LifeCenter Northwest Celebrates Another Year of Saving More Lives Than Ever Before

LifeCenter Northwest is proud to celebrate their eighth year in a row of saving more lives than ever before with 878 organs transplanted in 2018, compared to 742 in 2017. In addition to the highest number of organs ever provided for transplant, the organ procurement organization achieved a record for the number of organ donors and continued growth in the number of tissue donors recovered in 2018.

These life-saving organs were recovered from 271 generous donors throughout the non-profit’s designated service area. This is a 10 percent increase in the number of organ donors over the previous year and an 18 percent increase in organs provided for transplantation.  “First and foremost, we are grateful to the donors and their families, for their generosity and courage, and for giving the gift of life to others,” says Kevin O’Connor, President & CEO of LifeCenter Northwest.

“This continuous increase in the number of lives saved over the past eight years is the direct result of the exceptional work of our talented and dedicated staff, working hand in glove with the larger medical community, especially the outstanding transplant programs in Seattle and Spokane.  We all share the same clear goal of helping others in need.”

In addition, LifeCenter Northwest recovered tissue from 556 donors, an increase of 4 percent over the previous year, in Montana, North Idaho, and Washington. Tissues recovered include bones and connective tissue, skin, peripheral nerves, and heart valves.  Tissue allografts are used to promote healing, restore mobility, prevent amputation, prevent infection, replace defective heart valves, and restore nerve conduction.

LifeCenter Northwest serves communities throughout Alaska, Montana, North Idaho, and Washington. Working collaboratively with more than 200 hospitals, LifeCenter covers the largest geographic area of all the 58 federally designated organ procurement organizations in the nation.

As of December 2018, there are more than 114,000 patients across the nation listed on the UNOS organ transplant waiting list, with more than 2,300 of these patients in our region.

“The opportunity to make such a profound difference in the lives of so many people motivates us every day, but there is still much work to be done,” says O’Connor.  “Our resolve to continue to help more and more people is stronger than ever.  We will never stop working on improving our services so that we can help save more lives and serve more families.”

About LifeCenter Northwest

LifeCenter Northwest is dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation. As a federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization and an AATB-accredited tissue recovery organization, we seek to be good stewards of the gift of life and provide hope to those on the organ transplant waiting list. We work with families, medical professionals, and communities across Alaska, Montana, North Idaho, and Washington. For more information, or to register to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor, go to www.LCNW.org.

UNOS highlights a national record for the number of transplants that occurred in 2018.