Issuu

QUARTER 2 • 2022

DONATION

Connection A newsletter for our frontline partners

In This Issue MTN Updates National Donate Life Month.................................... 2 2022 Donate Life Legacy Walk Registration..... 2 National Volunteer Appreciation Week............. 3 MTN’s Annual Report.................................................. 3

Funeral Home & Medical Examiner Partners 2022 National Donate Life Month......................... 3 Referrals from Medical Examiners Enhance Lives Through Tissue Donation............................. 3 2022 Tri-State Convention......................................... 3

Hospital Partners MTN’s Donor Care and Surgical Recovery Unit...........................................................4-5

Licensing, Treasury and Department of Revenue Partners Donor Designation Update.......................................6 Request for Updates.....................................................6 Spirit Week During National Donate Life Month....................................6 Office Donation Awareness Booths.....................6 You Are Key at the DMV Facebook Group........6 Virtual Education Raffle............................................ 7 DMV T-shirt Store.......................................................... 7 Legacy Walk Team Formation................................. 7

National Donate Life Month

pril is National Donate Life Month, a time to raise awareness about donation; encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors; and honor those who have saved lives through donation. Some of our community partners are joining in the celebration. Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, Saint Luke’s East Hospital, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Osage Valley Electric Cooperative and Kansas City Life Insurance Company will be lit green the whole month of April. Additionally, Union Station and Children’s Mercy Research Institute will be lit green from April 17 – 23; during that same timeframe, fountains in the City of Westwood will be dyed green in honor of donation. Kansas City, Missouri’s City Hall will be lit green from April 18 – 22. Kansas City, Missouri, and Westwood, Kansas, will both issue a resolution on April 14 recognizing the month of April 2022 as Donate Life Month to honor those who have donated life, focus attention on the need for donation and encourage all residents to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. (Continued on page 2)

National Donate Life Month Continued from page 1 This April, we invite you to join all of us at MTN in showing your donation pride. A great way to recognize the observance is by participating in Donate Life Blue & Green Spirit Week activities:

April 16:

Volunteer appreciation day Reach out to the volunteers who help make donation possible with a message of gratitude

April 17:

Create Donate Life rocks Grab a rock from your garden or yard and decorate it with a Donate Life symbol or special donation-related message

April 18:

Donate Life flag raising day Fly the Donate Life flag to honor donors and donor families at your place of work or your home

April 19:

Write a message of hope Say what gives you hope in regard to donation and transplantation

April 20:

Thank your healthcare heroes Share a message of gratitude with those who work tirelessly to save lives through donation and beyond

April 21:

Donate Life chalk Decorate sidewalks, driveways or chalkboards with donation-related messages

April 22:

National Donate Life Blue & Green Day Sport your blue and green proudly Don’t forget to engage with us on social media throughout the spirit week by posting and tagging MTN and/or replying to MTN’s posts.

2 • Learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at mwtn.org

2022 Donate Life Legacy Walk Registration

idwest Transplant Network (MTN) has kicked off registration for the 2022 Donate Life Legacy Walk. We are excited to return to the National WWI Museum and Memorial on Saturday, June 4, starting at 6:30 p.m. This annual event is our way of celebrating the incredible gift of life given through organ, eye and tissue donation. This year, we added a team registration feature. We invite our partners in donation to create a team with their colleagues, family members and/or friends. To register your team: 1. Identify a team captain. 2. Have the captain register at mwtn.org/legacy-walk, choosing “Creating a team and adding participants” from the drop-down menu. 3. Choose a team name. 4. Share the link provided at the end of registration with your teammates and invite them to complete their registration and participate on June 4. Registrants will find information about purchasing Donate Life Legacy Walk shirts in their confirmation email. Shirts cost about $15-$20 each, depending on style, sizing and shipping. Place your order by Sunday, May 8, to receive your shirts in time for the Legacy Walk. We look forward to seeing many of you on June 4. For more information or to register: mwtn.org/legacy-walk

National Volunteer Appreciation Week

ational Volunteer Appreciation Week will be observed April 17 – 23, 2022. We are truly grateful for all our volunteer Ambassadors who share the message of organ, eye and tissue donation in our community throughout the year. In 2021, our Ambassadors represented MTN at 43 community events over the course of 300+ hours. We added 26 new Ambassadors for a total of 88 passionate volunteers serving MTN’s mission. Ambassadors, you help make our lifesaving and life-enhancing work possible. Thank you for all you do in support of the gift of life!

