Platinum

Kim Aagard, CFO (left to right); Stephanie Larson, RN; Lois Miller, RN and organ/tissue donation program lead; Tom Pint, chief nursing officer; and Joel Beiswenger, president and CEO accepted the platinum recognition at the Garden of Hope in front of the Wesley Building in Wadena.

Tri-County Health Care has earned platinum recognition for its efforts to promote organ, eye and tissue donor registrations across the state through the Workplace Partnership for Life Hospital Organ Donation Campaign. This campaign challenges hospitals and health care organizations to educate their staff, patients, visitors and communities about the critical need for these donations. It includes providing opportunities to register as organ donors.

“We are proud of the important work we continue to do in promoting organ, eye and tissue donation,” said Lois Miller, organ/tissue donation project lead at Tri-County. “We encourage everyone to consider signing up to be organ donors to help make a difference to the thousands of people who are waiting for crucial lifesaving and enhancing transplants.”

The campaign ran between October 2019 and May 2020, and even with challenges health care communities faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it saw a record participation rate. 1,700 small and large hospitals worked with donation organizations to encourage 59,000 people to sign up to be donors. Tri-County Health Care was 1 of just 14 hospitals in Minnesota to receive national recognition.

Tri-County Health Care works closely with LifeSource, an organ procurement organization, to educate staff and the communities it serves about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Community education includes being present at hospital-sponsored events, area schools and hosting a “Donate Life” flag-raising ceremony with donor families and/or recipients each April.

Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the organ transplant waiting list, reaffirming the critical and growing need for registered organ, eye and tissue donors. Visit donatelife.net/register to sign up as a donor.

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