Upper Midwest Organ Procurement Organization Inc

Public education:lifesource maintains a strong commitment to public education activities designed to increase awareness and understanding about the need for organ and tissue donation in the lifesource region. The lifesource region has an overall donor designation rate of 56%, among the highest in the nation. The education activities are focused on developing external relationships for the purpose of building support for donation and positioning lifesource as the donation expert in the region. This work is critical as the growing need for organs and tissues will not be met without increased public support and individuals who designate themselves as donors through the state driver's license bureaus or online state donor registry. In 2024, 241 volunteers supported the lifesource mission through high school and community education. The public education department also worked to increase donation through media campaigns, community outreach initiatives, government relations and donor family services.

Tissue and eye procurement: lifesource tissue recovery staff coordinated 966 tissue donation cases, resulting in the transplant of approximately 72,400 tissue grafts consisting of bone, connective tissue, fascia, skin, vein and heart valves. Lifesource tissue recovery staff also coordinated 217 eye donation cases, resulting in corneas recovered for transplant and research.

Hospital services:the hospital services department is committed to maximizing organ and tissue donation by building successful relationships with key staff members of 279 donor hospitals located throughout the lifesource region. Lifesource hospital liaisons and clinical hospital coordinators are strategically located in minneapolis, mn; duluth, mn; fargo, nd; bismarck, nd; and rapid city, sd. The goals of this department include maintaining strong working relationships with hospital staff, providing education to clinicians, assisting hospital staff comply with federal standards and on-site support during donation cases.

Other services reimbursement:as lifesource holds clinical expertise in the donation process, other services are provided to transplant centers and eye banks in our serivce area where we are reimbursed for our service and costs. Services range from pumping kidneys for transplant recovered outside of our serivce area, potential donor screening and donor referals to providers recovering cornea.