ST. VINCENT MEDICAL CENTER WINS SILVER-LEVEL RECOGNITION FOR
PATIENT ACCESS TO KIDNEY-PANCREAS ORGAN TRANSPLANT
LOS ANGELES (October 8, 2012) – With the highest kidney-pancreas transplant rate and shortest wait time of any kidney-pancreas program in the state, St. Vincent Medical Center’s Multi-Organ Transplant Center has achieved Silver-level status for 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
St. Vincent Medical Center President/CEO Cathy Fickes confirmed that the wait time for a kidney-pancreas double-organ transplant is actually lowest at SVMC compared to other transplant centers in California. She credits both a great transplant team and a supportive donor community. “The patient experience is at the center of everything we do at St. Vincent’s,” said Fickes. “Our clinical care and support for end-stage renal disease patients is something we are consistently proud to provide. Our organ transplant team is first rate and over the last year has achieved the level of service that makes us a Silver-level transplant center.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS supports the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice, which brings together donation and transplantation professionals, hospital staff, and other professionals involved in the donation process to identify and share best practices.
“I applaud these award winners for bringing the ‘gift of life’ to so many,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. “Their tireless efforts to make improvements in the donation and transplantation field will continue to help save lives.”
HRSA is also in the midst of a National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign, which enlists the help of hospitals across the country in increasing the number of people who enroll as future donors on their state donor registry. Today, 56 OPOs and Donate Life affiliates, 15 state hospital associations, and 653 hospitals and transplant centers were recognized for their leadership in this national campaign.