2021 ANN UAL RRE 2021 ANNUAL REPORT PORT 2021 ANNUAL EPORT

MTN’s Annual Report

e recently published MTN’s 2021 annual report, featuring highlights from another record-breaking year of saving and enhancing lives. View the report online: mwtn.org/annual-report

2022 National Donate Life Month

pril is National Donate Life Month, and there are many creative ways you can participate. A few examples include:

• Host a Donate Life flag raising ceremony and fly the Donate Life flag during the month of April. • Inspire funeral home staff to dress in blue and green for National Donate Life Blue & Green Day on Friday, April 22. • Hold a candlelight service to honor donors from the previous year.

Number of donor heroes who gave the gift of tissue donation thanks to medical examiner referrals from all offices in MTN’s service area:

2022 Tri-State Convention

on’t miss the Tri-State Convention, which will be held May 1 – 4, 2022, at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Register for this event: nefda.org/convention

A newsletter for Midwest Transplant Network's frontline partners • 3

Hospital Partner Education MTN's Donor Care and Surgical Recovery Unit

tarting in the early summer of 2022, eligible organ donors will be transferred to MTN’s Donor Care and Surgical Recovery Unit (DCU). The DCU will decrease overall time associated with donation, allowing for earlier funeral and memorial service arrangements. The DCU will allow critical hospital resources to be more readily available to meet the growing demands for community healthcare delivery. It will allow intensive care unit beds and operating rooms to be used for other critically ill patients; on average, MTN occupies an ICU bed with donor care for 48 hours and requires four hours of operating room time for organ recovery.

About this newsletter

his insert is intended for clinical staff and not for the general public. Please post in a highly visible clinical area such as a break room.

Transfer process of organ donors to MTN’s DCU Referral process: The referral process remains the same, per hospital policy. MTN determines eligibility and responds on site as appropriate. Evaluation and declaration: Brain death evaluation and declaration occurs, per hospital policy. The donation after circulatory death (DCD) process will not change. DCD donors will remain at your facility throughout the donation process. Donation authorization: The patient is a first-person-registered donor or MTN obtains written authorization for donation from the patient’s legal next of kin.

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Family support and clinical management: MTN’s Family Services Coordinator continues supporting the family as needed, while the clinical coordinator begins clinical management of the authorized donor, including any interventions not available at MTN’s DCU. Transfer eligibility: The patient is hemodynamically stable and eligible for transfer upon assessment by MTN’s clinical coordinator. Coordinating transfer: MTN coordinates the time of transfer to the DCU and updates hospital partners and donor family members. Honor walk/transfer: Depending on the facility, the hospital can coordinate an honor walk during the transfer from the ICU to the critical care transport vehicle.

4 • Learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at mwtn.org

About the DCU The DCU is a new, specialized facility — located within MTN’s Westwood, Kansas, headquarters — where authorized organ donors will be transferred following brain death pronouncement. Transferring donor heroes to the DCU after close collaboration with our hospital partners will allow for specialized management, allocation and recovery of these gifts. MTN’s goal is to maintain high family and hospital satisfaction by delivering quality and compassionate care.

Eligibility for transfer Eligible DCU transfer candidates must be pronounced deceased by neurological criteria (brain death). The evaluation of brain death occurs by a physician and is done according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) standards and hospital policies. Once the patient is eligible for transfer upon assessment by MTN’s clinical coordinator, MTN will coordinate the time of transfer to the DCU.

Transfer timeline/process MTN will begin transferring organ donor heroes following brain death pronouncement — considering family support needs — and after MTN’s clinical coordinator begins clinical management of the authorized donor, including any interventions not available at MTN’s DCU. The patient will need to be hemodynamically stable and eligible for transfer, per MTN’s clinical coordinator, prior to transfer. The honor walk route for these patients will change. Please reach out to your Hospital Services Coordinator for more information.

Impact on hospital resources The dedicated surgical recovery suite will help alleviate demands on hospital operating rooms and staffing resources for most donor recoveries, which take approximately four hours and can impact availability for trauma or emergent cases. It will also improve scheduling for transplant recipients and surgeons. Transitioning to the DCU model will also ensure transplant team familiarity with MTN’s staff members and facility, allowing for more consistent, efficient outcomes.

If you have any questions or would like additional information about the DCU, please reach out to your assigned Hospital Services Coordinator, call 913-262-1668 or visit mwtn.org.

