SSM Health/St. Agnes Hospital Recognized

SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital is among 19 hospitals being honored by University of Wisconsin Organ and Tissue Donation (UW OTD) for its ongoing commitment to saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation.

SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital has received the Excellence in Tissue Donation award, which is given to Versiti partner hospitals who achieve at least a 60 percent consent rate. This metric measures the collaborative work between the hospital staff and tissue bank in coordinating communication around tissue consent conversations.

SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital has also received the same award.

“The clinical management of donors, coupled with a hospital’s compassionate support of donor families, is a critical component to saving lives through the gift of organ donation and transplantation,” according to Michael Anderson, executive director of UW OTD. “We honor these hospitals and their incredible physicians and nursing teams for working so hard to help ensure that those who are waiting for a transplant will get a second chance at life.”

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the past two years of award recognition have taken a creative approach. Last year, UW OTD hosted a virtual ceremony including important stories from a donor family and recipient. Appreciating staff demands and shortages, this year, the OTD took the recognition celebration on the road to present the awards.

“This award represents the dedication the teams at St. Agnes Hospital have to making tissue donation a possibility, honoring both the wishes of the donor and their family, as well as contributing to the incredible impact tissue donation has on the lives of the patients who receive this gift,” according to Kristy Krause, MSN, RN, director of SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital Intensive Care, Cardiopulmonary Services, and Sleep Services. “This work is very meaningful to our teams and is another way in which we care, support and advocate for patients at all stages of life.”

UW OTD is a federally designated organ procurement organization serving 113 hospitals in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.