the bridge - onelegacynordquist, sam oliveros, peter ramos, rigoberto rivera, barbara robles, andra...
TRANSCRIPT
OneLegacy recovered a combined 2,300
organ and tissue donors in 2008, helping to save
and heal nearly 100,000 lives. OneLegacy also
achieved its highest-ever organ donation consent
rate of 67%, an improvement of four percentage
points over last year’s mark, and 10 points above
the average in 2002-2005.
Working in concert with more than 200 hospi-
tal partners, OneLegacy coordinated the recovery
of 1,235 transplanted organs from 400 donors in
2008. Both marks represent the organization’s
second-highest recovery totals and come as hos-
pital staff increasingly integrate OneLegacy’s
services into their end-of-life care to benefit the
families they serve.
Less than 10 years ago, only half of families
approached in hospitals gave consent for dona-
tion. Now, a full two-thirds of the families with
the opportunity to donate choose to do so, said
Tom Mone, CEO and Executive Vice President at
OneLegacy. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters
of families that donate organs also give consent
for tissue donation. Never before have the fami-
lies, hospitals and communities we serve been so
supportive of the Donate Life mission.
The community’s support for tissue donation
is evidenced by the continued rapid expansion of
OneLegacy’s Tissue Operations. In 2008,
OneLegacy recovered corneas and tissue from
1,960 donors, a 34% increase over the year prior
BY LOUIS DACHIS
Quentin Dachis was a baby who made
hearts melt. His huge blue eyes, his devilish
smirks and his clutzy manner caused us to be
stopped in public with gasps of love.
Quentin was 16 months old when he fell
into a backyard pool on December 22, 2003.
He was resuscitated and airlifted to Loma
Linda University Medical Center, where he
remained in a coma for two days. Soon after it
became clear that Quentin was not going to
pull through, we were connected with repre-
sentatives from OneLegacy to discuss organ
donation.
While painful and difficult, the choice to
allow Quentin to help others was plainly right.
It was a way to ensure other people that were
dealing with life and death issues like we had,
and would have a better outcome. It was a way
The BridgeSpring 2009
3 Mendez NIT Labs’Critical Role
4 Donor Data
5 El Puente
6 ‘Fields of Gold’Honors Donors
7 Tissue RecoveryTechs Serve in Iraq
7 ‘Donate Life Gives’Holiday Cheer
8 2009 Donate LifeRose Parade Float
11 Donor DesignationSoars Nationwide
12 Two Legacies
14 Hospital Donor &Referral Data
2008: Nearly 100,000Lives Touched byRecovered Donors
Quentin Dachis
The community newsletter of OneLegacy, the non-profitorgan and tissue recovery organization serving the greater Los Angeles area
NO
N-P
RO
FIT
U.S
. PO
STA
GE
PAID
LOS
AN
GE
LES
CA
PE
RM
IT#32574
221S
ou
th Fig
uero
a Street, S
uite 500
Los A
ng
eles, CA
90012
800-338-611224-hour line for routine notification or donor referrals
ww
w.onelegacy.org
Tom
Mone
Chief E
xecutive Officer and
Executive Vice P
resident
Pra
sad G
arim
ella
Chief O
perating Officer and
Chief Inform
ation Officer
Renee H
aw
thorn
e
Chief D
evelopment O
fficer
Bobby P
atto
n
Chief F
inancial Officer and
Vice President of F
inance
Ala
n C
ochra
n
Vice President of Q
uality Systems
Anita
Corliss
Vice President of H
uman R
esources
Bry
an S
tew
art
Vice President of C
omm
unications
Esth
er-M
arie
Carm
ichael
Director, G
overnance and Governm
ental Affairs
Johnny C
arw
ell
Director of H
ospital Services - Tissue
Ste
phanie
Colla
zo
Director, C
linical Education
Vic
ki S
imm
ons
Director, Inform
ation Technology
Maria
Sta
dtle
r
Director, R
esearch Partnerships
Jim T
risch
Director, D
onation Services
Sherry
Watso
n
Director, Q
uality Assurance and
Perform
ance Improvem
ent
Managem
ent T
eam
Return Service Requested
1,235 ORGANS TRANSPLANTEDFROM 400 ORGAN DONORS;RECORD 1,960 EYE/TISSUE DONORS
Please see QUENTIN, Page 13Please see 2008, Page 10
MILESTONES On September 15, KarleenSamartan gave birth to son DevinChristopher…On November 29, Kari Kozuki wel-comed her second child, Ben…On January 29,Erik Arenas and family welcomed a baby boy.
WELCOME Administration: Lizette Dinsay,Human Resources Specialist…Danial Ishoo,Accounting Assistant…Mark Johnson, QualitySystems Process Engineer…Maria “April”Macias, Administrative Assistant…Ian Pham,Telecommunications Specialist…Kevin Pham,IS Network Administrator…ChristopherSariego, Media Relations Coordinator. ContactCenter: Bryan Bulthaup, Call CenterSupervisor…Rhubella Arata, Nickol Blackson,Kylie Bruce, Mary Concepcion, Kiera Dyer,Bobbi Jo Escher, Rigo Herrera, RoxanneGranske, Catherine Hartel, Willette Hurst,Sussan Johnson, Misti Laun, Melissa Lomeli,Liz Muscia, Ivette Nario, Ryan O’Dell, LoriPergo, Josh Rinker, Fatima Rivas, Sarah
Robbins, Shane Rodriguez and Lisette Sempe,Consent Approach Coordinators. OrganOperations: Jessica Bazanos, BenjaminBergstrom, Bryan Herring, Joseph Murray,Michael Romero and Margaret Seyffert,Procurement Transplant Coordinators…ChristyBethel, Lauren Feuerman, Samantha Rosenburgand Duane Turner, Hospital ServicesCoordinators. Tissue Operations: Shamir Hasan,David Ivie, Jia “Lina” Mao, Darren Ohara,Megan Sampson, Jessica Smalley, Lori Smith,Laura Teasley, Michelle Tillery and Ray Ycong,Surgical Recovery Technicians…Gina Capelo,Donor Information Coordinator…Jose Del Realand Marcos Seput, Central Supply Technicians.
ON THE MOVE Administration: Linda Aguilar,Administrative Assistant/Receptionist…Elenade la Cruz, Media Relations Specialist…PrasadGarimella, Chief Operating Officer and ChiefInformation Officer…Mary Goodwin, ClinicalResources Coordinator…Michelle Harris,Senior Accounting Assistant…ReneeHawthorne, Chief Development Officer …LidiaKinoshita, Clinical Education and ResearchAssistant…Clemen Sabah, Human Resources
Education Specialist…Tom Seto, IS SoftwareProject Manager. Contact Center: RoAna Lutz,Call Center Supervisor. Organ Recovery: NancyAllen and LuCyndi Ramirez, Managers, OrganProcurement…Woodi Anderson, Scott Bunting,Kren Campbell, Robert Morse, Alisa Suarez andKristina Wheeler, Organ ProcurementSupervisors…Wanda Jones, Manager,Procurement & Donation After Cardiac DeathProgram…Stacy Lane, Manager, OrganProcurement Standards and Procedures…Angela Mascarenhas, Medical RecordsAnalyst…Adam Teller, In-House HospitalServices Coordinator. Tissue Operations: StacyAnderson, Accounting Assistant.
BEST WISHES We wish the following formeremployees the best in their future endeavors: JodiAlexander, Deana Decarlo, Karen Detterich, JeffFleming, Pauline Gaughan, Tamra Grote, MaritaHarris, David Ivie, Jennifer Latham, Lina (Jia) Mao,John McCain, Jennifer McDowell, Megan Medel,Mariam Mollahassani, Ralph Navarro, RobertNordquist, Sam Oliveros, Peter Ramos, RigobertoRivera, Barbara Robles, Andra Kai Shaw, MonroeTinker, Matti Vigil and Laverne Wilson.
2
January 1 to December 31, 2008Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
Orange Coast Memorial Med Ctr 5 0 0 0Placentia Linda Community Hospital 2 0 0 0Saddleback Memorial Med Ctr 16 5 4 7Saddleback Memorial Med Ctr - San Clemente 8 2 2 8South Coast Medical Center 5 0 0 0St. Joseph Hospital 16 1 0 0St. Jude Medical Center 35 4 1 0Tustin Community Hospital 1 0 0 0UCI Medical Center 140 28 21 59West Anaheim Medical Center 5 0 0 0Western Medical Center Anaheim 8 0 0 0Western Medical Center Santa Ana 72 17 14 51
RIVERSIDE & SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIESArrowhead Regional Medical Center 134 25 19 67Barstow Community Hospital 4 0 0 0Chino Valley Medical Center 6 1 1 5Community Hospital of San Bernardino 11 4 2 6Corona Regional Medical Center 18 3 1 5Desert Regional Medical Center 87 19 12 48Desert Valley Hospital 5 1 1 3Eisenhower Memorial Hospital 21 3 2 1Hemet Valley Medical Center 21 2 0 0Inland Valley Regional Medical Ctr 38 4 0 0Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Med Ctr 1 0 0 0John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital 21 1 0 0Kaiser Permanente Fontana Med Ctr 98 8 3 6Kaiser Permanente Riverside Med Ctr 23 0 0 0Loma Linda Community Medical Ctr 2 0 0 0Loma Linda University Medical Ctr 194 28 22 90Menifee Valley Medical Center 8 0 0 0Moreno Valley Community Hospital 1 0 0 0
15S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Crossroads
Palo Verde Community Hospital 1 0 0 0Parkview Community Hospital Med Ctr 19 0 0 0Rancho Springs Medical Center 11 3 2 7Redlands Community Hospital 12 1 0 0Riverside Community Hospital 40 8 3 12Riverside County Regional Med Ctr 90 17 11 30San Antonio Community Hospital 60 5 1 1San Bernardino County Medical Society 1 0 0 0San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital 3 1 1 0St. Bernardine Medical Center 112 2 2 5St. Mary Regional Medical Center 18 0 0 0Victor Valley Community Hospital 15 0 0 0
SANTA BARBARA & VENTURA COUNTIESCommty Memorial Hosp of San Buenaventura 12 0 0 0Lompoc District Hospital 3 0 0 0Los Robles Regional Medical Center 18 4 2 7Marian Medical Center 18 6 3 8Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital 44 12 5 12Simi Valley Hospital & Health Care Svcs 14 4 3 11St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital 1 0 0 0St. John's Regional Medical Center 30 7 4 16Ventura County Medical Center 24 2 1 2
OTHERQueen of the Valley / Napa 3 0 0 0Riverview Regional Medical Center 2 0 0 0UC San Diego 1 0 0 0University of Nebraska Medical Center 1 0 0 0
TOTAL 3924 676 400 1235
heart and lung programs at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; 30 chil-
dren in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center kidney program; 33 in the
heart, liver and lung divisions of Loma Linda University Children’s
Hospital; 15 teens in the pediatric ICU at UCI Irvine Medical Center;
and 25 teens at the pediatric ICU at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical
Center.
Many kids appreciated the presence of Atiba Harris and Gerson
Mayen, players for Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA, who signed
plenty of autographs in the process.
We really appreciate Donate Life giving us the opportunity to
brighten the day for many children during the holidays, said Harris,
who was deeply touched by the experience and surprised by the num-
ber of children who are waiting for a transplant.
Contributing time and effort to Donate Life Gives were
Embajadores Mina and Richard Gonzalez, Ana Maria Villalobos,
Claudia Estrada, Jes s and Icela Nava, Eva and Arnoldo Perez,
Suzanne Gonzalez and Laura Guzman.
