In addition to this award, MeritCare was acknowledged for being only one of 93 hospitals in the nation to receive this award four consecutive years. The medal is awarded to hospitals that have achieved at least a 75 percent or more donation rate over a 12-month period. MeritCare was also recognized for a 20 percent increase in deceased donor transplants, and a decrease in the number of days on registering an organ's availability.
Facts about organ donation from Lifesource, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest:
- Nationally, there are more than 100,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
- Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national waiting list, and each day 18 people die while they wait for their transplant.
- One donor can save or enhance up to 60 lives through organ and tissue donation.