Alyssa Carras, as a newer intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, wanted to learn more about the organ donation process.
She signed up to participate in the second cohort of Champions for Hope, a program of the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. Carle Health clinical team members work with Gift of Hope donation liaisons to coordinate organ and tissue donations.
Carras, BSN, RN, TNS, CEN, a nurse in the Carle Foundation Hospital cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) and Emergency Department (ED), desired to increase her knowledge of the organ and tissue donation process. In doing so, she could better support fellow nurses, organ donors and their families.
Champions for Hope began in 2022-23 and is a yearlong educational program provided free of charge by Gift of Hope. It’s offered to healthcare professionals at hospitals throughout the state. Content experts provide education on donations via monthly 1 ½-hour Zoom meetings. Peers throughout the state share best practices and process improvements and complete case reviews, Alexis Plumb, Gift of Hope donation liaison, said.
The goal is to better support patients, their families and fellow healthcare providers. The intention is for champions to become active participants in hospital organ donation-related events and advocacy and be a part of efforts to increase organ donation awareness.
Team members with Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana were eager to join the new program to learn best practices in these sensitive cases. Seven Carle Foundation Hospital healthcare professionals participated in the first cohort in 2022-23.
“At Carle, we are committed to providing evidence-based, compassionate care to all patients and their loved ones,” Elizabeth Angelo, DNP, RN, Carle Health chief nursing executive and Carle Foundation Hospital president, said. “This includes supporting organ donation when patients or their families have elected to give that generous gift.
“We applaud our team members who have invested their time and passion in becoming Champions for Hope. Their expertise helps all of us to provide better care to patients and families throughout the donation process.”
During the recently completed 2023-2024 cohort, eight Carle Foundation Hospital team members graduated. They are:
“Becoming a Champion for Hope helped me quickly recognize patient conditions that warrant a referral to Gift of Hope,” Carras said. “I made it my goal to make timely referrals for my patients. Early referrals allow the Gift of Hope team to determine if the patient is a candidate for organ donation and provide the option of donation for the patient’s family or honoring the patient’s choice as a registered organ donor.
“With more than 104,000 adults and children on the national waitlist, organ and tissue donation is needed now more than ever,” Carras said. “In a time of tragedy, organ donation can offer some solace to families and give purpose to a life lost too soon.”
Dana Ziegler, MSN, NEA-BC, director of nursing – ICU and surgical services for Carle Foundation Hospital, is proud of team members’ dedication to improving the donation process.
“Our Champions for Hope are leading the way in increasing awareness and bringing innovative approaches to organ donation,” Ziegler said.
Three Carle Health RNs – two from Carle Foundation Hospital and one from Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria – are participating in the Champions for Hope 2024-2025 cohort.
Interested in joining a team that prioritizes continuing education and uses best practices to benefit patients? Click here.
Anyone interested in registering to be an organ and tissue donor may click here.
She signed up to participate in the second cohort of Champions for Hope, a program of the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. Carle Health clinical team members work with Gift of Hope donation liaisons to coordinate organ and tissue donations.
Carras, BSN, RN, TNS, CEN, a nurse in the Carle Foundation Hospital cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) and Emergency Department (ED), desired to increase her knowledge of the organ and tissue donation process. In doing so, she could better support fellow nurses, organ donors and their families.
Champions for Hope began in 2022-23 and is a yearlong educational program provided free of charge by Gift of Hope. It’s offered to healthcare professionals at hospitals throughout the state. Content experts provide education on donations via monthly 1 ½-hour Zoom meetings. Peers throughout the state share best practices and process improvements and complete case reviews, Alexis Plumb, Gift of Hope donation liaison, said.
The goal is to better support patients, their families and fellow healthcare providers. The intention is for champions to become active participants in hospital organ donation-related events and advocacy and be a part of efforts to increase organ donation awareness.
Team members with Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana were eager to join the new program to learn best practices in these sensitive cases. Seven Carle Foundation Hospital healthcare professionals participated in the first cohort in 2022-23.
“At Carle, we are committed to providing evidence-based, compassionate care to all patients and their loved ones,” Elizabeth Angelo, DNP, RN, Carle Health chief nursing executive and Carle Foundation Hospital president, said. “This includes supporting organ donation when patients or their families have elected to give that generous gift.
“We applaud our team members who have invested their time and passion in becoming Champions for Hope. Their expertise helps all of us to provide better care to patients and families throughout the donation process.”
During the recently completed 2023-2024 cohort, eight Carle Foundation Hospital team members graduated. They are:
- Alyssa Carras, CVICU and ED RN
- Amy Ellis-Chappell, operating room (OR) surgical technologist
- Jacqueline Wudtke, OR RN
- Jaime Parkinson, administrative assistant
- Jessica Garrett, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) RN
- Jessica Lai, CVICU RN
- Kaylee Bowers, PICU RN
- Natalie Aschbrenner, pediatrics/PICU RN
“Becoming a Champion for Hope helped me quickly recognize patient conditions that warrant a referral to Gift of Hope,” Carras said. “I made it my goal to make timely referrals for my patients. Early referrals allow the Gift of Hope team to determine if the patient is a candidate for organ donation and provide the option of donation for the patient’s family or honoring the patient’s choice as a registered organ donor.
“With more than 104,000 adults and children on the national waitlist, organ and tissue donation is needed now more than ever,” Carras said. “In a time of tragedy, organ donation can offer some solace to families and give purpose to a life lost too soon.”
Dana Ziegler, MSN, NEA-BC, director of nursing – ICU and surgical services for Carle Foundation Hospital, is proud of team members’ dedication to improving the donation process.
“Our Champions for Hope are leading the way in increasing awareness and bringing innovative approaches to organ donation,” Ziegler said.
Three Carle Health RNs – two from Carle Foundation Hospital and one from Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria – are participating in the Champions for Hope 2024-2025 cohort.
Interested in joining a team that prioritizes continuing education and uses best practices to benefit patients? Click here.
Anyone interested in registering to be an organ and tissue donor may click here.
Categories: Community
Tags: champions, donate, donation, gift, hope, hospitals, life, organ, transplant