Financial Incentives Might Expand Organ Donor PoolCOMMENTARY BY THOMAS MONE
In Los Angeles County and six neighboring counties, more than
6,000 people await donated kidneys to replace their own failing
organs. Nationally, the waiting list for those precious organs has
nearly 75,000 names on it. Unfortunately,
only a little more than one-fourth of that
number will have their needs met. The
others face an uncertain future that for
many will end in death.
This doesn’t have to happen. There are
literally millions of people in this country
who could make up that shortfall of 56,000
kidneys. Tests have long shown that
healthy human beings can function nor-
mally with just one of the two kidneys they were born with. So how
can more of those healthy people be motivated to give up a kidney?
At present, the satisfaction of helping others to survive is the
only reward that exists for organ donation in the United States. But
living donors are providing only about 6,000 kidneys a year (the rest
come from deceased donors). So it’s quite apparent that a stronger
incentive is needed.
It isn’t difficult to identify a stronger incentive. If potential
donors were offered cold, hard cash and made aware that they can
lead a normal life with a single kidney, there’s little doubt that the
donation rate would be much higher.
The United States
wouldn’t be breaking
any new ground if it
started authorizing
the purchase of kid-
neys. In at least three
c o u n t r i e s I r a n ,
Pakistan and the
Philippines paying
cash for kidneys has
been a standard practice for many years.
But to do so in this country would raise a number of concerns.
How much should be paid for a kidney - and who should pay it?
The recipient, or the government, via Medicare? A payment of
$5,000 would probably be sufficient to attract more than enough
Continued from Page 7
GIVES: Cheer for children
The Donate Life Gives committee gathers at OneLegacy’sCorporate office to organize the distribution of more than 200 toysfor area pediatric ICUs and transplant programs.
Please see INCENTIVES, Page 10
How can morehealthy people be motivated to give up a kidney?
KERN COUNTYBakersfield Heart Hospital 4 0 0 0Bakersfield Memorial Hospital 30 5 3 9Delano Regional Medical Center 3 0 0 0Kern Medical Center 68 10 8 32Mercy Hospital 82 10 7 24Mercy Southwest Hospital 1 0 0 0Mercy Westside Hospital 1 0 0 0Ridgecrest Regional Hospital 2 1 0 0San Joaquin Community Hospital 54 4 2 3
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - CENTRALAlhambra Hospital Medical Center 10 1 0 0Brotman Medical Center 3 0 0 0California Hospital Medical Center 49 14 4 13Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 83 18 11 41Century City Doctor's Hospital 2 0 0 0Children's Hospital Los Angeles 18 4 3 10Citrus Valley Intercommunity Hospital 3 0 0 0Citrus Valley Med Ctr - Queen of the Valley Campus 18 7 4 10East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital 1 0 0 0Garfield Medical Center 29 1 0 0Good Samaritan Hospital 32 6 0 0Greater El Monte Community Hospital 6 2 1 3Hollywood Community Hospital 1 0 0 0Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Med Ctr 18 1 0 0Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Med Ctr 64 10 4 9Kaiser Permanente West LA Med Ctr 22 2 1 1Kindred Hospital Santa Ana 1 0 0 0LAC + USC Medical Center 124 30 16 62Los Angeles Community Hospital 2 1 1 6Montclair Hospital Medical Center 1 0 0 0Monterey Park Hospital 1 0 0 0Olympia Medical Center 4 2 2 2Pacific Alliance Medical Center 2 1 0 0Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Ctr 44 9 4 7Promise Hospital of East LA, Suburban 1 0 0 0Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles 1 0 0 0Queen of Angels / Hollywood Presbyterian Med Ctr 13 2 1 3Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center 87 21 15 49San Dimas Community Hospital 1 0 0 0San Gabriel Valley Medical Center 7 2 0 0St. John's Hospital and Health Center 7 0 0 0St. Vincent Medical Center 5 0 0 0Tri-City Regional Medical Center 4 0 0 0UCLA Medical Center - Santa Monica 13 1 0 0USC University Hospital 23 1 1 4White Memorial Medical Center 22 6 3 7
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - NORTHAntelope Valley Hospital 58 9 7 16Encino Hospital Medical Center 7 1 1 3Foothill Presbyterian Hospital 14 1 0 0Glendale Adventist Medical Center 23 5 3 7Glendale Memorial Hosp & Health Ctr 14 3 2 5Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital 24 5 5 12Huntington Hospital 77 9 7 30Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Med Ctr 18 4 1 2Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Med Ctr 16 5 3 7
Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
Hospital Referral Data
LA County Olive View / UCLA Med Ctr 4 2 2 7Lancaster Community Hospital 18 3 2 4Methodist Hospital of Southern California 27 5 2 2Mission Commty Hosp - Panorama City 7 4 4 5Northridge Hospital Medical Center 37 5 3 12Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Med Ctr 2 0 0 0Providence Holy Cross Medical Ctr 60 19 11 42Providence Tarzana Medical Center 2 1 1 1Sherman Oaks Hospital & Health Ctr 6 2 1 0St. Joseph Medical Center 61 5 2 5Valley Presbyterian Hospital 17 1 1 7Verdugo Hills Hospital 3 1 0 0Vista Specialty Hospital of San Gabriel Valley 1 1 0 0West Hills Regional Medical Center 8 3 1 1
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - SOUTHBeverly Hospital 26 3 1 2Centinela Freeman Reg Med Ctr, Memorial 11 5 2 1Centinela Hospital Medical Center 61 16 6 12Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital 4 1 0 0Downey Regional Medical Center 25 5 3 13Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Med Ctr 4 0 0 0Kaiser Permanente Harbor City Med Ctr 6 0 0 0Kindred Hospital La Mirada 1 0 0 0LA County Harbor-UCLA Med Ctr 61 21 13 36Lakewood Regional Hospital 14 2 1 4Little Company of Mary - San Pedro Hosp 22 1 0 0Little Company of Mary Hospital 30 7 4 3Long Beach Community Med Ctr 4 1 1 2Long Beach Memorial Med Ctr 54 15 10 34Los Angeles Community Hospital - Norwalk 1 0 0 0Marina del Rey Hospital 4 2 2 6Memorial Hospital of Gardena 18 4 1 3Miller Children's Hospital 20 7 4 13Pacific Hospital Long Beach 3 1 1 3Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital 23 5 1 0Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center 1 0 0 0St. Francis Medical Center 112 33 20 81St. Mary Medical Center 46 7 4 8Torrance Memorial Medical Center 61 3 1 3VA Hospital - Long Beach 2 0 0 0
ORANGE COUNTYAnaheim General Hospital 2 0 0 0Anaheim Memorial Medical Center 19 3 3 4Chapman Medical Center 9 1 1 2Childrens Hospital of Orange County 32 5 3 14CHOC at Mission 1 1 1 4Coastal Communities Hospital 11 1 0 0Fountain Valley Regional Hosp & Med Ctr 41 1 0 0Garden Grove Hospital & Med Ctr 12 1 0 0Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian 47 8 6 20Huntington Beach Hospital 3 1 1 2Irvine Regional Hospital & Med Ctr 11 1 1 0Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Med Ctr 45 5 4 11Kindred Hospital Ontario 2 0 0 0Kindred Hospital Westminster 4 0 0 0Los Alamitos Medical Center 15 5 3 4Mission Hospital Regional Med Ctr 31 9 9 19
Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
14 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 3S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Mendez NIT Labs Play Critical Support Role
BY ELENA DE LA CRUZ
The success of transplantation relies on many factors; a vital one
is the accurate and quick blood testing of deceased donors. For this
step, OneLegacy partners with the Mendez National Institute of
Transplantation (MNIT), which operates the largest donor laboratory
in the United States.
Unlike other med-
ical laboratories,
MNIT’s labs focus
exclusively on donor
serology, offering the
latest technology in
screening and practices that are critical for donation to safely occur
within very narrow time constraints.
MNIT has two laboratories that operate 24/7 year-round. The
MNIT Serology Laboratory, housed next to OneLegacy’s corporate
offices in downtown Los Angeles, processes the first blood test from
a donor after consent is given to identify known diseases and viruses
that could endanger the recipient of a transplanted organ.
The second lab, the MNIT HLA Laboratory, is also called the
matchmaker, as it is responsible for identifying safe and compatible
matches between organ donors and recipients. The HLA lab strives to
identify the best matches, which can result in life expectancy of a
transplanted organ up to 10 years longer in half of cases.
Once samples are received, testing begins quickly, within 12 min-
utes. This is a critical step because fast results allow organ recovery
and transplant to occur sooner, and also enable doctors to anticipate
and plan any additional therapies.
The technology used in the serology laboratory, which allows for
detection of diseases and viruses present even in very small amounts,
along with their rapid testing turnaround time, has made MNIT the
premier lab of its kind in the U.S., contracted not only by OneLegacy
but also all organ recovery organizations in the continental U.S. west
of Colorado.
At other general labs, some of the testing would take a lot more
time, explained James Schellenberg, Chief Operating Officer of the
Mendez National Institute of Transplantation at the S. Mark Taper
Foundation Transplant Center. We also help interpret results to make
crucial decisions.
Our lab technicians get the satisfaction that they might not get in
other labs because they are part of the process of transplantation, said
Schellenberg. They know someone is on the operating table depend-
ing on the results. It’s a big motivator.
The two laboratories contribute to MNIT’s mission to advance the
science and technology of transplantation through research. We have
years and years of blood samples that allow us to do important retro-
spective studies to make the process of transplantation safer, added
Schellenberg.
If a trend emerges from donor testing - for instance, the appear-
ance of a virus like Chagas - MNIT’s research can establish the extent
of the threat and implement new additional testing in the future.
Because efforts to improve transplantation require patients to be
compliant with their post-transplant treatments, MNIT’s mission also
focuses on education. Their One-on-One Renal Disease Education
Program trains transplant recipients to inform dialysis patients about
the treatment options of transplantation, to educate patients about the
tremendous commitment needed to care for a transplanted organ, and
to assist them in becoming more proactive in their healthcare.
Through lab testing, research and education, MNIT plays a quiet
but essential role in making transplantation successful.
mitted in this country, a huge percentage of the donors would be
poor people. And if the recipients of kidneys, and not the govern-
ment, were paying for them, the practice would be viewed by many
Americans as allowing the rich to take advantage of the poor.
Such a perception would indeed be unfortunate. But it would not
be the worst-case scenario. It is possible that potential donors of
other organs — liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and small intestine —
would react negatively upon learning that people were being paid
for their kidneys. It might be that fewer drivers would sign up as
potential donors when getting or renewing their licenses because
they assumed that paid donors were filling the need.
Well aware of all of the questions and issues involved in this
matter, most of us in the field of organ donation and transplantation
are reluctant to call for a nationwide effort to pay for kidney dona-
tion. I believe the best way to proceed would be with small-scale
pilot programs that offer donors lifetime insurance coverage and see
what the effect would be.
Only if deceased and living donation improve across all socio-
economic groups should such incentives be expanded and
encouraged.
Thomas Mone is Chief Executive Officer and Executive VicePresident of OneLegacy. This article originally published in the LosAngeles Business Journal.
California USA
Kidney 16,083 78,997Liver 3,438 15,764Pancreas 136 1,548Kidney/Pancreas 475 2,276Heart 222 2,786Lung 182 1,964Heart/Lung 12 83Intestine 27 215
Total 20,091 101,224
for a part of Quentin to live on through the salvation of others.
