The Hidden Heroes of St. Joe’s
When we think of organ and tissue donation, the staff who are involved that we tend to think about first are the surgeons, doctors, nurses, and Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) coordinators who are directly involved in the patient’s care. While not as obvious at first, there are actually a variety of departments who are involved in the entire process of living and deceased donation as “Hidden Heroes.”
At St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, there are 11 departments who are involved in the full circle of care for a successful organ or tissue donation.
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Diagnostic Imaging (DI)
- The complex process of determining medical suitability/eligibility for donation often includes organ specific testing, such as chest X-rays, kidney and liver ultrasounds or CT’s, echocardiograms and cardiac angiograms. DI staff work diligently to ensure these tests are completed efficiently, knowing the time-sensitive nature of the organ donation process.
Palliative Care Consultation Team
- This team supports patients and their families with care and assistance with end of life decisions. As a part of this, the team helps patients and families identify what is most important to them. For some families, it is to become an organ donor in order to help others live more fully.
Mental Health and Addiction Program West 5th
- They are now reporting all deaths under 79 years old to TGLN to ensure that all patient wishes to donate tissue are honoured. One multi-tissue donor can enhance the lives of up to 75 people.
Security Services, Charlton & West 5th
- Security guards have enthusiastically engaged in donation activities. They play an integral role in the success of our tissue donation program as they protect our deceased donors by monitoring recovery personnel and making sure all wishes to donate are carried out prior to transfer of the deceased.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- ICU Staff are involved and support this complex process from beginning to end. Not only do they identify a potential donor and refer them to TGLN but they also care for the donor and try to optimize all organs so that more lives can be saved and support the donor family through the process alongside the TGLN Coordinator.
Portering
- Porters are often called upon to assist with the process of Donation-After-Cardiocirculatory Death in the ICU. After a patient passes away, the surgical recovery process begins quickly thereafter, which requires the support of those who know their way around the hospital. They also play a huge role in the transportation of deceased patient from the inpatient units, who often times go onto donate multi-tissue including bone, skin, corneas and heart valves.
Spiritual Care
- Spiritual Care staff go above and beyond to give families the much-needed emotional or spiritual support throughout all aspects of the donation process. They work very closely with the organ donation coordinator to assist families as they are facing the tragedy and loss of their loved one, while at the same time supporting the honourable decision to save lives through the gift of organ and tissue donation.
Social Work
- As families are confronted with the imminent loss of a loved one, complex issues surrounding the death can be overwhelming. Social work services provide these families with the support and resources necessary to move forward with end-of-life processes, which sometimes include donation. This support alleviates stress for these families, allowing the frontline staff to facilitate the process for a successful donation.
Emergency Department (ED)
- ED staff play a key role in ensuring that all potential donors are identified and the family is given the opportunity to make a thoughtful decision about donation. They work with the TGLN team to support the patients and families wishes.
Bed Allocation
- Bed Allocation personnel help facilitate tissue recovery by ensuring recovery coordinators have timely access to the patient and chart. Also they assist with getting the coordinators to the morgue and in locating patients and families for the coordinators with the clinical teams.