Lakeview Regional recognized for organ donation awareness and promotion

Covington, LA—Lakeview Hospital , a campus of Tulane Medical Center, has been awarded a gold recognition for the collaborative effort with Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) in spreading the message of organ, tissue and eye donation for the Hospital Organ Donation 2018-2019 campaign year through the Work Place for Life (WPFL) Hospital Campaign. WPFL is a national initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Resources and Services Administration.

Thirty hospitals were awarded a recognition, but only two other hospitals achieved the gold status along with Lakeview Regional.

"It is a great honor to be recognized for our efforts in spreading the message of organ donation in our community," said Hiral Patel, CEO of Lakeview Regional. "We work hard to educate our staff, patients and the community about what LOPA is doing to help save lives every day. There is a great need for organ donation, and giving the gift of life is something that everyone can do."

The awareness and registration campaigns were conducted in the hospital and around the community to increase the number of potential donors on the Louisiana organ and tissue donor registry.

One organ donor can potentially save up to eight lives. In the U.S., there are currently more than 113,000 people on the organ donor waiting list, and approximately 20 people die or become too sick to receive an organ transplant each day. In Louisiana alone, 2,073 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. A person can become an organ donor by saying “yes” when getting a driver’s license or state ID, or by signing up in the Louisiana donor registry at www.donatelifela.org.

The Tulane Transplant Institute recently opened a clinic on the Lakeview Regional campus, providing convenient access to its services and resources to Northshore patients and donors. For more information, please visit Tulane Healthcare or call 985.867.4223.