Life Alaska Donor Services

The Donation Services Program recovers and acquires human tissue for transplant. These tissues provide transplant recipients with an increased life expectancy and quality of life. This department assumes primary responsibility for facilitating the actual donation process. LADS' coordination staff is available twenty-four hours a day to receive referrals from among our many referral sources. The recovery and acquisition teams are responsible for the safe and aseptic recovery or acquisition of the authorized tissues packaging and shipment of the tissues to the appropriate processing centers. Life Alaska has a living donor program where birth tissue can be donated to help heal wounds or for other surgical application. The Tissue Distribution Program provides allograft tissues to hospitals and surgery centers throughout Alaska. These distributed tissues are utilized by surgeons to enhance the tissue recipient's quality of life. A portion of these tissues come from Alaskan donor tissues recovered by our Donation Services Program.

The Family Services Program provides extensive bereavement support resources and information to Alaskans who have experienced the loss of a loved one. This includes correspondence phone calls and support depending upon the specific needs of the donor family. Life Alaska offers all donor families a Gift of Life donor medal in honor an memory of their loved one. Each year Life Alaska has hosted a Donation Celebration where donor families are invited to come together and honor their loved one.

The Public and Professional Education Program provides education on organ eye and tissue donation and the Alaska Donor Registry. Life Alaska works collaboratively with all hospitals in the State of Alaska providing education and resources to offer the opportunity of donation to patients as well as education to staff in hospitals regarding patient referrals and donor facilitation. Professional education includes providing information to other organizations throughout Alaska such as EMS Fire Police Alaska State Troopers hospice and the State of Alaska Medical Examiner's Office. Life Alaska presents to school students ranging from middle school through college. Public Education is critical to raising awareness dispelling myths about donation and encouraging Alaskans to say yes to donation and the gift of life. The Alaska Donor Registry www.alaskadonorregistry.org has grown to over 590,000 in 20 years. Due to the success of the Alaska Donor Registry and Life Alaska's commitment to honor the wishes of donors Alaska has one of the highest per capita donation rates in the nation.