2017 Ending The Wait Awards Honor Four Premier Colorado Hospitals For Organ And Tissue Donation Achievements

DENVER, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, The Medical Center of Aurora and Vail Health, were recognized with Ending the Wait awards for their outstanding achievements in facilitating the gift of life through organ and tissue donation in Colorado. The awards, now in their ninth year, are presented annually by Donor Alliance, the federally-designated organ procurement organization serving Colorado, and the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA).

The organizations created the awards to recognize the commitment of Colorado hospitals, medical centers and healthcare professionals to saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The selections are based on hospital size, trauma center designation, total number of donors and organs transplanted, and are awarded annually to hospitals that demonstrate extraordinary efforts in organ and tissue donation.

Last year, 11 organ donors from Children's Hospital Colorado donated 26 organs that were transplanted to save lives locally and across the country. Denver Health is being honored for its hand in helping 19 organ donors and 60 tissue donors fulfill their wishes to help others. The Medical Center of Aurora led the way in tissue donation with 77 tissue donors in 2016. Vail Health also earned recognition for its efforts to fulfill family wishes surrounding organ and tissue donation.

"Each year, we are honored to partner with and publically recognize the exemplary Colorado hospitals who continue to lead the way in helping to advance our mission of saving lives through organ and tissue donation," said Sue Dunn, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. "Countless lives are saved and healed through donation and transplantation because of the tireless efforts of these organizations and individuals."

Each donor has the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation and save and heal more than 75 through the gift of tissue donation. Last year, 424 lifesaving transplants were made possible thanks to 139 selfless organ donors from our area. A record 1,710 tissue donors provided healing tissue to thousands in need. Also, at the close of 2016, more than 69 percent of Colorado's licensed drivers and ID card holders had joined the Donate Life Colorado Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. However, there are still currently more than 2,500 people in Colorado waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, so Donor Alliance and CHA know their efforts are not complete.

"The coordinated efforts of Donor Alliance and Colorado hospitals result in saved and improved lives for countless patients and their families," said Steven J. Summer, president and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association. "CHA is proud to once again partner with Donor Alliance to recognize those hospital leaders and clinicians whose actions improve the well-being of our patients and communities."

For more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit DonorAlliance.org. To register to be an organ and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or call 303-329-4747 for more information.

About the Colorado Hospital Association
The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) represents more than 100 member hospitals and health systems throughout Colorado. CHA partners with its members to work towards health reform, clinical excellence and performance improvement, and provides advocacy and representation at the state and federal level. Colorado hospitals and health systems are committed to providing coverage and access to safe, high-quality and affordable health care. In addition, Colorado hospitals have a tremendous impact on the state's economic stability and growth, contributing to nearly every community across the state with 75,000 employees statewide. For more information, visit www.cha.com.

About Donor Alliance
Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ and tissue procurement agency for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 5.8 million residents and more than 100 hospitals.

Donor Alliance adheres to the highest medical, regulatory and ethical standards, and meets every performance standard. By respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state's donor registry, Donor Alliance is able to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation. Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages.

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SOURCE Donor Alliance