The Ronald McDonald House provided rooms for our family and
a shuttle to and from the hospital. It was on this shuttle that family
members saw a jaundiced and very sick little girl. Asking around, we
learned the story of Maria, whose mother struggled to bring her to
Loma Linda for treatment and who was desperately in need of a liver
transplant. We requested that Maria receive Quentin’s liver and as fate
would have it, they were perfect matches.
I kept a journal throughout the ordeal, and in the very early morn-
ing of December 26, I wrote this entry:
We left you just now with the organ donation people. As we leftthe hospital, a chopper was landing on the roof as it did with you. Itwas almost poetic in a tragic sort of way. Ours was just one beat ofan unending rhythm. Some with a positive outcome, some negative -but the churn is happening everywhere 24X7. Right now the Hispanicgirl from the Ronald McDonald house is on an operating table andyou are about to save her life. Right now her mother is crying tears ofjoy and hopefully HER story will end well.
On Christmas day, Quentin passed and valiantly gave his own life
to save two individuals he didn’t know. We will never have the pride
of a high school graduation or wedding ceremony, but the pride we
feel for Quentin as a result of this gift helps to soothe the pain if only
a little bit.
The wind gently whispers your name, night fills your thoughts witha blanket of dew may the moon be your guide and night timemake all of your wishes come true.
Organ & Tissue Donation DataFollowing are key OneLegacy performance indicators for the 2008. (Source: OneLegacy data)
Continued from Page 1
QUENTIN: “You are about to save her life”
ORGAN TRANSPLANTWAITING LIST DATA
Source: UNOS. Based on OPTN data as of March 27, 2009
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec TOTAL
Organ Donors 39 31 33 31 38 26 33 32 34 30 33 41 400
Tissue Donors 138 107 116 103 123 116 121 125 120 122 149 169 1,509
Ocular-Only Donors 22 31 30 38 31 34 37 31 43 55 37 65 454
Kidneys Transplanted 62 46 45 54 51 41 51 45 59 45 44 62 605
Hearts Transplanted 14 7 12 12 10 11 11 10 16 10 13 12 138
Livers Transplanted 31 24 27 26 25 17 23 26 26 21 24 26 296
Lungs Transplanted 16 8 10 12 11 5 14 9 16 12 7 15 135
Pancreata Transplanted 5 3 9 4 3 4 6 7 9 4 3 3 54
Small Int. Transplanted 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6
Organs Transplanted 128 89 104 110 101 78 105 97 120 93 91 119 1,235
Organs Transplanted Per Donor 3.28 2.87 3.15 3.44 2.66 3.12 3.09 3.13 3.53 3.10 2.76 2.98 3.09
Organs Recovered for Research 8 16 12 9 13 1 5 3 4 9 5 8 93
Consent Rate 73.8% 66.0% 68.3% 76.4% 60.1% 61.7% 61.3% 68.6% 74.6% 54.7% 58.7% 58.7% 64.7%
Conversion Rate 75.0% 70.4% 64.7% 76.2% 61.3% 61.0% 61.8% 64.6% 77.3% 47.6% 58.9% 58.9% 63.9%
Save The Date!
Hospital staff are invited to attend
”Celebrating Our Partners“Donation and Transplantation Conference
and Awards CeremonyWednesday, May 20, 2009Downtown L.A. Marriott
Topics includeImproving Conversion Rates • Kidney Exchanges
Donation After Cardiac Death • Applications of Donated Tissue plus 2010 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Sneak Preview
For more information, contact Carla Hentz at [email protected]
Nina Astor helps Maria, the recipient of of Quentin’s liver, decorate the floragraph of her son. Below, Maria’s and Quentin’sfamilies pose in front of the Donate Life Rose Parade float withthe completed floragraph, which was sponsored by Loma LindaUniversity Medical Center.
13S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Continued from Page 10
INCENTIVES
O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 94
6 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
(1) Candi Sosa performs her signature song “Gracias a la Vida” (“ThankYou for Life”) in honor of Latino donors and their families. Sharing theirpersonal stories of courage in the face of adversity are (2) LeiaunaAnderson, whose liver transplant made it possible for her to become amother, and (3) Pam Charron, mother of ten-year-old donor Anthony.
Hundreds of Organ, TissueDonor Families WalkThrough ‘Fields of Gold’OneLegacy’s annual “Fields of Gold” Donor RemembranceCeremonies are a March tradition. This year, 230 organ and tissuedonors were honored by 1,300 family members at five events:UCLA, Loma Linda University, The Grand in Long Beach, theDoubletree Bakersfield, and a Spanish-language program atLuminarias in Monterey Park. Musical performances, donor familyand recipient speakers, and moving video tributes left families feel-ing close to their loved ones and appreciated for their decisions todonate life. Each program closed fittingly with a reading of thepoem “We Remember Them.”
2 3
1
A national report card prepared by Donate Life America shows an
increase of nine million donor designations over the last 18 months,
bringing the total number of registered donors in the United States to
nearly 80 million. By the end of May, California will have registered
five million designated donors.
Forty-six states and the
District of Columbia have first
person consent registries that
record legally binding decisions
of registered donors whose
choice can only be revoked by
that individual. The essential
role of state donor registries is
demonstrated by their impact on organ, tissue and eye recovery
nationwide:
At least 2,205 recovered organ donors, or 25.2 percent of the total
(vs. 19.1 percent in 2007), had joined their state donor registry before
their death. Since on average more than three organs are transplanted
per donor, an estimated 7,000 lives were saved by recovered desig-
nated donors.
A reported 8,239 recovered tissue donors, or 27.2 percent of the
total (vs. 26.7 percent in 2007), had joined their state registry before
their death. Given that the tissues from one donor can improve the
lives of 50 people or more, it is estimated that 2008 s donors saved or
healed the lives of more than 400,000 people.
U.S. Registered Donors
Up 9 Million Since 2007
Donate Life California Registry DataEnrollment as of March 31, 2009: 4,607,299
Donor Designation Rate, Q1 2009: 24.8%
Registered Donors Recovered in California
Organ % of Tissue % ofYear Donors Total Donors Total
2006 4 0.4% 26 1.4%
2007 33 4.0% 75 2.9%
2008 98 11.9% 183 6.4%
* Percentage of individuals enrolling in the state donor registryvia the DMV as a percentage of all DLs and IDs issued
DONATE LIFE ROSE PARADE FLOATApproximately 105 media stories focusing on Donate Life’s sixthRose Parade float entry appeared in the greater LA market:
Rose Parade Broadcasters
Nat’l TV: ABC, NBC, HGTV, Travel Channel, Unvision
Reg. TV: KTLA-5/Syndication, RFD (Midwest)
General
Reg. Newsp: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (2x), LA Daily News (2x),Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, PasadenaStar-News (3x), Press-Enterprise (2x), San BernardinoCounty Sun, San Gabriel Valley Tribune (4x), SantaBarbara News-Press (2x), Ventura County Star (2x)
Loc. Newsp: Antelope Valley Press, Brea-La Habra Star-Progress(2x), Californian (SW Riverside) (2x), Friday Flyer(Canyon Lake) (2x), La Canada Valley Sun (2x),Whittier Daily News (3x)
TV: KABC-7 (7x), KCAL-9 (2x), KCBS-2, KTLA-5 (CW),KTTV-11 (FOX) (2x), KGET-17 (NBC) Bakersfield (2x),KEYT-3 (ABC) Santa Barbara, KMIR-6 (NBC) PalmSprings (2x)
Radio: KABC Radio, KFWB News 980, KKLA 99.5FM (2x),KLOS 95.5FM, KOST 103.5FM (2x), KPCC 89.3FM
Spanish
Print: Hoy (2x), La Opinion (2x), MAS (Bakersfield)
TV: KAZA-54 (3x), KMEX-34 (Univision) (2x), KVEA-52(Telemundo) (2x), KWHY-22 (Telemundo), KRCA-62,Mega-TV (National), Univision (National) (4x)
Asian
Print: China Press, Chinese Daily News (2x), Sing Tao Daily(2x), Taiwan Daily, Nguoi Viet Daily News
Nat’l TV: Great Love TV, IB Live TV, Phoenix TV (2x), KXLA-44Saigon TV, Sky Link TV (2x), CTI Zhong Tien TV,
Radio: AM 1300/AM1600 (3x)
Summary of Coverage
LOS ANGELES TV Radio Newsp Mag ALLGeneral Market: 21 0 35 2 62Spanish: 14 1 4 0 19Asian: 9 3 11 0 24Total: 44 4 50 2 111
NATIONWIDE TV Radio Newsp Mag ALLGeneral Market: 84 13 144 5 259Spanish: 14 3 5 0 23Asian: 9 4 12 0 26Total: 125 20 161 5 308
Donation in the Media
S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y 11
donors to erase the current shortage of 45,000 kidneys a year.
Or, instead of a fixed amount for the kidney itself, should the
payment also cover expenses for hospitalization and recovery? And
what about wages lost by the donor during the donation and recov-
ery period? Should donors get guaranteed insurance coverage rather
than cash?
But these technical questions pale in comparison to other issues
that would be involved in paying for kidney donations.
A major concern is whether this country would be creating an
organ-growing class. In Iran, according to a recent study, 81 percent
of those who were paid for kidney donations are illiterate. They use
the money they make from selling their kidneys to eke out a living.
In India, the literacy rate among kidney donors is a little higher
but most are very poor. A recently published study of kidney dona-
tion in that country found that although donors might receive $5,000
to $10,000 for a kidney, little if any of that sum was used to improve
their lot or that of their families; 70 percent to 80 percent went to
repay debts.
This is not to suggest that paying for kidneys in America would
create a new layer of economic stratification. Few in this country are
as poor as in the countries that allow and encourage kidney dona-
tion. But there is little doubt that if payment for donation were per-
and more than double the total from 2006. Tissue recovery includes
corneas, skin for burn dressings, bone for fractures and to prevent
amputation, heart valves, tendons, and veins for cardiac bypass sur-
gery.
Most tissue recovered by OneLegacy eventually returns to our
area for use in medical procedures, said Mone. Given that corneas,
bone and skin from a single donor can save and heal up to 50 people,
we are proud to contribute to the wellness of so many in our diverse
communities.
Notably, in the fourth quarter of 2008, nearly 20% of organs recov-
ered by OneLegacy were from donors who had signed up on the
Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, which is co-
managed by OneLegacy and the state’s three other organ recovery
agencies. Donate Life California has enrolled more than 4.6 million
designated donors since 2005, with another one million joining every
six months.
We are seeing real progress, said Mone. Thanks to the gen-
erosity of Southern California donors and their families and the skill
of healthcare professionals, waiting lists for all organs except kidneys
are static or declining, the consent rate is at an all-time high, and tis-
sue donation is rapidly expanding in our service area, said Mone.
However, the need for donated organs and tissues is ongoing. We will
continue to expand our capabilities to ensure that donor families and
transplant recipients, their families and our community as a whole
benefit from the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation.
7S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y10 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
Continued from Page 1
2008: Tissue Sets Record OneLegacy Tissue Recovery Techs Serve in Iraq
BY ELENA DE LA CRUZ
Jamel Blount and Scott Henton first met in
the same National Guard platoon. Later they
worked together as tissue recovery technicians
for OneLegacy. Now they are back together, but
this time on a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.
Henton, married and father of four, took a
leave from his position in OneLegacy in the mid-
dle of March, shortly after receiving orders to
deploy. Blount had already been called to duty a
few months earlier, but returned briefly with
special permission to visit his fianc and new-
born baby daughter.
