Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Pembroke Regional Hospital Joins Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN)
PEMBROKE – At present, every three days, a person dies waiting for an organ transplant and Ontario is only meeting eight per cent of its need for tissue in the province.
To help change this, and as part of the Pembroke Regional Hospital’s commitment to providing optimal end-of-life care for all patients and their families, PRH has joined the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) in working to save lives through organ and tissue donation.
As a new partner in Ontario’s Routine Notification program, legislated by the Trillium Gift of Life Network Act, our Hospital will now be required to report every patient death to TGLN so that their specially trained staff can identify potential donors and approach families to get consent. This program will be phased in over time with the initial phase of reporting taking place in our Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit.
This legislation has been implemented within other hospitals across Ontario and has been successful in helping to increase organ and tissue donation.
PRH is joined in this phase of the TGLN expansion by the Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Queensway-Carleton Hospital, the Montfort Hospital and Cornwall Community Hospital.
According to the website beadonor.ca, Pembroke’s donor registration rate falls below the provincial average at 16 per cent, a number staff at the Pembroke Regional Hospital believe can be improved.
Believing our region can do better, PRH staff recently held a number of information sessions including one at the Pembroke Mall to promote awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. There, nurse champions Kristie Tousignant, Connie Chippure and Heather Miller spoke with members of the public about the importance of organ donation and provided information on how to register your consent.
“It only takes two minutes to save a life,” said Karen McEwen, Director of Professional Practice, Policy, Ethics & Education, as well as the Hospital's lead for the Trillium Gift of Life Network. Ms. McEwen added that many people would be surprised to learn that signing the back of a driver’s licence to be an organ donor does not mean you are registered.
To confirm registration, look for the word “donor” on the back of your health care. If it is not there, you can become a registered organ donor by signing up at beadonor.ca, registering in person at Service Ontario, or downloading the consent form from the TGLN website (giftoflife.on.ca) and mailing in the completed form.
Ms. Chippure, a Registered Nurse in the Hospital’s Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit, said in addition to registering your consent to organ donation, it is important to let your family members know your wishes.
“PRH recognizes the potential and therapeutic value to recipients and bereaved families who give consent to organ and tissue donation and its place as an integral part of quality end-of-life care,” said Francois Lemaire, Vice-President of Patient Services – Acute Care, and Chief Nursing Executive at the Pembroke Regional Hospital, and the local Executive Lead for Trillium Gift of Life.
Since 2007, a total of 24 Pembroke and area residents have received life-saving transplants and nine people in our community are currently awaiting donors.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator
Pembroke Regional Hospital
(613) 732-3675, ext. 6165 / carolyn.levesque@pemreghos.org
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