A newsletter for Midwest Transplant Network's frontline partners • 5

Donor Designation Update

e are excited to share the current donor designation rates for our service area that indicate the percentage of the adult population that has said “yes” to being in the first person authorization registry. These outcomes would not be possible without your help. We are so grateful for your continued support and partnership. Thank you for continuing to ask all patrons the donation-related questions, for being supportive of donation events and for your advocacy in helping save lives.

Request for Updates

e want to confirm that we have the most updated office information to ensure we are sending communications and mailings to the correct person and office location. If your office has moved or had any changes in leadership or staff count, please email Donor Designation Coordinator Elizabeth Gonzales-Manns at egonzales@mwtn.org so she can update your office information. Thank you for your assistance with this.

Spirit Week During National Donate Life Month

pril is National Donate Life Month, and we invite you all to participate in Donate Life Blue & Green Spirit Week activities with us. Please share pictures of you and your office participating in various activities via the Facebook group, You Are Key at the DMV, and by emailing the Donor Designation Coordinator at egonzales@mwtn.org. We look forward to seeing your photos!

Office Donation Awareness Booths

e are continuing to schedule donation awareness booths in offices. If you would like to have a booth scheduled for your office patrons or a visit (in person or virtually) for someone to meet with your staff to share about donation, please send an email to egonzales@mwtn.org so that we can coordinate plans. Our volunteer Ambassadors are excited to visit with you and your patrons to share the lifesaving and life-enhancing message of donation.

You Are Key at the DMV Facebook Group

id you know that we have a private Facebook Group just for our DMV partners? If you are not already connected, we encourage you to join the group. We share donation-related stories as well as updates for our licensing, treasury and Department of Revenue partners, and we also have some fun trivia questions with prize opportunities. Request to join the group: facebook.com/groups/YouAreKey.

6 • Learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation at mwtn.org

Legacy Walk Team Formation

W Virtual Education Raffle

hank you to all who have already completed the virtual organ, eye and tissue donation education module, inclusive of the short quiz at the end. We will have a raffle drawing from those who have completed the quiz at the end of each quarter. The module is less than 10 minutes, including the short knowledge check at the end. Access the module here: mwtn.org/dmv

DMV T-shirt Store

e are getting ready to open the T-shirt store for the first time in 2022. This will be the last time that we provide the “Be a Hero” T-shirt, as the next store will have a special design to help commemorate our 50th anniversary. If you have new staff members who do not have a shirt or a staff member in need of a replacement shirt, please place your order through the link that will be shared at the beginning of May. The store will be open until May 14, 2022, with the shirts arriving by early June. There is no cost for the shirt or for shipping.

e are excited to share with all of you that this year’s Donate Life Legacy Walk registration process includes the capability to form a team, as outlined earlier in this newsletter. We have created teams for our Kansas and Missouri licensing, treasury and Department of Revenue partners. You can join the respective team based on your office’s location or create your own team for your office or donor hero. We look forward to having you join us in person or virtually. We want to see which office can form the largest team (not limited to office employees only) and which side of the state line has the most registrations overall. We look forward to seeing you at the walk on Saturday, June 4, 2022. To register for your state’s licensing, treasury and Department of Revenue partner team, please follow the links below: Missouri Partners: bit.ly/MODRpartners Kansas Partners: bit.ly/KDORPartners

A newsletter for Midwest Transplant Network's frontline partners • 7

Mission Saving lives by honoring the gift of donation with dignity and compassion

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1900 W. 47th Place, Suite 400 Westwood, KS 66205

Vision Leading organ and tissue donation through excellence, quality and partnerships

Follow Us /MidwestTransplantNetwork /MidwestTransplantNetwork /MidwestTransplantNetwork @MWTransplant Midwest Transplant Network

Upcoming Events Event Audience Key General MTN Funeral Home & Medical Examiner Partners Hospital Partners Licensing, Treasury and Department of Revenue Partners

View all upcoming events: mwtn.org/events

April Tuesday, April 12, 2022 • Joplin Celebration of Life Join us for a sand ceremony, dinner, short program and tree planting honoring the gift of life. For more information: clucchi@mwtn.org Friday, April 22, 2022 • National Donate Life Blue & Green Day Wear blue and green and share the importance of registering as a donor. For more information: donatelife.net/blue-green-day

May May 1 – 4, 2022 • 2022 Tri-State Convention with the Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska Funeral Directors Associations Overland Park, Kansas Register: nefda.org/convention

June Saturday, June 4, 2022 • Donate Life Legacy Walk Join us for the sixth annual Donate Life Legacy Walk, featuring in-person and virtual opportunities to celebrate the gift of life. Register: mwtn.org/legacy-walk