Hospital Champions for Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Recognized during Ohio Hospital Association Annual Meeting

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- There are more than 3,400 Ohioans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and every 48 hours, an Ohioan dies waiting. Tonight, Donate Life Ohio, the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) and the Ohio Department of Health's Second Chance Trust Fund recognized 47 Ohio hospitals working to address this issue and save lives by participating in the 2013-2014 Hospital Champions program, aimed at increasing organ, eye and tissue donor registration. The hospitals were recognized at the 2014 OHA Annual Meeting.

"There are more than 122,000 people nationwide that await a lifesaving organ transplant," said Lance Himes, Interim Director, Ohio Department of Health. "These hospitals participated in more than 1,300 programs to educate Ohio communities about organ, eye and tissue donation. This is nearly double the amount of participation we saw in last year's program."

Four hospitals received Platinum Partner status, including Bellevue Hospital of Sandusky County, St. Elizabeth Health Center of Mahoning County, Miami Valley Hospital of Montgomery County and University Hospitals Case Medical Center of Cuyahoga County. Platinum Partners are lauded for their exceptional donation advocacy.

"We are so proud of our hospital champions for committing to promote this important initiative to our communities," said Mike Abrams, OHA President and CEO. "We saw tremendous engagement from all our hospital partners who went above and beyond to support this cause."

Hospital Champions were recognized in categories based on their size and advocacy activities:

2013-2014 Hospital Champions

Platinum Partners
Bellevue Hospital, Small Hospital
St. Elizabeth Health Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
Miami Valley Hospital, Large Hospital
University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Transplant Center

Gold Partners
Adams County Regional Medical Center, Small Hospital
Akron General Medical Center, Large Hospital
Belmont Community Hospital, Small Hospital
Berger Health System, Small Hospital
Cleveland Clinic, Transplant Center
Community Hospitals & Wellness Centers – Bryan Hospital, Small Hospital
East Ohio Regional Hospital, Small Hospital
Fairfield Medical Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
Fisher-Titus Medical Center, Small Hospital
Fulton County Health Center, Small Hospital
Genesis HealthCare System, Community/Midsize Hospital
Kettering Medical Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
Licking Memorial Hospital, Community/Midsize Hospital
Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Large Hospital
Mercy Tiffin Hospital, Small Hospital
Mercy Willard Hospital, Small Hospital
ProMedica Flower Hospital, Community/Midsize Hospital
ProMedica St. Luke's Hospital, Community/Midsize Hospital
ProMedica Toledo Hospital and Toledo Children's Hospital, Large Hospital
Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center, Small Hospital
Southview Medical Center and Grandview Medical Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
Springfield Regional Medical Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
St. Joseph Health Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
St. Rita's Medical Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
Sycamore Medical Center, Community/Midsize Hospital
The MetroHealth System, Large Hospital
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Transplant Center
The University of Toledo Medical Center, Transplant Center
University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Transplant Center
Wilson Memorial Hospital, Small Hospital

Silver Partners
Lake Health, Community/Midsize Hospital
Nationwide Children's Hospital, Transplant Center

Participating Partners
Adena Health System, Community/Midsize Hospital
Cincinnati VAMC, Community/Midsize Hospital
Doctors Hospital OhioHealth, Community/Midsize Hospital
Fayette County Memorial Hospital, Small Hospital
Marietta Memorial Hospital, Community/Midsize Hospital
Mount Carmel East, Community/Midsize Hospital
Mount Carmel St. Ann's, Community/Midsize Hospital
ProMedica Bay Park Hospital, Small Hospital
Riverside Methodist Hospital, Large Hospital
Wood County Hospital, Community/Midsize Hospital

ABOUT DONATE LIFE OHIO
Donate Life Ohio is a coalition of the state's organ, eye and tissue recovery agencies dedicated to educating Ohioans about the need for organ and tissue donation. In this effort to increase donor registrations, they are joined by the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Public Safety. For more information, please visit www.DonateLifeOhio.org.

ABOUT SECOND CHANCE TRUST FUND
Through contributions made by individuals at Ohio's BMVs while receiving or renewing their Ohio driver's licenses or state identification cards, the Second Chance Trust Fund finances educational and action-oriented campaigns like the Green Chair campaign. A $1 contribution supports donation education in Ohio and gives hope to thousands of Ohioans waiting for a second chance through organ, eye and tissue donation.

ABOUT OHIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
OHA was established in 1915 and currently represents 167 hospitals and 19 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA is a membership-driven organization that collaborates with member hospitals and health systems to ensure a healthy Ohio. In 2012 Ohio hospitals contributed $73 billion to Ohio's economy and provided $3.1 billion in community benefits. For more information, visit www.ohanet.org.

SOURCE Donate Life Ohio