As they both shared, it was the medical train-
ing they received as soldiers that first oriented
them into the area of tissue recovery. As a sol-
dier you get a lot of training on how to save
lives, draw blood, put in an IV, and fix a fracture.
We have the basics down, says Henton.
Blount, who was a medical technician during
a previous tour of duty in Iraq, says the war pre-
pared him for his job at OneLegacy. I’ve seen
every type of injury you can possibly think of; it
is helpful in my work with OneLegacy. I helped
soldiers that needed saphenous veins, skin and
bone grafts. I am glad that in my work
I am able to recover tissue that could
help soldiers recover from injuries.
Henton noted one major differ-
ence in the work environments.
When I was doing medical stuff in
the military it was all dirt and dust,
never as sterile as the work we do for
OneLegacy!
For now, both are not directly
involved in anything remotely related
to tissue recovery.
As infantry in charge of convoy security,
our mission is to protect military and civilian
assets on the highways, said Blount.
Colleagues support their service to our coun-
try and OneLegacy. They are both very good
workers, and upon their return they will be wel-
comed back with open arms, said Aaron Cohen,
Manager of Recovery and Technical Services.
Embajadores and Chivas USA Bring Holiday CheerBY ELENA DE LA CRUZ
Kidney recipient Sergio Gomez knows how
tough it is to spend Christmas in a hospital, but
seeing children in that position was even
tougher. His desire to bring these children holi-
day cheer led him to create Donate Life Gives.
Donate Life Gives is an initiative of
Embajadores de Done Vida, the Spanish-speak-
ing arm of OneLegacy’s volunteer program. The
program collects gifts for children waiting for
transplants or under treatment in dialysis centers
during the holidays, giving them hope and cheer
during a special time of the year. The gift is
twofold: in addition to an age-appropriate toy,
they get a personal visit from transplant recipi-
ents who embody their hope for the future.
Thanks to the generous dona-
tion of donor parents Jayne and
Peter Stanyon’s Heart to Heart
Foundation of Canyon Lake and
others. A team of indefatigable
Embajadores led by Gomez and
OneLegacy Latino Community
Development Coordinator Sonia
Navarro along with members of
soccer team Chivas USA, deliv-
ered more than 200 presents to
children in December.
The toys were distributed to 90
pediatric patients in the dialysis
center, pediatric ICU and liver,
OneLegacy employees Scott Henton, abovewith his family, and Jamel Blount are current-ly serving our country on a six-month tour ofduty in Iraq.
Please see GIVES, Page 15
Chivas USA player Ativa Harris cheers a youngdialysis patient during a Donate Life Gives toydistribution. The Chivas USA jersey signed bypatients at the various hospitals was worn bySergio Gomez during his ride on the DonateLife float in the 2009 Rose Parade.
Continued from Page 2
INCENTIVES
In Iran, they use the money theymake from selling their kidneys to eke out a living.
Please see INCENTIVES, Page 13
8 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
(1) Four of nearly 1,000 volunteer decorators sit atop scaffolding todecorate “Stars of Life”. (2) One of the float’s 1,277 dedicatedroses honors a donor. (3) LAPD Chief William Bratton and LosAngeles County Sheriff Lee Baca place dedicated roses in honorof law enforcement officers touched by organ and tissue donation.(4) The 26-strong float rider Class of 2009 poses for the traditionallineup photo minutes before their journey down Colorado Blvd. (5) “Stars of Life” passes in front of the media grandstands, stun-ning the crowd and viewers at home with its groundbreakingdesign and meaningful purpose. (6) Center for Donation &Transplant float rider and donor father Jim Carter of Vermont car-ries a photo of his daughter Andrea on his five-mile journey. (7) St. Joseph Hospital float rider and kidney recipient AudreyVasquez of Orange County waves to some of the estimated onemillion parade spectators. (Photos 2-7 by Scott Weersing)
’Stars of Life‘ Shine at 2009 Rose ParadeThe Donate Life community's sixthRose Parade float entry, “Stars of Life,”was honored with its second consecu-tive award: the Queen’s Trophy for mosteffective use of roses. Thanks to theefforts of 60 organizations and thou-sands of individuals nationwide, 308media stories published nationwideabout the Donate Life float and its 26riders, 38 floragraph honorees, 14 Walkof Fame honorees, 1,277 dedicatedroses, and hundreds of decorators. TheDonate Life Float Committee is currently developing the float design for the2010 Rose Parade, themed “2010: A Cut Above The Rest.”
More photos and video are posted online at www.donatelifefloat.org.32
1
5
4
6 7
Reflecting on Pasadena: A Donor Mother s Journey
BY KIM MORSCHING
A week after my return from riding on
the Donate Life float in the 2009 Rose
Parade, I am still at a loss for the words to
describe my experience. Words like pro-
found, humbled, awed, beautiful, emo-
tional, and incredible, and phrases like
life changing, do not begin to describe my
experience. If I wanted to describe the
incredible beauty of the floats or the per-
fume of the flowers or the blueness of the
sky and the perfect weather of parade day,
I think I could find the words, but mere
words don’t seem powerful enough to
convey the emotion I still feel.
I am fairly new to this experience of
loss and organ donation, having only lost
my son, Kevin, 16 months ago. I remem-
ber thinking (when we lost Kevin) that I
could actually see angels. Sure, they had a
human form: nurses, doctors, organ dona-
tion staff, but I wasn’t fooled. You know
those people who do the job of assisting
you or your loved one so selflessly that
their job disappears and all you see is a
human being helping another human
being.
My ability to see them clearly has
dimmed with the months, but it was
renewed when working with all the indi-
viduals who saw to all the details of our
trip. From my sponsor, Musculoskeletal
Transplant Foundation, to the Donate Life
float operations staff, and even the float
builder, Phoenix Decorating, I am sure
that I was in the presence of a lifetime’s
worth of angels.
I had read all of the stories on the
donatelifefloat.org website. I cried over
every one of them. Their stories of loss,
life and contribution are so empowering.
These individuals can and are changing
our world for the better. I was so humbled
to be included amongst them. I wanted to
meet each person and soak up their gifts.
I learned from Steve a new level of enthu-
siasm; from Jose and Theresa, ways to
inspire the community; from Susan, fear-
lessness; from Mary, gentleness; from
Sergio, connecting with people; from
Randi; facing and accepting life experi-
ences; from Ruth, Ron and Peter, friend-
ship; from Lily, , inclusiveness; from Jim,
kindness; and from Eric and Jenna,
strength of family. I can’t imagine what
else I would have learned given more
time to connect with the rest of the float
riders and floragraph families.
I was greatly unprepared for the emo-
tion I felt while riding on the float. I did
not realize how much of a connection I
would make with people lining the parade
route. I was particularly touched by the
women in the crowd. As I passed by, hold-
ing a picture of my son, I could see tears in
their eyes. Many touched their hearts or
their lips and then held their hand out to
me. In that second, we connected - woman
to woman, mother to mother. It was beau-
tiful, intense and profound.
A week after my return I am still in
awe. I will forever be changed by my expe-
rience. The challenges that recipients face,
the continued giving of donor families, and
the generous spirits of those involved with
donation organizations will be with me for-
ever. I don’t think that I can ever accurate-
ly share my experience with words, but I
hope that people will see the effect of my
time in Pasadena in my actions.
Kim Morsching lives in Rapid City,S.D. Her website heroesripple.com provides resources to people who havelost a loved one.
I was greatlyunprepared forthe emotion I feltwhile riding onthe float.
9S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF)sponsored Kim Morsching’s ride aboard the2009 Donate Life Rose Parade float ‘Stars ofLife’ in memory of her son Kevin, a tissuedonor.
8 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
(1) Four of nearly 1,000 volunteer decorators sit atop scaffolding todecorate “Stars of Life”. (2) One of the float’s 1,277 dedicatedroses honors a donor. (3) LAPD Chief William Bratton and LosAngeles County Sheriff Lee Baca place dedicated roses in honorof law enforcement officers touched by organ and tissue donation.(4) The 26-strong float rider Class of 2009 poses for the traditionallineup photo minutes before their journey down Colorado Blvd. (5) “Stars of Life” passes in front of the media grandstands, stun-ning the crowd and viewers at home with its groundbreakingdesign and meaningful purpose. (6) Center for Donation &Transplant float rider and donor father Jim Carter of Vermont car-ries a photo of his daughter Andrea on his five-mile journey. (7) St. Joseph Hospital float rider and kidney recipient AudreyVasquez of Orange County waves to some of the estimated onemillion parade spectators. (Photos 2-7 by Scott Weersing)
’Stars of Life‘ Shine at 2009 Rose ParadeThe Donate Life community's sixthRose Parade float entry, “Stars of Life,”was honored with its second consecu-tive award: the Queen’s Trophy for mosteffective use of roses. Thanks to theefforts of 60 organizations and thou-sands of individuals nationwide, 308media stories published nationwideabout the Donate Life float and its 26riders, 38 floragraph honorees, 14 Walkof Fame honorees, 1,277 dedicatedroses, and hundreds of decorators. TheDonate Life Float Committee is currently developing the float design for the2010 Rose Parade, themed “2010: A Cut Above The Rest.”
More photos and video are posted online at www.donatelifefloat.org.32
1
5
4
6 7
Reflecting on Pasadena: A Donor Mother s Journey
BY KIM MORSCHING
A week after my return from riding on
the Donate Life float in the 2009 Rose
Parade, I am still at a loss for the words to
describe my experience. Words like pro-
found, humbled, awed, beautiful, emo-
tional, and incredible, and phrases like
life changing, do not begin to describe my
experience. If I wanted to describe the
incredible beauty of the floats or the per-
fume of the flowers or the blueness of the
sky and the perfect weather of parade day,
I think I could find the words, but mere
words don’t seem powerful enough to
convey the emotion I still feel.
I am fairly new to this experience of
loss and organ donation, having only lost
my son, Kevin, 16 months ago. I remem-
ber thinking (when we lost Kevin) that I
could actually see angels. Sure, they had a
human form: nurses, doctors, organ dona-
tion staff, but I wasn’t fooled. You know
those people who do the job of assisting
you or your loved one so selflessly that
their job disappears and all you see is a
human being helping another human
being.
My ability to see them clearly has
dimmed with the months, but it was
renewed when working with all the indi-
viduals who saw to all the details of our
trip. From my sponsor, Musculoskeletal
Transplant Foundation, to the Donate Life
float operations staff, and even the float
builder, Phoenix Decorating, I am sure
that I was in the presence of a lifetime’s
worth of angels.
I had read all of the stories on the
donatelifefloat.org website. I cried over
every one of them. Their stories of loss,
life and contribution are so empowering.
These individuals can and are changing
our world for the better. I was so humbled
to be included amongst them. I wanted to
meet each person and soak up their gifts.
I learned from Steve a new level of enthu-
siasm; from Jose and Theresa, ways to
inspire the community; from Susan, fear-
lessness; from Mary, gentleness; from
Sergio, connecting with people; from
Randi; facing and accepting life experi-
ences; from Ruth, Ron and Peter, friend-
ship; from Lily, , inclusiveness; from Jim,
kindness; and from Eric and Jenna,
strength of family. I can’t imagine what
else I would have learned given more
time to connect with the rest of the float
riders and floragraph families.
I was greatly unprepared for the emo-
tion I felt while riding on the float. I did
not realize how much of a connection I
would make with people lining the parade
route. I was particularly touched by the
women in the crowd. As I passed by, hold-
ing a picture of my son, I could see tears in
their eyes. Many touched their hearts or
their lips and then held their hand out to
me. In that second, we connected - woman
to woman, mother to mother. It was beau-
tiful, intense and profound.
