CRMC earns highest level in organ donation education

Cookeville Regional Medical Center has earned Platinum Status, the highest level with the National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign for the third year in a row.

CRMC is one of 1,700 hospitals nationwide that helped add 59,000 organ donator registrations between October 2019 and May 2020.

“You all did a phenomenal job in raising awareness and education about organ donation,” said Bree Bailey, hospital development coordinator with Tennessee Donor Services. “From videos on social media to encouraging staff to wear blue and green, you really got the word out during Donate Life Month.”

There were five lives saved through CRMC organ donations, including a set of lungs, a first for CRMC. Two kidneys were also donated, along with one heart and one liver.

There were also 12 tissue donors. Tissues that can be donated include corneas, middle ear, skin, heart valves, bone, veins, cartilage, tendons and ligaments.

“Registering to be an organ donor is the ultimate life-saving gift,” said Paul Korth, CRMC CEO. “Achieving platinum status with this campaign is an accomplishment that takes teamwork.”

The campaign is led by David Phillips, director of surgery services, and Angela Craig, ICU nurse. Phillips has experience in the organ and tissue donation field, having previously worked as a tissue coordinator with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation in Ohio and then as an organ coordinator/tissue manager with the New York Organ Donor Network.

Plans are underway for next year’s campaign.