|
 
|
|
Tissue Donation:
Improving the Quality of Life
Travis
Olesen
- Through their generous decision to donate, the Olesens responded
to others’ needs, even as they faced devastating sorrow. |
The Washington State
Patrol (WSP) POPS project that was implemented statewide November 1, 2003,
partnering with the local donation programs. This project has and will
continue to provide tissue donation options to families that have lost
a loved one in a fatal traffic collision. Prior to this project, families
had not been provided with the option of donation if the death happened
outside the hospital. 
Introduction to How POPS Works
Our POPS Project Partners
Progress Report - Facts and Statistics
About Donating - How to Become a Donor
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
Donor News Updates
Patient & Donor Stories
Introduction:
How POPS Works:
POPS is an international
policing philosophy based on partnerships and problem solving. The
State Patrol’s POPS philosophy is designed to take ideas from troopers
in the field and turn them into initiatives for the State Patrol systemwide.
In this particular
POPS Project, troopers on the scene of a fatality collision relay
the same basic information they always do to the communications officer,
including the number of deaths, gender, and approximate age of those
involved if known. The information is then shared with the donor referral
line, which also handles hospital deaths, and is passed to the Tissue
Center.
At that point,
donation coordinators contact the coroner or medical examiner in the
local jurisdiction to find out whether the deceased is eligible to
donate. If so, Tissue Center donation coordinators wait until after
the family has been notified of the death and then place a call.
Tissue Project Partners:
The Northwest Tissue Center
is the nonprofit, community-sponsored tissue bank established to provide
high-quality human tissue for transplant to patients in the Northwest.
The program depends on contributions made by generous people who have
consented to donation after the death of a family member. Bone, tendons,
skin grafts, veins and heart valves can significantly improve the
quality of life for transplant recipients by preventing amputation,
restoring mobility, relieving pain and sometimes saving lives. The
Tissue Center, a department of Puget Sound Blood Center, was established
in 1988 through agreements with the University of Washington Department
of Orthopaedics and the Northwest Kidney Center.
For nearly forty years we've been known as the Northwest Lions Eye Bank. But as our role and function in the world of sight restoration has changed and increased, we realized the necessity of a new name – one reflecting both our scope as a global organization and our ambition to restore sight and the resulting freedom of life to both the United States and the rest of the world.
Progress Report :
| |
Donor Watch
Through February 2008 |
|
TISSUE |
CORNEA |
|
42
Total |
98 Total |
In the first year of the program, a referral call was placed on 94% of Washington State Patrol fatal traffic collisions. Detective Stockwell followed up with Communications in all cases where a referral call was not placed to the donor referral line.
- Of the fatalities referred, 72% had potential to donate tissue and/or corneas.
- During the first year of the program there were a total of 22 donors (13 tissue and 20 cornea).
- The average donor age was 41 years, 64% male and 36% female.
- Of the families approached with the option of donation, 52% consented to donation.
The primary reason fatality victims did not become donors, was due to the donation agency being informed that the next-of-kin had not been notified of the death. In looking into this further there continues to be several cases where the WSP notified the next-of-kin, but the ME/coroner was not aware that the notification had been made.
Facts and Statistics:
Washington
State Patrol Training Presentation (PowerPoint)
Tissue
and Eye Donation Summary (11/01/03 to 10/31/04)
|
|
