Wesley Healthcare
February 19, 2014

WICHITA, Kan. – Wesley Medical Center was selected as a top organ/eye/tissue donation hospital by the Midwest Transplant Network in 2013, providing life to more than 2,200 individuals through organ donation.

“Midwest Transplant Network is proud to partner with Wesley Medical Center in saving lives,” said Jan Finn, vice president and chief operating officer for Midwest Transplant Network. “The dedication of the entire team truly makes a difference to so many individuals who depend on the generosity of donors and their families.”

Wesley Medical Center has consistently been one of the top two hospitals in terms of number of organ and tissue donors for the MTN service area, which includes all of Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri.

Wesley had 27 total donors last year, resulting in 45 tissue/eye donors and 81 organs. Wesley patients donated 13 lungs, which was 18 percent more than the expected lung donations for the Midwest Transplant Network.

“Our efforts are truly a team effort through Wesley’s Donor Advisory Council,” said Cyndi Chapman, Wesley’s pediatric intensive care unit manager. “The council works closely with our physician leader Dr. Don Vasquez, DO, who has guided us to the top of the nation this year in donation efforts for our area.”

According to the Midwest Transport Network and Donate Life organization:

  • One tissue donor can save 50 lives.

  • There are currently 1,000 people in Kansas awaiting a lifesaving transplant.

  • Nearly 120,000 men, women and children across the U.S. are currently awaiting lifesaving organ transplants. Tens of thousands more benefit from a life-enhancing tissue or cornea transplant each year.

  • Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national waiting list. That's 144 people in one 24-hour period (52,560 every year).

  • An average of 18 people die every day (or 6,570 per year) due to a lack of available organs for transplant.

  • There were 8,127 deceased organ donors and 6,017 living organ donors in 2011 that resulted in 28,535 organ transplants.

For more information about organ donation, please visit www.donatelife.net. For more information about Wesley Medical Center, please visit www.wesleymc.com.

Wesley Medical Center is the region’s leading acute care hospital network providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for patients throughout Kansas and northern Oklahoma since 1912. As a leader in Overall Recommended Care, Wesley treats more than 24,000 patients annually and delivers more than 6,000 babies – more than any hospital in a 13-state region. Wesley provides the most extensive emergency network in Wichita, with the Wesley ER, Wesley West ER and Galichia ER. Wesley owns and operates Galichia Heart Hospital, WesleyCare Clinics and the Pediatric Center of Kansas. To learn more about Wesley Medical Center, please www.wesleymc.com.