The Gift of Life organ donation initiative

The Gift of Life

HCMC: Teaming up to support

the "Gift of Life" organ donation awareness initiative

HCMC supports Minnesota's online organ and tissue registry

Right now, 90,000 people are waiting for the Gift of Life, and 2,200 of those live right here in Minnesota. These are ordinary people who won't live unless they receive a

life-saving organ transplant. Each day, 17 people do die while waiting for a transplant.

We at Hennepin County Medical Center are dedicated to saving lives. That's why we're teaming up with KARE 11 and LifeSource to sponsor "The Gift of Life" organ donation awareness initiative. Experts say that although 97% of Minnesotans support donation, only 43% have actually added "donor" to their driver's license.

HCMC kidney transplant patient

Transplant donors and recipients from 40 years of

HCMC's Kidney Transplant Program came together

in June 2003 to share stories and celebrate life.

Approximately 250 guests attended the special

open house, including kidney recipient Janice Davis,

who found her special "leaf" on the tree of life at

the event.

Now, it's easier than ever to become a donor through Minnesota's online organ and tissue registry. Thanks to a new law, you can now become a donor by simply signing up right here: Donate Life Minnesota.

Instead of checking a box on your driver's license, you can legally make your wishes known by adding your name to this secure online database. Just like the driver's license designation, registration in this database is legal authorization for donation

and will ensure that a person's wish to extend the gift of life is fulfilled. Link directly to donate page.

Transplant Milestones at HCMC:

Hennepin County Medical Center is a proud sponsor of "Gift of Life." HCMC's transplant center, established in 1963, was the first in the Upper Midwest, and is nationally recognized. Approximately 80 kidney transplants are performed each year, with results that are consistently superior to those obtained in the U.S. generally.

HCMC's Kidney Transplant Program celebrated its 40th year anniversary

and 2000th procedure in 2003.

In 2004, LifeSource named HCMC as the Outstanding Hospital Partner

to recognize the staff's dedication to saving lives through transplantation.

HCMC was also named one of three "top performers" in the nation in 2004

through the Transplant Services Benchmarking Project conducted by the

University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC).

In 2005, HCMC was recognized as one of the nation's top 50 hospitals for

treatment of Kidney disease by U.S. News & World Report in it's "America's Best Hospitals" issue.

HCMC has experience and expertise using new therapies, diagnostic tools,
and surgical procedures to give transplant patients and living donors the
best possible care.

We specialize in the pre-transplant, operative, and long-term follow-up

care of end stage renal disease patients.

About the HCMC Transplant Services Team

The SICU, MICU, Emergency Department, Operating Room, Trauma Services,

Transplant Program and other departments have made Hennepin County Medical Center a national leader in donation so we are proud to support the "Gift of Life" initiative. It's an opportunity for us to help educate the public about the cause of

organ donation, while also telling them more about our outstanding medical center

and clinics at the same time.

Features and News Stories

Click here for more news and feature stories about HCMC's Kidney Transplant Program and those who have been helped by organ donation, the "Gift of Life."