Life Link of Georgia has recently awarded North Fulton Regional Hospital the 2009 Organ Donation Medal of Honor-Silver level.  North Fulton Regional Hospital is 1 of only 11 hospitals in the state of Georgia to receive an award from Life Link and 1 of only 3 hospitals in the state to receive the silver level award.

“The hospital is committed to working with LifeLink of Georgia in order to touch the lives of people in need of organ, tissue and cornea donation,” explains Kathy Young, CNO of North Fulton Regional Hospital.  “We value this relationship and are very honored to accept this award.”

In order to increase the rate of donation, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, developed best practice criteria to recognize hospitals for their commitment to organ donation.  HRSA has given the organ donation medal of honor for the last five years to facilities who meet the criteria.  North Fulton Regional Hospital obtained the Silver Award for the following:

• Of all patients eligible to donate, 75% or more became donors
• On average, the hospital supplied 3.75 organs per donor

 (Click here for more information about organ donation)

“Our neurosurgeons, intensivists, and others on our medical staff are very supportive of our commitment to LifeLink and the organ donation program,” Joan Birzes, Director of Emergency Services, said.  “We are very thankful for their support as it allows us to provide others with a chance for life.”

For more information about quality initiatives at North Fulton Regional Hospital, please call 770-751-2973 or visit www.northfultonregional.com/quality.

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North Fulton Regional Hospital (NFRH), part of Tenet Georgia, is a 202-bed, acute-care hospital located on Highway 9, Alpharetta Highway, in Roswell.  Opened in 1983, NFRH serves North Fulton and surrounding counties through its team of over 1000 employees, 400 staff physicians and 200 volunteers.  NFRH is a state-designated Level II trauma center and provides a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, orthopedics, rehabilitation, surgical services, bariatric surgical weight loss, gastroenterology and oncology.  The hospital is fully accredited and also is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.

LifeLink Foundation is a non-profit community service organization dedicated to the recovery of life-saving and life-enhancing organs and tissue for transplantation therapy. The Foundation works in a sensitive, diligent, and compassionate manner to facilitate the donation of desperately needed organs and tissues for waiting patients, support research efforts to enhance the available supply of organs and tissue for transplant patients, improve clinical outcomes of patients post transplantation and works closely with the United Network For Organ Sharing (UNOS) to support its goals.