Category Archives: Press Release

Donor Network West , third largest nonprofit in the country devoted to saving and improving lives through donation, had more than 2,000 tissue donors in 2013, meaning corneas for the sight impaired and skin for burn victims, among others. Also recovered more than 900 organs for transplantation.

Oakland, Calif., Jan. 24, 2014 – Donor Network West completed its fourth year as a tissue recovery agency with a new high mark of 2,006 eye and tissue donors in 2013, helping to save and improve an estimated 83,000 lives.

Established for more than a quarter century as an organ recovery organization in Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada, the Donor Network West (formerly CTDN) also successfully worked with 281 organ donors and their families in 2013, saving lives with 920 organs transplanted.

CTDN continued its robust program of aiding researchers focused on projects to improve public health and the transplantation process. In 2013, through the compassion of donor families, about 250 additional organs were made available for medical education research. About three-quarters of families asked agreed to participate in research.

“Our work is only possible with the cooperation of the more than 170 hospitals, dozens of coroners’ offices and hundreds of funeral homes as well as four transplant centers which partner with us to refer possible donors. Because of them, and a CTDN staff committed to maximize every donation opportunity, we can offer hope to those waiting for a transplant,” Cindy Siljestrom, Chief Executive Officer for the Donor Network West .

The CTDN Operations Center – where calls to refer potential organ and tissue donors are first received – logged more than 500,000 calls in 2013, reaching a milestone only a year after it became fully operational.

Working in two states and serving 13 million people, CTDN pursues a mandate to educate the public about organ and tissue donation, in addition to supporting donor families and arranging for the recovery and placement of organs and tissues. CTDN is the third largest organ procurement organization in the country based on population in its service area.

CTDN set a goal to increase the number of people registered as donors in that area by 5 percent in 2013. Instead, the numbers of people who have said “Yes” to donation at the DMV in the CTDN service area increased by 13 percent in 2013, meaning 3.9 million people have now registered as donors.

CTDN’s effort continue to focus on the needs of those who are waiting for an organ transplant –more than 23,000 in California and Nevada– as well as those whose lives will be improved with a tissue donation, such as corneas to restore someone’s sight.

Each of the nearly 300 people at CTDN work daily to provide expertise and exceptional service to the hospitals, coroners, funeral homes and transplant centers in support of families. Their work honors the gifts donors and their families place in our care.

About the Donor Network West
The Donor Network West saves and improves lives by facilitating organ and tissue donation for transplantation. The Donor Network West partners with 170 hospitals in 41 Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada counties to offer the option of organ and tissue donation to families whose loved ones have died, coordinates deceased organ and tissue recovery and placement to waiting transplant recipients. Through its public education efforts, the hope that every resident will chose to become a donor is possible. The Donor Network West is federally designated as the region’s organ recovery organization. For information, call 888-570-9400 or visit http://www.dnwest.org.

High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.

Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 24, 2014 – OneLegacy, the non-profit, federally designated organ, eye and tissue recovery agency serving the seven-country greater Los Angeles area, today issued the following statement:

“Kim Pham, the 23-year-old woman who died from her injuries after being assaulted outside a Santa Ana nightclub on Jan. 18, saved five lives through the donation of her heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas and liver to patients on the national organ transplant waiting list.

Pham, who had registered with the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry through the California Department of Motor Vehicles, also donated tissues that could heal dozens more. Her tissue donation included skin used for burn dressings, bone to repair fractures and prevent amputations, and bone marrow for orthopedic use.

Contrary to other reports, Pham was declared dead on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, after suffering brain death due to severe injuries that prevented blood flow to the brain. To honor her decision to be a donor, Pham remained connected to a ventilator to ensure the viability of her organs for transplantation.

Her family is not available for comment but provided the following statement:

‘We are so blessed to have had Kim in our family because she was truly a one-of-a-kind soul. She always put others’ needs before herself and never thought badly of anyone. She kept love in the center of her life and preached kindness and respect for others. The overwhelming love and support Kim has had over the past week is a testimony of her character and the influence she had over her friends and family. We will always remember her as a sweet, vibrant, and wise daughter, sister, and friend. She is our little angel and God’s gift to all of us. Words cannot describe the pain and devastation we feel from being separated from Kim so soon, but we understand God has bigger plans for her and will continue to watch over her.

The little gestures and silly things she did every day are what we all miss the most about her. It’s a loss to the world that they will never have the chance to know her the way we did. We will always and forever hold her dearly in our hearts. We ask for the privacy of our friends and family during this difficult time. Please continue to keep Kim in your thoughts and prayers and help our family find closure and justice following this horrendous crime.’”

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High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Jan. 23, 2014 – The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is developing new policies over the next few months that will likely deem hand and face transplants as “standard” organ transplants. These “reconstructive transplants” are currently considered experimental and rare, but have helped a few dozen Americans who were disabled or disfigured in accidents, by illness or in combat. It’s expected that the new UNOS regulations will include a waiting list for hand and face transplants.

This new development presents a challenge to organ, eye and tissue donor registries across the country, including Donate Life California. Right now, when Californians register to be organ, eye and tissue donors, they do so with an understanding that hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers, pancreas and intestines could possibly be donated, along with cornea, skin, bone and other tissue.

While the idea of donation and transplantation has been generally limited to life-saving solid organs and life-healing tissues, this new ability to transplant hands and faces to help those disfigured is truly a life-changing opportunity. In an effort to be clear about the intentions of the millions of Californians who have generously registered as donors, families of potential hand and face donors will be asked to provide a separate authorization to ensure their understanding of these additional gifts.

The Donate Life California Board of Directors has released the following statement:

“California Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) have chosen to directly speak with families and seek authorization for hand, face, and other Vascularized Composite Allograft donations when a match is a possibility because these were not organs or tissue routinely recovered for transplant at the time the 10.5 million registered donors in California made their choice to be donors.”

Donate Life California anticipates reaching 11 million registered organ, eye and tissue donors in the state of California by April, Donate Life Month. With each new sign up, either by checking “YES!” at the DMV or by registering online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org, Americans on the transplant waiting list are hopeful they will be given a second chance at life.

About Donate Life California:
The Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry, which records the decision to donate in a confidential database that is searched by authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel at the time of an actual donation opportunity. It is administered by Donate Life California and four nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organizations: Donor Network West , Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services. As a state-authorized public service, the registry assures that all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel.

For more information about the Donate Life California Registry, how donation saves and improves lives, and to sign up, please visit www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or in Spanish at www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.

Fast Facts from Donate Life California:

– One in five on the U.S. organ transplant waiting list lives in California.
– In 2012, more than 1,100 people died in our state waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
– All major religions support or permit organ, eye and tissue donation.
– Anyone can register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor regardless of age, ethnicity or medical history.

Please visit Donate Life California’s Stories of Hope web page to read inspiring stories about organ and tissue donors and recipients from around the state.

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High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.