Organ donation promoted

Brantford Expositor | Vincent Ball


The Brant Community Healthcare System has become a designated hospital under the Trillium Gift of Life Network Act legislation.

The designation means the emergency room and critical care units at Brantford General Hospital will be required to report patient deaths and imminent deaths to determine the potential for organ or tissue designation, Lina Rinaldi, vice-president of patient services, said in a statement released Thursday.

The designation begins July 17.

The health-care system is joining St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton and Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington and 37 other hospitals throughout the province.

The hospital has established an organ and tissue donation committee.

"We have had complete support of our emergency room and critical-care unit staff in all our lead planning," Rinaldi said.

"Staff in both departments have been trained in this provincial directive. And, similar to other hospitals, discussions with patients and families about organ and tissue donation will be done respectfully by the specially trained staff of the Trillium Gift of Life Network."

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{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}