UMass Memorial Medical Center Organ and Tissue Donation

Mission and Culture of Exemplary Practice

With over 100,000 people on the national organ transplant waiting list and thousands of others awaiting life-enhancing tissue transplants, the need for donated organs and tissues far exceeds availability. UMass Memorial Medical Center has nearly 300 people on the waiting list every day. As a result of the national shortage, 18 people, on average, die every day. UMass Memorial Medical Center and the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) are committed to addressing this crisis by following national best practices and supporting the right of all patients and their families to be informed of the opportunity to save lives through organ and tissue donation.

The opportunity for donation is rare. A small percentage of all deaths qualify as medically suitable. Yet one donor may save the lives of as many as eight people through organ donation and enhance the lives of many more through tissue donation. UMass Memorial leadership supports a strong culture of donation champions who respond to this need. Champions work collaboratively throughout various departments and services, including Anesthesia, Critical Care, Transplant, Family Support, Emergency, and Operating Room.

Highlights: Consistent Top Donation Performance and Outcomes

• UMass Memorial was awarded the Silver Medal of Honor by Health Resources and Service Administration in 2012 for sustaining national organ donation goals. This was the seventh consecutive period that UMMMC received this honor.
• UMass Memorial is slated to exceed all previous tissue donations within our Donation Service Area in 2012. The gift of life-enhancing tissue will be realized as a result of the generosity of our donors and their families. A significant increase in timely referral rate through a centralized reporting process has been a key factor in the increase from a total of 11 tissue donors in 2004 to over 60 in 2012.
• UMass Memorial remains the top performing organ donation center in 2012 in our Donation Service Area.
• Nearly half of all abdominal organs procured at UMass Memorial saved the lives of UMass Memorial recipients in 2012.
• In 2010, UMass Memorial exceeded all previous organ donation outcomes within our Donation Service Area, resulting in a total of 81 life-saving organs transplanted in 2010.