organ procurement organizations, Donate Life America state teams, and state hospital associations. Working together, teams leverage communications resources and outreach efforts to proactively promote the critical need for donors.

All three hospitals worked with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and the Kentucky Hospital Association on the campaign.

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, the largest and most comprehensive health system in the Commonwealth, has more than 200 locations including, hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.  The system is made up of the former Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System, along with the University of Louisville Hospital and James Graham Brown Cancer Center. KentuckyOne Health is proud of and strengthened by its Catholic, Jewish and academic heritages.