Lawnwood Recognized by Life Alliance for Outstanding Organ Donation Record

The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and Life Alliance recently honored Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute. Lawnwood was recognized for the integral role it has played in the Gift of Life Donation Initiative, assisting hospitals throughout the nation with organ donations. We are the only hospital in South Florida and the Treasure Coast to receive such an honor.

Life Alliance and Lawnwood Work Together

Once a patient is progressing towards non-recovery, but still has vital organs intact, The University of Miami Hospital Life Alliance Team is alerted.  Life Alliance Team members work with Lawnwood’s ICU Nurses and staff to determine a patient’s eligibility and willingness to participate in the donor program. 

“I think it speaks to the generosity of the community that 100% of the patients able to donate, did.  And each patient and their family helped saved multiple lives with that one decision,” said Trauma ICU Charge Nurse, Tracy Durden. “I think more people need to voice to their families they want to be a donor so the process is simplified.”

Good Can Come From Tragedy

Becoming a Level II provisional trauma center has added to the volume of critically injured patients who may become viable donors.  “In a lot of motorcycle or car crashes, patients come in with severe non-recoverable head injuries. The injury is limited to the brain, so all the organs are perfectly normal, but the patient is brain dead. Sometimes we get young patients, who are the best-case scenario for organ donation, in a very tragic scenario,” Trauma ICU Director Lisa Sharot shared.

“The public needs to know that livers can be resected, divided, and sent to two children, not just adults. We can save lives young and old. One person’s organs can save 200 people… Yes, 200.”

“These families really get closure. They feel like something good has come out of this tragedy and adversity. They feel as their loved one’s life has not been wasted. They want to help,” Sharot continued.

The Heart Institute is also a place where families are consulted on organ donation, in case a best possible outcome is not the end result. To date, our hospital has been a lifeline to more than 50 patients.

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