SUDBURY – Despite a new study showing a drop in the number of organs being donated in Canada, Health Sciences North is showing impressive organ donor rates well above the provincial average.
HSN has won 10 awards in five years for its organ conversion rate.
"What conversion means is the number of actual donors that we have out of potential donors. At Health Sciences North last year… from April to March, we had a 92 per cent conversion rate," explained Pam Nicholson, HSN Organ & Tissue Donation Coordinator.
At 92 per cent, HSN was well above the provincial organ conversion rate of 59 per cent.
"So that was 12 actual donors out of the potential 13… so 12 families agreed to move ahead with donation last year," she continued.
Figures from the Canadian Institute for Health Information show in 2018, there was a decrease in organs from deceased donors.
Bob Johnston received a kidney from a deceased donor four years ago.
"After 30 years of being sick, it's changed my life. 100 per cent it makes you a lot younger, healthier, and so energetic, it's unbelievable. I am really hoping that organ donors will step up to the plate," said Johnston.
Officials with the Trillium Gift of Life Network say dealing with families of a potential donor is a delicate process.
"These families have been through a tragedy, deaths are unexpected, the person went to work that day or school and just didn't make it home. So we are very careful with our donor families," said Nicholson.
She says there are only ever three very specific circumstances that organ donor discussions take place.
"Once their loved one has been declared brain dead and they know that they have died, and they understand what brain death means, or if the family has made a decision to withdraw treatment in ICU we would talk to them then, or we would talk to them if the family or even the patient is asking about information about donation," said Nicholson.
The organ donor registration rate in Sudbury is 56 per cent which is also on the best in the province.
