The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced awards for hospitals, organ procurement organizations and transplant programs across the nation for their success in increasing the number of organs available and transplanted. Lafayette General Medical Center was given a Bronze Award for achieving a 75 percent or greater collaborative conversion rate.

"Over the years, countless lives have been saved thanks to organ donation,” says LGMC President and CEO David L. Callecod, FACHE. "I can’t stress how important being an organ and tissue donor is, and how vital it is to Lafayette General’s mission to restore, maintain and improve health.”

"I applaud these award winners for bringing the ‘gift of life’ to so many,” says HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D. "Their tireless efforts to make improvements in the donation and transplantation field will continue to help save lives.”

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS supports the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice, which brings together donation and transplantation professionals, hospital staff and other professionals involved in the donation process to identify and share best practices.

HRSA is also in the midst of a national Hospital Organ Donation Campaign, which enlists the help of hospitals across the country in increasing the number of people who enroll as future donors on their state donor registry.

"Many of the organizations that are receiving these awards have been working for years to help their peers take advantage of what they have learned in order to help everyone succeed,” says Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., RN, HRSA administrator. "We honor them today and encourage them all to continue in their work to increase organ donation and transplantation.”

During April, which serves as Donate Life Month, LGMC, in partnership with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA), celebrated being named "Hospital of the Year” by Southern Eye Bank for giving the gift of sight through cornea and tissue donations.

LOPA was also a recipient of a Bronze Level winner under DHH’s Organ Procurement Organization Awards for achieving a 75 percent or greater collaborative conversion rate.

LOPA’s Jerrod Daigle expressed gratitude for the partnership with LGMC. "I’m proud to work with such a dedicated staff at LGMC,” he says.