|
Promotional campaign includes "turn-key" initiatives for hospitals; Webinar about the effort set for April 28
In an effort to increase the number of Minnesotans who are registered to be organ and tissue
donors - and thereby save more lives - the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) is teaming
up with the region's organ procurement organization on a promotional campaign.
Under the initiative with LifeSource, MHA challenges all member hospitals to educate their
employees and their communities about the importance of deciding to be a donor, said MHA
President and Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Massa.
"Though every hospital already has a donation program, this campaign offers an opportunity to elevate that partnership from the clinical realm to the public realm," he said. "Doing so will further fulfill hospitals' commitments to benefiting their communities."
Boosting organ and tissue donation is an MHA board priority for 2010. LifeSource, a nonprofit
organization based in the same St. Paul building as MHA, is also a tissue recovery agency.
To participate in the "Donate Life Minnesota Hospital Campaign," hospitals need only commit to
implementing at least one program element during the remainder of this year. The MHA is aiming
for at least one-quarter of members - or about 40 hospitals - to do so.
"We think we'll surpass that goal, because participation can be as simple as hanging the organ
donation flag outside your hospital or publishing an article about the campaign in an employee
newsletter," Massa said. "Members could also choose to do more by hosting an employee donor
drive, for instance."
 Other elements of the campaign include customizable, ready-to-use public service announcements
and advertisements that hospitals can place on their Web sites. Hospital representatives can get
started by clicking on the graphic on the left.
Also, view this YouTube video in which Massa and LifeSource Chief Executive Officer Susan
Gunderson encourage participation in the project.
A Webinar about the initiative, aimed at MHA member hospital communicators, is scheduled for
Wednesday, April 28. Details on "Whose Line is it Anyway? Promoting Donation and
Transplantation in Good Times and Crisis Situations" will be published soon.
Some of the campaign materials explain that donations from just one person can benefit up to 60
others. They also show that in 2009 in the LifeSource region:
- donations from 175 people provided 597 organs for life-saving transplants; and
- tissue donations from 544 people aided more than 25,000 lives.
The kick-off of the program this week coincides with April's National Donate Life Month.
Ultimately, LifeSource hopes the partnership with Minnesota hospitals translates into 100,000
additional Minnesotans registered as donors, Gunderson said.
"Working together, Minnesota hospitals and LifeSource can have a tremendous effect on the
number of registered donors in the state," she said. "In doing so, we can bring hope to the more than 2,500 Minnesotans who, today, are awaiting a life-saving transplant."
For more information, hospitals may contact their LifeSource hospital liaison or Jan Hennings,
MHA communications director, at (651) 603-3549.
|
