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The Pacific Northwest Transplant Bank of the 21st century bears striking similarities to — and differences from — the newborn PNTB of 1987. From a handful of organ procurement coordinators and fewer than two full-time support staff, PNTB has grown to 10 Portland-based clinical coordinators, two full-time and several per-diem Boise-based staff, three hospital services staff, four-plus support staff, a family services coordinator, a quality improvement coordinator, a resource coordinator, a clinical manager, an operations director and an executive director. The team numbers and specializations have expanded, but the mission of the OPO remains resolutely unchanged: to save and enhance lives through organ donation. In PNTB's early days, the coordinator went to Portland-area hospitals to manage donor cases and managed cases by telephone when the hospital was outside Portland. Upon placing organs, the coordinator and surgical teams traveled to the hospital to recover organs in the donor hospital's operating room. To improve our service to hospitals, PNTB hired additional coordinators and implemented the practice of going to the donor hospital regardless of location. Organ procurement coordinators respond in person to referrals in the Portland area and drive or fly onsite to all hospitals for actual organ donors. While onsite, they lead medical management of the donor, place organs for transplant according to the national waiting list, coordinate the incoming surgical team's arrival and assist in the operating room by acting as a circulator and organ perfusionist. PNTB's hospital services coordinators work with hospitals to ensure collaboration on organ and tissue donation and provide education as needed. They also provide assistance with organ and tissue donation policy development, statistics specific to the hospital's referral and donor activity, continuing education for nurses and physicians and medical record reviews to ascertain the hospital's donor potential. Our goals include increasing the donation consent rate to 75 percent and obtaining 100 percent referral of imminent deaths. PNTB's family services program provides follow-up and support to our donor families and facilitates donor family and recipient communication. The Family Services Program also works with donor family members who feel so strongly about the positive experience of donation that they decide to share their story with hospital staff and volunteer as guest speakers on behalf of PNTB or the Oregon Donor Program. For more information about PNTB and how we can assist your hospital, please contact Barbara Thompson, clinical director, at 503-494-5560. For organ donation referrals, call our 24-hour hotline at 800-344-8916. |