LifeLink Foundation

Lifelink Foundation organ procurement organizations: Lifelink of Florida, Lifelink of Georgia, and Lifelink of puerto rico partner with hospitals to provide resources and comfort to families through the process of organ donation in 15 Florida counties, the state of Georgia and two counties in south carolina, and the commonwealth of puerto rico and us virgin islands, respectively. They carry out the decisions of registered donors and those families who said "yes" to donation and honor the life of each donor by providing organs for transplant to as many patients as possible. (continued on schedule o)the act of organ donation gives patients with critical conditions a second chance at life. One organ donor can save 8 lives. Thanks to a donor hero's lifesaving gifts, many transplant recipients go on to lead normal, active and productive lives. Thanks to the generosity of organ donors and their families, Lifelink of Florida, Lifelink of Georgia and Lifelink of puerto rico facilitated 2,597 life-saving organ transplants during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Each Lifelink opo contributed to these efforts, with Lifelink of Florida facilitating recovery of 345 donors, leading to 922 organs transplanted, a 10% increase over last year. Lifelink of Georgia transplanted 1,454 organs from the recovery of 478 donors, representing an almost 24% increase in organ donors and a 39% increase in organs transplanted. Lifelink of puerto rico recovered 221 organs transplanted from 94 donors, a 5% increase in donors over the previous year. Increases in donation are the result of internal collaboration, as well as collaboration with partner hospitals and the community, implementation and evaluation of process improvement, staff commitment to excellence, and most of all, donor family support and the forethought of individuals who chose to join their respective state donor registries. The Lifelink organ recovery center (orc) at piedmont atlanta hospital finished its second year as a dedicated space staffed with medical professionals specialized in facilitation of the organ recovery process. One of only a few such facilities in the nation, the orc is intended to enhance the lifesaving gifts provided by generous organ donors through expert clinical management, while continuing to support donor families through the donation process with compassionate, personalized care. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, there were 923 organs transplanted from 253 donors resulting in an average of 3.65 organs transplanted per donor. A similar concept of dedicated space was implemented at auxilio mutuo in puerto rico, with an additional space being conceptualized for Lifelink of Florida. Partnership with hospitals does not end with engagement in clinical donor management and organ recovery. Lifelink opos also worked with approximately 200 local hospitals throughout the Foundation service area to create a donation friendly community within hospitals and the areas we both serve. This resulted in national recognition for increasing organ, eye, and tissue donor registrations through the workplace partnership for life (wpfl) hospital organ donation campaign. Lifelink recruited and partnered with hospitals between october 2022 and april 2023 to plan and conduct organ donation education and donor registration activities.

Lifelink transplantation immunology laboratory: Lifelink transplantation immunology laboratory brings the legacy established by organ donors and their families to life by serving as the matchmaker between organ donors and potential transplant recipients. We continue to honor donors by ensuring the longevity of renewed life with diligent post-transplant monitoring and innovative research to improve patient care. (continued on schedule o)during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Lifelink transplantation immunology laboratory facilitated 931 lifesaving transplants for six transplant centers served. They also evaluated 554 living donors and 873 deceased donors and conducted 41,425 transplant related tests. In addition, the Lifelink transplantation immunology laboratory implemented hla typing by next-generation sequencing (ngs) to better assess the compatibility of a donor and a potential recipient.

Lifelink tissue bank: Lifelink tissue bank is a dedicated steward of the legacy entrusted to us by tissue donors and their families. We honor each tissue donor by safely providing an enhanced quality of life to as many people as possible through tissue transplantation and innovative research to improve patient care. (continued on schedule o) generous tissue donors made possible more than 72,000 musculoskeletal tissue grafts to enhance the lives of patients in need of tissue transplantation. Additionally, through birth tissue donation, the only donation Lifelink facilitates from living donors, nearly 101,500 grafts were made available to help patients recover from difficult-to-heal wounds, diabetic ulcers and during in other life enhancing surgical procedures.tissues recovered by Lifelink tissue bank: skin: primarily used to assist in the healing of burn patients bone: used for a variety of orthopedic and spinal procedures tendons: often used on sports-related injuries valves: used commonly in heart valve replacement surgeries birth tissue: placental tissue donated by new mothers after the birth of their baby and the only tissue recovered and processed by Lifelink tissue bank from a living donor, is utilized as a wound covering. Tissues processed and distributed by Lifelink tissue bank: spinal grafts: designed to promote fusion and help patients who suffer from severe and/or chronic pain to lead normal lives. Sports grafts: used in joint restoration procedures to help restore movement to patients suffering from pain and discomfort that prevents them from enjoying active lifestyles. General orthopedic grafts: help to promote bone formation, optimize healing and accelerate a patient's return to normal function. Fresh amniotic birth tissue to treat diabetic foot ulcers and other difficult to close wounds.

Research and development: the primary goal of Lifelink is to recover lifesaving organs and tissues for transplantation. However, there are instances when those organs and/or tissues are unable to be transplanted, in which case they can still be directed to help others in need through research initiatives. Research and development aids Lifelink efforts to maximize all gifts of donation with a shared goal to benefit donation and transplantation outcomes through scientific endeavors.

Public education: public and professional education in Georgia, Florida, and puerto rico: the public affairs and multicultural donation education program teams work to provide donation education and increase donor registration across various audiences including driver license issuing offices, hospitals, youth, faith, and minority communities. Lifelink utilizes volunteers throughout our service areas to share donation and transplant stories while encouraging individuals to make a lifesaving decision by registering to be an organ and tissue donor. Through this outreach and education, more than 913,559 individuals in Florida, Georgia, and puerto rico registered as organ and tissue donors during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.