A week after my return I am still in
awe. I will forever be changed by my expe-
rience. The challenges that recipients face,
the continued giving of donor families, and
the generous spirits of those involved with
donation organizations will be with me for-
ever. I don’t think that I can ever accurate-
ly share my experience with words, but I
hope that people will see the effect of my
time in Pasadena in my actions.
Kim Morsching lives in Rapid City,S.D. Her website heroesripple.com provides resources to people who havelost a loved one.
I was greatlyunprepared forthe emotion I feltwhile riding onthe float.
9S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF)sponsored Kim Morsching’s ride aboard the2009 Donate Life Rose Parade float ‘Stars ofLife’ in memory of her son Kevin, a tissuedonor.
donors to erase the current shortage of 45,000 kidneys a year.
Or, instead of a fixed amount for the kidney itself, should the
payment also cover expenses for hospitalization and recovery? And
what about wages lost by the donor during the donation and recov-
ery period? Should donors get guaranteed insurance coverage rather
than cash?
But these technical questions pale in comparison to other issues
that would be involved in paying for kidney donations.
A major concern is whether this country would be creating an
organ-growing class. In Iran, according to a recent study, 81 percent
of those who were paid for kidney donations are illiterate. They use
the money they make from selling their kidneys to eke out a living.
In India, the literacy rate among kidney donors is a little higher
but most are very poor. A recently published study of kidney dona-
tion in that country found that although donors might receive $5,000
to $10,000 for a kidney, little if any of that sum was used to improve
their lot or that of their families; 70 percent to 80 percent went to
repay debts.
This is not to suggest that paying for kidneys in America would
create a new layer of economic stratification. Few in this country are
as poor as in the countries that allow and encourage kidney dona-
tion. But there is little doubt that if payment for donation were per-
and more than double the total from 2006. Tissue recovery includes
corneas, skin for burn dressings, bone for fractures and to prevent
amputation, heart valves, tendons, and veins for cardiac bypass sur-
gery.
Most tissue recovered by OneLegacy eventually returns to our
area for use in medical procedures, said Mone. Given that corneas,
bone and skin from a single donor can save and heal up to 50 people,
we are proud to contribute to the wellness of so many in our diverse
communities.
Notably, in the fourth quarter of 2008, nearly 20% of organs recov-
ered by OneLegacy were from donors who had signed up on the
Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, which is co-
managed by OneLegacy and the state’s three other organ recovery
agencies. Donate Life California has enrolled more than 4.6 million
designated donors since 2005, with another one million joining every
six months.
We are seeing real progress, said Mone. Thanks to the gen-
erosity of Southern California donors and their families and the skill
of healthcare professionals, waiting lists for all organs except kidneys
are static or declining, the consent rate is at an all-time high, and tis-
sue donation is rapidly expanding in our service area, said Mone.
However, the need for donated organs and tissues is ongoing. We will
continue to expand our capabilities to ensure that donor families and
transplant recipients, their families and our community as a whole
benefit from the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation.
7S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y10 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
Continued from Page 1
2008: Tissue Sets Record OneLegacy Tissue Recovery Techs Serve in Iraq
BY ELENA DE LA CRUZ
Jamel Blount and Scott Henton first met in
the same National Guard platoon. Later they
worked together as tissue recovery technicians
for OneLegacy. Now they are back together, but
this time on a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.
Henton, married and father of four, took a
leave from his position in OneLegacy in the mid-
dle of March, shortly after receiving orders to
deploy. Blount had already been called to duty a
few months earlier, but returned briefly with
special permission to visit his fianc and new-
born baby daughter.
As they both shared, it was the medical train-
ing they received as soldiers that first oriented
them into the area of tissue recovery. As a sol-
dier you get a lot of training on how to save
lives, draw blood, put in an IV, and fix a fracture.
We have the basics down, says Henton.
Blount, who was a medical technician during
a previous tour of duty in Iraq, says the war pre-
pared him for his job at OneLegacy. I’ve seen
every type of injury you can possibly think of; it
is helpful in my work with OneLegacy. I helped
soldiers that needed saphenous veins, skin and
bone grafts. I am glad that in my work
I am able to recover tissue that could
help soldiers recover from injuries.
Henton noted one major differ-
ence in the work environments.
When I was doing medical stuff in
the military it was all dirt and dust,
never as sterile as the work we do for
OneLegacy!
For now, both are not directly
involved in anything remotely related
to tissue recovery.
As infantry in charge of convoy security,
our mission is to protect military and civilian
assets on the highways, said Blount.
Colleagues support their service to our coun-
try and OneLegacy. They are both very good
workers, and upon their return they will be wel-
comed back with open arms, said Aaron Cohen,
Manager of Recovery and Technical Services.
Embajadores and Chivas USA Bring Holiday CheerBY ELENA DE LA CRUZ
Kidney recipient Sergio Gomez knows how
tough it is to spend Christmas in a hospital, but
seeing children in that position was even
tougher. His desire to bring these children holi-
day cheer led him to create Donate Life Gives.
Donate Life Gives is an initiative of
Embajadores de Done Vida, the Spanish-speak-
ing arm of OneLegacy’s volunteer program. The
program collects gifts for children waiting for
transplants or under treatment in dialysis centers
during the holidays, giving them hope and cheer
during a special time of the year. The gift is
twofold: in addition to an age-appropriate toy,
they get a personal visit from transplant recipi-
ents who embody their hope for the future.
Thanks to the generous dona-
tion of donor parents Jayne and
Peter Stanyon’s Heart to Heart
Foundation of Canyon Lake and
others. A team of indefatigable
Embajadores led by Gomez and
OneLegacy Latino Community
Development Coordinator Sonia
Navarro along with members of
soccer team Chivas USA, deliv-
ered more than 200 presents to
children in December.
The toys were distributed to 90
pediatric patients in the dialysis
center, pediatric ICU and liver,
OneLegacy employees Scott Henton, abovewith his family, and Jamel Blount are current-ly serving our country on a six-month tour ofduty in Iraq.
Please see GIVES, Page 15
Chivas USA player Ativa Harris cheers a youngdialysis patient during a Donate Life Gives toydistribution. The Chivas USA jersey signed bypatients at the various hospitals was worn bySergio Gomez during his ride on the DonateLife float in the 2009 Rose Parade.
Continued from Page 2
INCENTIVES
In Iran, they use the money theymake from selling their kidneys to eke out a living.
Please see INCENTIVES, Page 13
6 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
(1) Candi Sosa performs her signature song “Gracias a la Vida” (“ThankYou for Life”) in honor of Latino donors and their families. Sharing theirpersonal stories of courage in the face of adversity are (2) LeiaunaAnderson, whose liver transplant made it possible for her to become amother, and (3) Pam Charron, mother of ten-year-old donor Anthony.
Hundreds of Organ, TissueDonor Families WalkThrough ‘Fields of Gold’OneLegacy’s annual “Fields of Gold” Donor RemembranceCeremonies are a March tradition. This year, 230 organ and tissuedonors were honored by 1,300 family members at five events:UCLA, Loma Linda University, The Grand in Long Beach, theDoubletree Bakersfield, and a Spanish-language program atLuminarias in Monterey Park. Musical performances, donor familyand recipient speakers, and moving video tributes left families feel-ing close to their loved ones and appreciated for their decisions todonate life. Each program closed fittingly with a reading of thepoem “We Remember Them.”
2 3
1
A national report card prepared by Donate Life America shows an
increase of nine million donor designations over the last 18 months,
bringing the total number of registered donors in the United States to
nearly 80 million. By the end of May, California will have registered
five million designated donors.
Forty-six states and the
District of Columbia have first
person consent registries that
record legally binding decisions
of registered donors whose
choice can only be revoked by
that individual. The essential
role of state donor registries is
demonstrated by their impact on organ, tissue and eye recovery
nationwide:
At least 2,205 recovered organ donors, or 25.2 percent of the total
(vs. 19.1 percent in 2007), had joined their state donor registry before
their death. Since on average more than three organs are transplanted
per donor, an estimated 7,000 lives were saved by recovered desig-
nated donors.
A reported 8,239 recovered tissue donors, or 27.2 percent of the
total (vs. 26.7 percent in 2007), had joined their state registry before
their death. Given that the tissues from one donor can improve the
lives of 50 people or more, it is estimated that 2008 s donors saved or
healed the lives of more than 400,000 people.
U.S. Registered Donors
Up 9 Million Since 2007
Donate Life California Registry DataEnrollment as of March 31, 2009: 4,607,299
Donor Designation Rate, Q1 2009: 24.8%
Registered Donors Recovered in California
Organ % of Tissue % ofYear Donors Total Donors Total
2006 4 0.4% 26 1.4%
2007 33 4.0% 75 2.9%
2008 98 11.9% 183 6.4%
* Percentage of individuals enrolling in the state donor registryvia the DMV as a percentage of all DLs and IDs issued
DONATE LIFE ROSE PARADE FLOATApproximately 105 media stories focusing on Donate Life’s sixthRose Parade float entry appeared in the greater LA market:
Rose Parade Broadcasters
Nat’l TV: ABC, NBC, HGTV, Travel Channel, Unvision
Reg. TV: KTLA-5/Syndication, RFD (Midwest)
General
Reg. Newsp: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (2x), LA Daily News (2x),Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, PasadenaStar-News (3x), Press-Enterprise (2x), San BernardinoCounty Sun, San Gabriel Valley Tribune (4x), SantaBarbara News-Press (2x), Ventura County Star (2x)
Loc. Newsp: Antelope Valley Press, Brea-La Habra Star-Progress(2x), Californian (SW Riverside) (2x), Friday Flyer(Canyon Lake) (2x), La Canada Valley Sun (2x),Whittier Daily News (3x)
TV: KABC-7 (7x), KCAL-9 (2x), KCBS-2, KTLA-5 (CW),KTTV-11 (FOX) (2x), KGET-17 (NBC) Bakersfield (2x),KEYT-3 (ABC) Santa Barbara, KMIR-6 (NBC) PalmSprings (2x)
Radio: KABC Radio, KFWB News 980, KKLA 99.5FM (2x),KLOS 95.5FM, KOST 103.5FM (2x), KPCC 89.3FM
Spanish
Print: Hoy (2x), La Opinion (2x), MAS (Bakersfield)
TV: KAZA-54 (3x), KMEX-34 (Univision) (2x), KVEA-52(Telemundo) (2x), KWHY-22 (Telemundo), KRCA-62,Mega-TV (National), Univision (National) (4x)
Asian
Print: China Press, Chinese Daily News (2x), Sing Tao Daily(2x), Taiwan Daily, Nguoi Viet Daily News
Nat’l TV: Great Love TV, IB Live TV, Phoenix TV (2x), KXLA-44Saigon TV, Sky Link TV (2x), CTI Zhong Tien TV,
Radio: AM 1300/AM1600 (3x)
Summary of Coverage
LOS ANGELES TV Radio Newsp Mag ALLGeneral Market: 21 0 35 2 62Spanish: 14 1 4 0 19Asian: 9 3 11 0 24Total: 44 4 50 2 111
NATIONWIDE TV Radio Newsp Mag ALLGeneral Market: 84 13 144 5 259Spanish: 14 3 5 0 23Asian: 9 4 12 0 26Total: 125 20 161 5 308
Donation in the Media
S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y 11
The observance of National
Donate Life Month in the
Southland kicked off with the
5th Annual Frankie Hernandez
Legacy of Life Baseball
Tournament on March 28-29 in
North Hollywood.
