www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, March 4, 2016 | 8 Halton hospitals do what they can to support organ donation by Tim Whitnell Metroland West Media Halton Region's four hospitals accounted for just one of the 269 cadaver organ donations made in the province last year, despite the registration rate for organ donation in Halton's municipalities being at or above the provincial average. Recent statistics from the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) show Halton Healthcare had one deceased organ donor from Jan. 1- Dec. 31, 2015. TGLN would not specify from which hospital. HHS is the corporate entity representing Top rated Tire & Auto shop by Yellow Pages Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial, Georgetown, and Milton District hospitals. "... while there are some larger hospitals, like Hamilton Health Sciences that had 30 donors, it's important to note that hospitals like Halton Healthcare and Joseph Brant are doing everything they can to ensure that there are no missed opportunities for organ donation," said Jennifer Long, media relations co-ordinator for the TGLN. "This includes having a Hospital Donation Physician within the hospital that is a resource for other physicians when it comes to donation," she noted. Another organ donor measuring stick, the WINTER CHECK-UP, OIL CHANGE & ROTATION $39.99 PLUS TAX SYNTHETIC $69.99 PLUS TAX An integrated network of physicians committed to organ donation has contributed to an increase in organ donation. Our goal is to ensure no family misses the opportunity to honour their loved one by choosing donation. Trillium Gift of Life Network Jennifer Long · CHANGE OIL, FILTER & LUBE · UP TO 5 L 5W20, 5W30. 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The registration rate is achieved by calculating the number of people who have registered their consent to be a potential organ donor -- when updating their driver's licence or health card -- divided by the number of people with an Ontario health card. Another measurement in terms of potential organ donation is the Routine Notification Rate. It is defined as the percentage of all deaths at hospitals that are reported by phone to the TGLN within one hour of the death. Ontario hospitals reached a 95 per cent routine notification rate for the second quarter of 2015 (July 1-Sept. 30). Joseph Brant Hospital was one of only nine Ontario hospitals out of 68 that had a perfect notification rate (100 per cent) in that time. The next closest hospital with an unblemished notification rate for the same timeframe was St. Joseph Healthcare in Hamilton. Halton Healthcare had a combined Routine Notification Rate of 92 per cent. "An integrated network of physicians committed to organ donation has contributed to an increase in organ donation. Our goal is to ensure no family misses the opportunity to honour their loved one by choosing donation," said Long. Although individuals can make their final wishes known in terms of organ donation, after they die it is still up to the family of the deceased to make the final decision. More than 1,600 Ontarians are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, according to the TGLN. More than 325,000 Ontarians registered their consent to organ and tissue donation last year, making 2015 the most successful year ever. In total, 29 per cent of Ontario residents, 3.4 million people, are registered donors. You can register to be an organ or tissue donor at www.beadonor.ca. Visit www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/publicreporting. htm to see the data by hospital and region. GET OUT AND GO! We all love our independence and the freedom to get out and go somewhere on a whim. 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