LifeSaver Series: Dr. Amy Backer, Kadlec Regional Medical Center

At LifeCenter Northwest, collaborating with local hospitals, medical centers and medical professionals is an essential part of fulfilling our mission of working together to save lives through organ and tissue donation. These partnerships make donation possible.

The LifeCenter Northwest LifeSaver Award, presented monthly, honors those who have made outstanding efforts to collaborate with our organization.  We proudly announce our June LifeSaver Award recipient, Dr. Amy Backer, a Pathologist with Providence Health and Services in Eastern Washington.

On a recent tissue recovery case at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, WA, Dr. Backer played a vital role in logistical planning and coordination that resulted in a successful donation. The coroner had released for donation; however, the team faced scheduling challenges regarding the autopsy. The physician preferred an autopsy be performed before tissue recovery.

This would have exceeded the 24-hour postmortem time frame for tissue recovery. Though rescheduling procedures are often challenging, the LifeCenter coordinators were connected with Dr. Backer who would perform the autopsy.  She verified that postponing autopsies can be problematic, but expressed her support for donation and proceeded to finding a solution that would work for everyone.

Dr. Backer and her team worked tirelessly with various parties including physicians and the donor’s family to arrange for the autopsy to take place after tissue recovery was complete, allowing the donation to occur within the allotted recovery time frame.

As a result from Dr. Backer’s hard work and dedication, we were able to grant the wishes of the registered donor and offer hope to the donor’s family. LifeCenter Northwest is grateful for partners like Dr. Backer who are committed to working together to ease the pain of those in need through tissue donation.