The youth baseball tourna-
ment honors Frankie Hernandez
(right), an All-Star baseball play-
er from Arleta, who became an
organ donor in 2005 at age nine.
Participants included 20 elite competitive-level teams in four age
divisions between ages seven and 12. The tournament, hosted by
Frankie’s family and his former baseball coach, Marco Martinez, was
founded in 2005 by Frankie’s mother, Erica Rangel-B ez.
Proceeds from the event will sponsor a donor family to attend
the U.S. Transplant Games in Madison, Wis. in July 2010.
In addition to sponsoring and organizing the baseball tourna-
ment, she gathers a walking team in Frankie s honor at the annual
Donate Life Run/Walk at Cal State fullerton, to be held this year on
Saturday, April 25.
POR ELENA DE LA CRUZ
Sergio G mez, beneficiado de un ri n y Embajador muy acti-
vo de OneLegacy, sabe lo dif cil que es pasar la Navidad en un
hospital, pero ver a ni os en la misma situaci n es todav a m s
dif cil. Por eso puso manos a la obra y cre Done Vida Regala.
Done Vida Regala se enfoca exclusivamente en dar juguetes a
ni os a la espera de un trasplante o en tratamiento en centros de
di lisis. Al mismo tiempo, al ser entregados por beneficiados de
trasplantes, los ni os pueden comprobar de primera mano el resul-
tado de personas que han recibido el regalo de vida que ellos est n
esperando.
Gracias a las generosa donaci n de juguetes de la Fundaci n
Heart to Heart, empleados de OneLegacy y sus voluntarios, y la
porra de Chivas USA, estas Navidades Sergio G mez y un grupo
de Embajadores—los voluntarios hispanos de OneLegacy—pusieron
m s de 200 regalos directamente en las manos de ni os enfermos.
Los juguetes fueron distribuidos entre: 90 pacientes pedi tricos
d los departamentos de Nefrolog a, Cuidados Intensos, e H gado,
Coraz n, y Pulm n de Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; 30
pacientes en el departamento nefrol gico del Hospital Cedars
Sinai; 33 en la divisi n de Coraz n, H gado y Pulm n de Loma
Linda University Children’s Hospital; 15 adolescentes en
Cuidados Intensivos de Pediatr a de UC Irvine; y 25 adolescentes
en Cuidados Intensivos de Pediatr a de UCLA.
Un aliciente a adido para los ni os es que les entregaron los
regalos dos jugadores de futbol del equipo Chivas USA: Atiba
Harris y Gerson Mayen, quienes tambi n tuvieron que firmar
numerosos aut grafos.
Agradecemos mucho la oportunidad que Done Vida Regala
nos da para iluminarle un d a a un ni o durante las fiestas , afir-
m el jugador Atiba Harris, quien se conmovi mucho con la
experiencia y se mostr sorprendido al comprobar cuantos ni os
hay en la lista de espera.
Felicitaciones a Sergio Gomez y Sonia Navarro, Coordinadora
del Desarrollo de la Comunidad Latina de OneLegacy, quienes
coordinaron las visitas a los hospitales, y a lo siguientes
Embajadores que tomaron tiempo para clasificarlos por edades y
distribuirlos: Mina y Richard Gonz lez, Ana Maria Villalobos,
Claudia Estrada, Jes s y Icela Nava, Eva y Arnoldo P rez,
Suzanne Gonz lez y Laura Guzm n.
5
El Puente Una secci n especial para la comunidad latina
Done Vida Regala lleva juguetes a ni os
en di lisis o a la espera de un trasplante
S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
(1) Embajadores de Done Vida tras organizar los regalos para cada cen-tro de transplante. (2) Ativa Harris, jugador de Chivas USA, junto a unpaciente de diálisis al que le entregó un regalo.
1
2
Kingdom Day Parade Honors Donate Life 'Legacies'BY RALPH SUTTON
For a second consecutive year, Donate Life’s Kingdom Day
Parade float entry won the Governor s Award for its inspiring mes-
sage promoting both organ and tissue donation and Dr. Martin
Luther King’s dream of a colorblind global community.
With its multicultural mix of riders representing recipients,
donors and their families, transplant candidates, surgeons, clergy
and transplant professionals, Legacies on the Tree of Life put a
face on organ and tissue donation for the thousands lining the parade
route along Martin Luther King Blvd. in South Los Angeles.
The float featured an ivy covered archway opening to a bridge
leading to a tree brought to life by autumn color leaves, each of
which bore a hand-painted dedication to donors from grateful recip-
ients. We chose our theme because of the life-renewing symbolism
of the Tree of Life, said float committee chairwoman and lung
recipient Eunice Gibson. It is a vital message that we reinforce as
Ambassadors in the African American community.
Scheduled float rider Dr. Rod Mateo, a transplant surgeon at
USC University Hospital, was called into surgery the night before
and arrived too late to ride, but nevertheless observed the impact of
Donate Life’s entry. There was a cause for celebration and hope in
everyone, and many recognized a culmination of Dr. King’s efforts
with the election of our president, he wrote. It was fitting that the
Tree of Life and [Donate Life] be part of the optimism and aspira-
tions of the community.
Legacy Honors Donor, His Love of the Game
Above, Frankie Hernandez’s mother Erica Rangel-Báez and sister Paolina(far left) and coach Marco Martinez (far right) join the South GateDemocrats, champions of the 12 & Under division.
YOUTH BASEBALL TOURNAMENT ATTRACTSTEAMS FROM THREE SOUTHLAND COUNTIES
12 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
mitted in this country, a huge percentage of the donors would be
poor people. And if the recipients of kidneys, and not the govern-
ment, were paying for them, the practice would be viewed by many
Americans as allowing the rich to take advantage of the poor.
Such a perception would indeed be unfortunate. But it would not
be the worst-case scenario. It is possible that potential donors of
other organs — liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and small intestine —
would react negatively upon learning that people were being paid
for their kidneys. It might be that fewer drivers would sign up as
potential donors when getting or renewing their licenses because
they assumed that paid donors were filling the need.
Well aware of all of the questions and issues involved in this
matter, most of us in the field of organ donation and transplantation
are reluctant to call for a nationwide effort to pay for kidney dona-
tion. I believe the best way to proceed would be with small-scale
pilot programs that offer donors lifetime insurance coverage and see
what the effect would be.
Only if deceased and living donation improve across all socio-
economic groups should such incentives be expanded and
encouraged.
Thomas Mone is Chief Executive Officer and Executive VicePresident of OneLegacy. This article originally published in the LosAngeles Business Journal.
California USA
Kidney 16,083 78,997Liver 3,438 15,764Pancreas 136 1,548Kidney/Pancreas 475 2,276Heart 222 2,786Lung 182 1,964Heart/Lung 12 83Intestine 27 215
Total 20,091 101,224
for a part of Quentin to live on through the salvation of others.
The Ronald McDonald House provided rooms for our family and
a shuttle to and from the hospital. It was on this shuttle that family
members saw a jaundiced and very sick little girl. Asking around, we
learned the story of Maria, whose mother struggled to bring her to
Loma Linda for treatment and who was desperately in need of a liver
transplant. We requested that Maria receive Quentin’s liver and as fate
would have it, they were perfect matches.
I kept a journal throughout the ordeal, and in the very early morn-
ing of December 26, I wrote this entry:
We left you just now with the organ donation people. As we leftthe hospital, a chopper was landing on the roof as it did with you. Itwas almost poetic in a tragic sort of way. Ours was just one beat ofan unending rhythm. Some with a positive outcome, some negative -but the churn is happening everywhere 24X7. Right now the Hispanicgirl from the Ronald McDonald house is on an operating table andyou are about to save her life. Right now her mother is crying tears ofjoy and hopefully HER story will end well.
On Christmas day, Quentin passed and valiantly gave his own life
to save two individuals he didn’t know. We will never have the pride
of a high school graduation or wedding ceremony, but the pride we
feel for Quentin as a result of this gift helps to soothe the pain if only
a little bit.
The wind gently whispers your name, night fills your thoughts witha blanket of dew may the moon be your guide and night timemake all of your wishes come true.
Organ & Tissue Donation DataFollowing are key OneLegacy performance indicators for the 2008. (Source: OneLegacy data)
Continued from Page 1
QUENTIN: “You are about to save her life”
ORGAN TRANSPLANTWAITING LIST DATA
Source: UNOS. Based on OPTN data as of March 27, 2009
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec TOTAL
Organ Donors 39 31 33 31 38 26 33 32 34 30 33 41 400
Tissue Donors 138 107 116 103 123 116 121 125 120 122 149 169 1,509
Ocular-Only Donors 22 31 30 38 31 34 37 31 43 55 37 65 454
Kidneys Transplanted 62 46 45 54 51 41 51 45 59 45 44 62 605
Hearts Transplanted 14 7 12 12 10 11 11 10 16 10 13 12 138
Livers Transplanted 31 24 27 26 25 17 23 26 26 21 24 26 296
Lungs Transplanted 16 8 10 12 11 5 14 9 16 12 7 15 135
Pancreata Transplanted 5 3 9 4 3 4 6 7 9 4 3 3 54
Small Int. Transplanted 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6
Organs Transplanted 128 89 104 110 101 78 105 97 120 93 91 119 1,235
Organs Transplanted Per Donor 3.28 2.87 3.15 3.44 2.66 3.12 3.09 3.13 3.53 3.10 2.76 2.98 3.09
Organs Recovered for Research 8 16 12 9 13 1 5 3 4 9 5 8 93
Consent Rate 73.8% 66.0% 68.3% 76.4% 60.1% 61.7% 61.3% 68.6% 74.6% 54.7% 58.7% 58.7% 64.7%
Conversion Rate 75.0% 70.4% 64.7% 76.2% 61.3% 61.0% 61.8% 64.6% 77.3% 47.6% 58.9% 58.9% 63.9%
Save The Date!
Hospital staff are invited to attend
”Celebrating Our Partners“Donation and Transplantation Conference
and Awards CeremonyWednesday, May 20, 2009Downtown L.A. Marriott
Topics includeImproving Conversion Rates • Kidney Exchanges
Donation After Cardiac Death • Applications of Donated Tissue plus 2010 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Sneak Preview
For more information, contact Carla Hentz at [email protected]
Nina Astor helps Maria, the recipient of of Quentin’s liver, decorate the floragraph of her son. Below, Maria’s and Quentin’sfamilies pose in front of the Donate Life Rose Parade float withthe completed floragraph, which was sponsored by Loma LindaUniversity Medical Center.
