INDIANAPOLIS — July marked a record-breaking month for organ donations and transplantation the Indiana Donor Network announced Friday.
The donor network recovered a total of 92 lifesaving organs for patients on the national transplant waiting list — the highest monthly record in the organization's history.
The last time Indiana's donor network broke the monthly record was November 2019, with 91 organ transplants.
There have been several process improvements that contributed to the breaking record. According to the Indiana Donor Network, the organization has closer ties to hospital partners to increase donor referral rates. There are also more on-site evaluations, an expanded age range for those evaluations, and higher coordination for more cases of donation after cardiac death.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indiana Donor Network was also able to test all potential donors for COVID-19 through a partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health.
"The ability to recover a record 92 organs for transplant in July – saving dozens of lives – tells us we are on the right track with the work we're doing every day to save and enhance lives through organ, tissue and eye donation," Kellie Hanner, the Indiana Donor Network president and CEO, said.
Nationwide, 113,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and 1,300 of those patients are in Indiana.
Each donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and heal up to 75 people through tissue donation.
Everyone is eligible to sign up as an organ donor. To learn more, visit IndianaDonorNetwork.org.
