Column: Indiana Donor Network increases number of organ transplants by 43% since 2019

Kellie Tremain
·3 min read

Looking back at 2021, I can’t help but reflect on where Indiana Donor Network has been, where we are now and where we’re going. When I started with the organization 22 years ago, I would’ve never imagined the massive growth and incredible achievements we’ve experienced.

As the federally designated organ recovery organization for 85 of Indiana’s 92 counties, Indiana Donor Network has increased the number of organ transplants by 43% since 2019. Transplants in 2021 were 10% higher than in 2020, which was also a record-setting year.

In 2021, despite the challenges of a persistent global pandemic, Indiana Donor Network facilitated donation for 276 organ donors, a record-breaking amount. We transplanted 949 organs to save the lives of more than 800 patients — that’s a record number of organ transplants for this organization in its 34-year history.

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During this record-breaking year, we demonstrated we’re a catalyst of innovation by utilizing our new Organ and Tissue Recovery Center to better serve families and hospitals throughout Indiana. We deployed a state-of-the-art kidney perfusion program that includes eight kidney pumps to better assess the health of a recovered kidney and ensure better transplantation results. Indiana Donor Network is a leader among U.S. organ procurement organizations in utilizing these innovative kidney pumps.

In 2021, Indiana Donor Network also:

  • Cared for 1,357 tissue and cornea donors.

  • Supported 2,345 family members of organ and tissue donors through its aftercare program.

  • Conducted 109 organ recovery surgeries at Indiana Donor Network’s onsite Organ and Tissue Recovery Center, which opened in 2020.

  • Added more than 120,000 new Hoosiers to the national donor registry.

  • Flew a record 677 organ transport flights through TxJet, our nonprofit subsidiary aviation service.

Also, Hoosier advocates for organ and tissue donation volunteered 12,857 hours on behalf of Indiana Donor Network in 2021. In communities throughout Indiana, we led 851 school and community educational presentations and activations, engaging more than 145,000 Hoosiers.

We have more than 250 mission-driven team members at our headquarters in Indianapolis, in our offices in South Bend, Fort Wayne and Evansville, and in communities throughout Indiana. Each team member contributed to our organization’s successes in saving and healing lives in 2021. Indiana Donor Network remains dedicated every day to growing, improving and challenging each other to think big, serve well and be remarkable.

My gratitude for our team, as well as for the donor heroes who saved and healed lives, cannot come close to matching the appreciation of all the patients who received a lifesaving organ transplant in 2021 and the countless more who received a healing tissue transplant through Indiana Donor Network.

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Organ donation saves lives. Nationwide, more than 106,000 people are on the national waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant and more than 1,000 of those patients are Hoosiers. Every nine minutes, another person is added to the waiting list. Unfortunately, about 16 people die in the U.S. each day because the organ they needed did not become available in time.

If you are registered to become an organ donor, thank you. If you aren’t a registered donor yet, talk with your family and loved ones. If the decision is right for you, register online at DonateLifeIndiana.org, at your local Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch or when you purchase your hunting or fishing license through the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Thank you so much for supporting Indiana Donor Network’s mission.

Kellie Tremain is president and CEO of Indiana Donor Network. You can reach her at 888-275-4676 or email at ktremain@INDonorNetwork.org.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Column: Indiana Donor Network expands transplants in 2019