13S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Continued from Page 10
INCENTIVES
O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 94
KERN COUNTYBakersfield Heart Hospital 4 0 0 0Bakersfield Memorial Hospital 30 5 3 9Delano Regional Medical Center 3 0 0 0Kern Medical Center 68 10 8 32Mercy Hospital 82 10 7 24Mercy Southwest Hospital 1 0 0 0Mercy Westside Hospital 1 0 0 0Ridgecrest Regional Hospital 2 1 0 0San Joaquin Community Hospital 54 4 2 3
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - CENTRALAlhambra Hospital Medical Center 10 1 0 0Brotman Medical Center 3 0 0 0California Hospital Medical Center 49 14 4 13Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 83 18 11 41Century City Doctor's Hospital 2 0 0 0Children's Hospital Los Angeles 18 4 3 10Citrus Valley Intercommunity Hospital 3 0 0 0Citrus Valley Med Ctr - Queen of the Valley Campus 18 7 4 10East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital 1 0 0 0Garfield Medical Center 29 1 0 0Good Samaritan Hospital 32 6 0 0Greater El Monte Community Hospital 6 2 1 3Hollywood Community Hospital 1 0 0 0Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Med Ctr 18 1 0 0Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Med Ctr 64 10 4 9Kaiser Permanente West LA Med Ctr 22 2 1 1Kindred Hospital Santa Ana 1 0 0 0LAC + USC Medical Center 124 30 16 62Los Angeles Community Hospital 2 1 1 6Montclair Hospital Medical Center 1 0 0 0Monterey Park Hospital 1 0 0 0Olympia Medical Center 4 2 2 2Pacific Alliance Medical Center 2 1 0 0Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Ctr 44 9 4 7Promise Hospital of East LA, Suburban 1 0 0 0Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles 1 0 0 0Queen of Angels / Hollywood Presbyterian Med Ctr 13 2 1 3Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center 87 21 15 49San Dimas Community Hospital 1 0 0 0San Gabriel Valley Medical Center 7 2 0 0St. John's Hospital and Health Center 7 0 0 0St. Vincent Medical Center 5 0 0 0Tri-City Regional Medical Center 4 0 0 0UCLA Medical Center - Santa Monica 13 1 0 0USC University Hospital 23 1 1 4White Memorial Medical Center 22 6 3 7
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - NORTHAntelope Valley Hospital 58 9 7 16Encino Hospital Medical Center 7 1 1 3Foothill Presbyterian Hospital 14 1 0 0Glendale Adventist Medical Center 23 5 3 7Glendale Memorial Hosp & Health Ctr 14 3 2 5Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital 24 5 5 12Huntington Hospital 77 9 7 30Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Med Ctr 18 4 1 2Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Med Ctr 16 5 3 7
Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
Hospital Referral Data
LA County Olive View / UCLA Med Ctr 4 2 2 7Lancaster Community Hospital 18 3 2 4Methodist Hospital of Southern California 27 5 2 2Mission Commty Hosp - Panorama City 7 4 4 5Northridge Hospital Medical Center 37 5 3 12Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Med Ctr 2 0 0 0Providence Holy Cross Medical Ctr 60 19 11 42Providence Tarzana Medical Center 2 1 1 1Sherman Oaks Hospital & Health Ctr 6 2 1 0St. Joseph Medical Center 61 5 2 5Valley Presbyterian Hospital 17 1 1 7Verdugo Hills Hospital 3 1 0 0Vista Specialty Hospital of San Gabriel Valley 1 1 0 0West Hills Regional Medical Center 8 3 1 1
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - SOUTHBeverly Hospital 26 3 1 2Centinela Freeman Reg Med Ctr, Memorial 11 5 2 1Centinela Hospital Medical Center 61 16 6 12Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital 4 1 0 0Downey Regional Medical Center 25 5 3 13Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Med Ctr 4 0 0 0Kaiser Permanente Harbor City Med Ctr 6 0 0 0Kindred Hospital La Mirada 1 0 0 0LA County Harbor-UCLA Med Ctr 61 21 13 36Lakewood Regional Hospital 14 2 1 4Little Company of Mary - San Pedro Hosp 22 1 0 0Little Company of Mary Hospital 30 7 4 3Long Beach Community Med Ctr 4 1 1 2Long Beach Memorial Med Ctr 54 15 10 34Los Angeles Community Hospital - Norwalk 1 0 0 0Marina del Rey Hospital 4 2 2 6Memorial Hospital of Gardena 18 4 1 3Miller Children's Hospital 20 7 4 13Pacific Hospital Long Beach 3 1 1 3Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital 23 5 1 0Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center 1 0 0 0St. Francis Medical Center 112 33 20 81St. Mary Medical Center 46 7 4 8Torrance Memorial Medical Center 61 3 1 3VA Hospital - Long Beach 2 0 0 0
ORANGE COUNTYAnaheim General Hospital 2 0 0 0Anaheim Memorial Medical Center 19 3 3 4Chapman Medical Center 9 1 1 2Childrens Hospital of Orange County 32 5 3 14CHOC at Mission 1 1 1 4Coastal Communities Hospital 11 1 0 0Fountain Valley Regional Hosp & Med Ctr 41 1 0 0Garden Grove Hospital & Med Ctr 12 1 0 0Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian 47 8 6 20Huntington Beach Hospital 3 1 1 2Irvine Regional Hospital & Med Ctr 11 1 1 0Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Med Ctr 45 5 4 11Kindred Hospital Ontario 2 0 0 0Kindred Hospital Westminster 4 0 0 0Los Alamitos Medical Center 15 5 3 4Mission Hospital Regional Med Ctr 31 9 9 19
Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
14 O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 3S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Mendez NIT Labs Play Critical Support Role
BY ELENA DE LA CRUZ
The success of transplantation relies on many factors; a vital one
is the accurate and quick blood testing of deceased donors. For this
step, OneLegacy partners with the Mendez National Institute of
Transplantation (MNIT), which operates the largest donor laboratory
in the United States.
Unlike other med-
ical laboratories,
MNIT’s labs focus
exclusively on donor
serology, offering the
latest technology in
screening and practices that are critical for donation to safely occur
within very narrow time constraints.
MNIT has two laboratories that operate 24/7 year-round. The
MNIT Serology Laboratory, housed next to OneLegacy’s corporate
offices in downtown Los Angeles, processes the first blood test from
a donor after consent is given to identify known diseases and viruses
that could endanger the recipient of a transplanted organ.
The second lab, the MNIT HLA Laboratory, is also called the
matchmaker, as it is responsible for identifying safe and compatible
matches between organ donors and recipients. The HLA lab strives to
identify the best matches, which can result in life expectancy of a
transplanted organ up to 10 years longer in half of cases.
Once samples are received, testing begins quickly, within 12 min-
utes. This is a critical step because fast results allow organ recovery
and transplant to occur sooner, and also enable doctors to anticipate
and plan any additional therapies.
The technology used in the serology laboratory, which allows for
detection of diseases and viruses present even in very small amounts,
along with their rapid testing turnaround time, has made MNIT the
premier lab of its kind in the U.S., contracted not only by OneLegacy
but also all organ recovery organizations in the continental U.S. west
of Colorado.
At other general labs, some of the testing would take a lot more
time, explained James Schellenberg, Chief Operating Officer of the
Mendez National Institute of Transplantation at the S. Mark Taper
Foundation Transplant Center. We also help interpret results to make
crucial decisions.
Our lab technicians get the satisfaction that they might not get in
other labs because they are part of the process of transplantation, said
Schellenberg. They know someone is on the operating table depend-
ing on the results. It’s a big motivator.
The two laboratories contribute to MNIT’s mission to advance the
science and technology of transplantation through research. We have
years and years of blood samples that allow us to do important retro-
spective studies to make the process of transplantation safer, added
Schellenberg.
If a trend emerges from donor testing - for instance, the appear-
ance of a virus like Chagas - MNIT’s research can establish the extent
of the threat and implement new additional testing in the future.
Because efforts to improve transplantation require patients to be
compliant with their post-transplant treatments, MNIT’s mission also
focuses on education. Their One-on-One Renal Disease Education
Program trains transplant recipients to inform dialysis patients about
the treatment options of transplantation, to educate patients about the
tremendous commitment needed to care for a transplanted organ, and
to assist them in becoming more proactive in their healthcare.
Through lab testing, research and education, MNIT plays a quiet
but essential role in making transplantation successful.
MILESTONES On September 15, KarleenSamartan gave birth to son DevinChristopher…On November 29, Kari Kozuki wel-comed her second child, Ben…On January 29,Erik Arenas and family welcomed a baby boy.
WELCOME Administration: Lizette Dinsay,Human Resources Specialist…Danial Ishoo,Accounting Assistant…Mark Johnson, QualitySystems Process Engineer…Maria “April”Macias, Administrative Assistant…Ian Pham,Telecommunications Specialist…Kevin Pham,IS Network Administrator…ChristopherSariego, Media Relations Coordinator. ContactCenter: Bryan Bulthaup, Call CenterSupervisor…Rhubella Arata, Nickol Blackson,Kylie Bruce, Mary Concepcion, Kiera Dyer,Bobbi Jo Escher, Rigo Herrera, RoxanneGranske, Catherine Hartel, Willette Hurst,Sussan Johnson, Misti Laun, Melissa Lomeli,Liz Muscia, Ivette Nario, Ryan O’Dell, LoriPergo, Josh Rinker, Fatima Rivas, Sarah
Robbins, Shane Rodriguez and Lisette Sempe,Consent Approach Coordinators. OrganOperations: Jessica Bazanos, BenjaminBergstrom, Bryan Herring, Joseph Murray,Michael Romero and Margaret Seyffert,Procurement Transplant Coordinators…ChristyBethel, Lauren Feuerman, Samantha Rosenburgand Duane Turner, Hospital ServicesCoordinators. Tissue Operations: Shamir Hasan,David Ivie, Jia “Lina” Mao, Darren Ohara,Megan Sampson, Jessica Smalley, Lori Smith,Laura Teasley, Michelle Tillery and Ray Ycong,Surgical Recovery Technicians…Gina Capelo,Donor Information Coordinator…Jose Del Realand Marcos Seput, Central Supply Technicians.
ON THE MOVE Administration: Linda Aguilar,Administrative Assistant/Receptionist…Elenade la Cruz, Media Relations Specialist…PrasadGarimella, Chief Operating Officer and ChiefInformation Officer…Mary Goodwin, ClinicalResources Coordinator…Michelle Harris,Senior Accounting Assistant…ReneeHawthorne, Chief Development Officer …LidiaKinoshita, Clinical Education and ResearchAssistant…Clemen Sabah, Human Resources
Education Specialist…Tom Seto, IS SoftwareProject Manager. Contact Center: RoAna Lutz,Call Center Supervisor. Organ Recovery: NancyAllen and LuCyndi Ramirez, Managers, OrganProcurement…Woodi Anderson, Scott Bunting,Kren Campbell, Robert Morse, Alisa Suarez andKristina Wheeler, Organ ProcurementSupervisors…Wanda Jones, Manager,Procurement & Donation After Cardiac DeathProgram…Stacy Lane, Manager, OrganProcurement Standards and Procedures…Angela Mascarenhas, Medical RecordsAnalyst…Adam Teller, In-House HospitalServices Coordinator. Tissue Operations: StacyAnderson, Accounting Assistant.
BEST WISHES We wish the following formeremployees the best in their future endeavors: JodiAlexander, Deana Decarlo, Karen Detterich, JeffFleming, Pauline Gaughan, Tamra Grote, MaritaHarris, David Ivie, Jennifer Latham, Lina (Jia) Mao,John McCain, Jennifer McDowell, Megan Medel,Mariam Mollahassani, Ralph Navarro, RobertNordquist, Sam Oliveros, Peter Ramos, RigobertoRivera, Barbara Robles, Andra Kai Shaw, MonroeTinker, Matti Vigil and Laverne Wilson.
