Nurses play a vial role in transplants

The Commercial Appeal | LaJuan Tallo

Brent Manseau, an organ recovery coordinator with Mid-South Transplant, Inc., educated members of the Northwest Mississippi Community College's Student Nurses Association about organ donation in the Mid-South and nationally at its regular meeting. Manseau gave an overview of how organ donation works in the U.S.

The Mid-South Transplant Foundation, one of 52 organ procurement organizations nationwide, covers a broad territory that stretches from Columbus, Miss., to Union City, Tenn. It is governed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is overseen by Health and Human Services.

Every hospital in the United States must have a contract with an organ procurement organization and a tissue bank, according to Manseau. When a death occurs, it is usually a nurse who calls the organ donation agency, but Manseau warned that speaking with the family is a very sensitive matter that should only be handled by people who are trained.

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