THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre received an award on Friday for its dedication to open communication about organ and tissue donation.
Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network) presented Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with the Provincial Eligible Approach Rate Award, an award presented to hospitals who exceeded TGLN’s target of 90 per cent in having organ and tissue donation discussions with eligible patients and families.
This is the first year TBRHSC has received this award, reaching an eligible approach rate of 97 percent.
Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of TBRHSC and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute said that the award shows the hospital’s dedication to the organ and tissue donation process.
“Our team approaches the conversation about organ and tissue donation with care and compassion,” she said. “These are difficult discussions, and we want every patient and family to have the information they need and the opportunity to make a life-saving choice.”
TBRHSC supported four organ donors out of 320 donors across the province in 2022 and 2023 which the Trillium Gift of Life Network said led to 14 organs donated for transplant and saved 13 lives.
“Thirteen lives saved last year – this is why we do what we do, and why the collaboration between TBRHSC and TGLN is essential,” said Kiley Perrier, Trillium Gift of Life Network’s Organ and Tissue Donation Coordinator at TBRHSC.
"By registering your consent, you are making the caring and selfless decision to try and help save lives after your death through organ and tissue donation.”
Northern Ontario communities are among the leaders in the province in the number of registrants per capita. Thunder Bay ranks 38 out of 170 communities in the province with 53 per cent per cent of its eligible population registered as organ donors.
There are more than 1,200 people in Ontario waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
For more information on organ and tissue donation in Ontario, or to register your consent for organ and tissue donation, visit www.BeADonor.ca. Remember to talk to your family about your wishes.