2
January 1 to December 31, 2008Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
Organ Elig Organ OrgansRefer Refer Donors Tx’d
O n e L e g a c y > T h e B r i d g e > S p r i n g 2 0 0 9
Orange Coast Memorial Med Ctr 5 0 0 0Placentia Linda Community Hospital 2 0 0 0Saddleback Memorial Med Ctr 16 5 4 7Saddleback Memorial Med Ctr - San Clemente 8 2 2 8South Coast Medical Center 5 0 0 0St. Joseph Hospital 16 1 0 0St. Jude Medical Center 35 4 1 0Tustin Community Hospital 1 0 0 0UCI Medical Center 140 28 21 59West Anaheim Medical Center 5 0 0 0Western Medical Center Anaheim 8 0 0 0Western Medical Center Santa Ana 72 17 14 51
RIVERSIDE & SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIESArrowhead Regional Medical Center 134 25 19 67Barstow Community Hospital 4 0 0 0Chino Valley Medical Center 6 1 1 5Community Hospital of San Bernardino 11 4 2 6Corona Regional Medical Center 18 3 1 5Desert Regional Medical Center 87 19 12 48Desert Valley Hospital 5 1 1 3Eisenhower Memorial Hospital 21 3 2 1Hemet Valley Medical Center 21 2 0 0Inland Valley Regional Medical Ctr 38 4 0 0Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Med Ctr 1 0 0 0John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital 21 1 0 0Kaiser Permanente Fontana Med Ctr 98 8 3 6Kaiser Permanente Riverside Med Ctr 23 0 0 0Loma Linda Community Medical Ctr 2 0 0 0Loma Linda University Medical Ctr 194 28 22 90Menifee Valley Medical Center 8 0 0 0Moreno Valley Community Hospital 1 0 0 0
15S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 < T h e B r i d g e < O n e L e g a c y
Crossroads
Palo Verde Community Hospital 1 0 0 0Parkview Community Hospital Med Ctr 19 0 0 0Rancho Springs Medical Center 11 3 2 7Redlands Community Hospital 12 1 0 0Riverside Community Hospital 40 8 3 12Riverside County Regional Med Ctr 90 17 11 30San Antonio Community Hospital 60 5 1 1San Bernardino County Medical Society 1 0 0 0San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital 3 1 1 0St. Bernardine Medical Center 112 2 2 5St. Mary Regional Medical Center 18 0 0 0Victor Valley Community Hospital 15 0 0 0
SANTA BARBARA & VENTURA COUNTIESCommty Memorial Hosp of San Buenaventura 12 0 0 0Lompoc District Hospital 3 0 0 0Los Robles Regional Medical Center 18 4 2 7Marian Medical Center 18 6 3 8Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital 44 12 5 12Simi Valley Hospital & Health Care Svcs 14 4 3 11St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital 1 0 0 0St. John's Regional Medical Center 30 7 4 16Ventura County Medical Center 24 2 1 2
OTHERQueen of the Valley / Napa 3 0 0 0Riverview Regional Medical Center 2 0 0 0UC San Diego 1 0 0 0University of Nebraska Medical Center 1 0 0 0
TOTAL 3924 676 400 1235
heart and lung programs at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; 30 chil-
dren in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center kidney program; 33 in the
heart, liver and lung divisions of Loma Linda University Children’s
Hospital; 15 teens in the pediatric ICU at UCI Irvine Medical Center;
and 25 teens at the pediatric ICU at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical
Center.
Many kids appreciated the presence of Atiba Harris and Gerson
Mayen, players for Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA, who signed
plenty of autographs in the process.
We really appreciate Donate Life giving us the opportunity to
brighten the day for many children during the holidays, said Harris,
who was deeply touched by the experience and surprised by the num-
ber of children who are waiting for a transplant.
Contributing time and effort to Donate Life Gives were
Embajadores Mina and Richard Gonzalez, Ana Maria Villalobos,
Claudia Estrada, Jes s and Icela Nava, Eva and Arnoldo Perez,
Suzanne Gonzalez and Laura Guzman.
Financial Incentives Might Expand Organ Donor PoolCOMMENTARY BY THOMAS MONE
In Los Angeles County and six neighboring counties, more than
6,000 people await donated kidneys to replace their own failing
organs. Nationally, the waiting list for those precious organs has
nearly 75,000 names on it. Unfortunately,
only a little more than one-fourth of that
number will have their needs met. The
others face an uncertain future that for
many will end in death.
This doesn’t have to happen. There are
literally millions of people in this country
who could make up that shortfall of 56,000
kidneys. Tests have long shown that
healthy human beings can function nor-
mally with just one of the two kidneys they were born with. So how
can more of those healthy people be motivated to give up a kidney?
At present, the satisfaction of helping others to survive is the
only reward that exists for organ donation in the United States. But
living donors are providing only about 6,000 kidneys a year (the rest
come from deceased donors). So it’s quite apparent that a stronger
incentive is needed.
It isn’t difficult to identify a stronger incentive. If potential
donors were offered cold, hard cash and made aware that they can
lead a normal life with a single kidney, there’s little doubt that the
donation rate would be much higher.
The United States
wouldn’t be breaking
any new ground if it
started authorizing
the purchase of kid-
neys. In at least three
c o u n t r i e s I r a n ,
Pakistan and the
Philippines paying
cash for kidneys has
been a standard practice for many years.
But to do so in this country would raise a number of concerns.
How much should be paid for a kidney - and who should pay it?
The recipient, or the government, via Medicare? A payment of
$5,000 would probably be sufficient to attract more than enough
Continued from Page 7
GIVES: Cheer for children
The Donate Life Gives committee gathers at OneLegacy’sCorporate office to organize the distribution of more than 200 toysfor area pediatric ICUs and transplant programs.
Please see INCENTIVES, Page 10
How can morehealthy people be motivated to give up a kidney?
On
eL
eg
acy
re
co
vere
d
a
co
mb
ined
2
,30
0
org
an a
nd t
issu
e d
onors
in 2
008,
help
ing t
o s
ave
and h
eal
nearl
y 1
00,0
00 l
ives.
OneL
egacy a
lso
achie
ved i
ts h
ighest
-ever
org
an d
onati
on c
onse
nt
rate
of
67%
, an i
mpro
vem
ent
of
four
perc
enta
ge
poin
ts o
ver
last
year’
s m
ark
, and 1
0 p
oin
ts a
bove
the a
vera
ge i
n 2
002-2
005.
Work
ing i
n c
oncert
wit
h m
ore
than 2
00 h
osp
i-
tal
part
ners
, O
neL
egacy c
oord
inate
d t
he r
ecovery
of
1,2
35 t
ransp
lante
d o
rgans
from
400 d
onors
in
2008.
Both
m
ark
s re
pre
sent
the
org
aniz
atio
n’s
second-h
ighest
recovery
tota
ls a
nd c
om
e a
s hos-
pit
al
staff
in
cre
asi
ng
ly
inte
gra
te
On
eL
eg
acy
’s
serv
ices
into
their
end-o
f-li
fe c
are
to b
enefi
t th
e
fam
ilie
s th
ey s
erv
e.
Less
th
an
10
years
ag
o,
on
ly h
alf
of
fam
ilie
s
appro
ached i
n h
osp
itals
gave c
onse
nt
for
dona-
tion.
Now
, a f
ull
tw
o-t
hir
ds
of
the f
am
ilie
s w
ith
the o
pp
ort
un
ity
to
do
nate
ch
oo
se t
o d
o s
o,
said
Tom
Mone, C
EO
and E
xecuti
ve V
ice P
resi
dent
at
On
eL
eg
acy.
Fu
rth
erm
ore
, n
earl
y t
hre
e-q
uart
ers
of
fam
ilie
s th
at
donate
org
ans
als
o g
ive c
onse
nt
for
tiss
ue d
onati
on.
Never
befo
re h
ave t
he f
am
i-
lies,
hosp
itals
and c
om
munit
ies
we s
erv
e b
een s
o
sup
po
rtiv
e o
f th
e D
on
ate
Lif
e m
issi
on
.
The c
om
munit
y’s
support
for
tiss
ue d
onati
on
is e
vid
enced b
y t
he c
onti
nued r
apid
expansi
on o
f
On
eL
eg
acy
’s
Tis
sue
Op
era
tio
ns.
In
2
00
8,
OneL
egacy
recovere
d
corn
eas
and
tiss
ue
from
1,9
60 d
onors
, a 3
4%
incre
ase
over
the y
ear
pri
or
BY
LO
UIS
DA
CH
IS
Quenti
n
Dachis
w
as
a
baby
who
made
heart
s m
elt
. H
is h
uge b
lue e
yes,
his
devil
ish
smir
ks
and h
is c
lutz
y m
anner
cause
d u
s to
be
stopped i
n p
ubli
c w
ith g
asp
s of
love.
Quenti
n w
as
16 m
onth
s old
when h
e f
ell
into
a b
ackyard
pool
on D
ecem
ber
22,
2003.
He
was
resu
scit
ate
d
and
air
lift
ed
to
Lom
a
Lin
da
Univ
ers
ity
Medic
al
Cente
r,
where
he
rem
ain
ed i
n a
com
a f
or
two d
ays.
Soon a
fter
it
becam
e cle
ar
that
Quenti
n w
as
not
goin
g to
pull
thro
ugh,
we w
ere
connecte
d w
ith r
epre
-
senta
tives
from
O
neL
egacy to
dis
cuss
org
an
donati
on.
Whil
e p
ain
ful
and d
iffi
cult
, th
e c
hoic
e t
o
all
ow
Quenti
n t
o h
elp
oth
ers
was
pla
inly
rig
ht.
It w
as
a w
ay t
o e
nsu
re o
ther
people
that
were
deali
ng w
ith l
ife a
nd d
eath
iss
ues
like w
e h
ad,
an
d w
ou
ld h
av
e a
bett
er
ou
tco
me.
It w
as
a w
ay
The
Bri
dge
Sprin
g 20
09
3M
ende
z N
ITLa
bs’
Criti
cal R
ole
4Do
nor D
ata
5El
Pue
nte
6‘F
ield
s of
Gol
d’Ho
nors
Don
ors
7Ti
ssue
Rec
over
yTe
chs
Serv
e in
Iraq
7‘D
onat
e Li
fe G
ives
’Ho
liday
Che
er
820
09 D
onat
e Li
feRo
se P
arad
e Fl
oat
11Do
nor D
esig
natio
nSo
ars
Nat
ionw
ide
12Tw
o Le
gaci
es
14Ho
spita
l Don
or &
Refe
rral
Dat
a
2008
: Nea
rly
100,
000
Live
s To
uche
d by
Reco
vere
d D
onor
s
Que
ntin
Dac
his
The
com
mun
ity n
ewsl
ette
r of
One
Lega
cy, t
he n
on-p
rofit
orga
n an
d tis
sue
reco
very
org
aniz
atio
n se
rvin
g th
e gr
eate
r Lo
s A
ngel
es a
rea
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
LOS ANGELES CA
PERMIT #32574
221 South Figueroa Street, Suite 500Los Angeles, CA 90012
800-338-611224-hour line for routine notification or donor referrals
www.onelegacy.org
Tom Mone
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President
Prasad Garimella
Chief Operating Officer andChief Information Officer
Renee Hawthorne
Chief Development Officer
Bobby Patton
Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance
Alan Cochran
Vice President of Quality Systems
Anita Corliss
Vice President of Human Resources
Bryan Stewart
Vice President of Communications
Esther-Marie Carmichael
Director, Governance and Governmental Affairs
Johnny Carwell
Director of Hospital Services - Tissue
Stephanie Collazo
Director, Clinical Education
Vicki Simmons
Director, Information Technology
Maria Stadtler
Director, Research Partnerships
Jim Trisch
Director, Donation Services
Sherry Watson
Director, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement
Management Team
Return Service Requested
1,23
5 OR
GAN
S TR
ANSP
LAN
TED
FROM
40
0 OR
GAN
DO
NOR
S;RE
CORD
1,96
0 EYE
/TIS
SUE
DON
ORS
Ple
ase
see Q
UE
NT
IN,
Page 1
3P
lease
see 2
008,
Page 1
0