State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. introduces bill to pave way for organ recoveries at Gift of Life surgical center in Ann Arbor

Gift of Life Michigan

ANN ARBOR, MI — Gift of Life Michigan, the state’s organ and tissue recovery program, is pleased to announce that state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. has introduced a bill that will permit Gift of Life to provide organ recoveries at a new surgical center on its Ann Arbor campus.

The bill would allow the state’s federally designated organ procurement organization – Gift of Life Michigan – to recover organs for transplant at its dedicated site. At present, those organ recoveries can be performed only at donor hospitals or at the Gift of Life-designated operating rooms at Straith Hospital in Southfield, where nearly 400 organ donations have occurred.

Having organ recoveries at a Gift of Life surgical center will increase the efficiency and number of donations and transplants statewide, free up operating room space at hospitals across Michigan and better serve donor families by shortening the process, on average.

“Often times, organ donors are placed as a lower priority on the surgery list and are frequently moved off the schedule for other surgeries,” Senator Hertel Jr. said. “This legislation will help fulfill the wishes of organ donors by allowing this facility to provide this service; therefore, making easier to provide the gift of life.”

Sen. Mike Shirkey co-sponsored the bill. He said: “Currently, there are 3,500 hopeful people in Michigan waiting for organ transplants. By designating Gift of Life as a facility approved to expediently recover organs, it will provide donors’ families with a place to heal and give the ‘gift of life’ to a recipient in need.”

Gift of Life is undergoing a $14 million, three-story expansion that will help it better fulfill its mission to save and improve lives through donation and transplantation. The centerpiece will be a surgical center, with four suites, that will be used to conduct organ and tissue recoveries.

“We appreciate the support of Sen. Hertel Jr. and Sen. Shirkey,” said Richard Pietroski, CEO of Gift of Life Michigan. “When it is complete, Michigan will have a state-of-the-art complex that can facilitate even more donations.”

Other features of the expansion will include a more than 200-seat learning center, a memorial to organ and tissue donors and a donor family center.

“I’m especially excited about the donor memorial and the space for our donor families,” Pietroski said. “These are the true heroes – the individuals and families who have turned death into a life-saving, life-improving gift for others. We will create an anchor for them, a sacred space where they can honor their loved ones. This will also serve as a reminder to us of the selflessness that makes our mission possible.”

Gift of Life was founded in 1971, making it the nation’s second oldest organ procurement organization, or OPO. It has always had its headquarters in Ann Arbor and been based at its current site since 2008

#####

EDITOR’S NOTES:

  • Anyone can join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, regardless of age or health history. Go to GiftofLifeMichigan.org or call (866) 500-5801.
Read More Posts

Liver recipient Alex and his mom, Tanisha, at his high school graduation.

From 8 months to 18 years old: Young man with donated liver reaches another milestone

From the outside, 18-year-old Alex Chandler seems like a typical teenager with a love for…

Read More
Students in Kingsford raised $1,500 for Gift of Life in hopes of making a difference.

Motivated U.P. students turn pennies into $1,500 for Gift of Life Michigan

When Finnley Lutz saw her fellow high school students roll up with two wheelbarrows filled…

Read More
Ossium Health is working to find more sources of life-saving bone marrow for patients in need. Organ donors are now giving marrow through Gift of Life Michigan and other organizations.

Ossium Health enables organ donors to save even more lives

Gift of Life collaborates with bioengineering leader for bone marrow transplantation  An innovative bioengineering company…

Read More
Emilio DeFoe in the hospital, before he donated his organs

Myth debunked by fact: Doctors work to save your life if you’re a registered organ donor

A terrified Terra DeFoe waited and watched as physicians and nurses at University of Michigan…

Read More
Students at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti get a glimpse of human organs during a Gift of Life presentation at their school in June. To learn how to welcome All of Us into your school, go to golm.org/allofus.

New bill would educate more ninth graders about organ and tissue donation

Just 21% of new drivers in Michigan are registering as organ donors, and we’re concerned…

Read More
Public Education Specialist Cristal Rivas explains to Lincoln High School students that people with health conditions could still help others with organ and tissue donation.

Michigan’s only source for teen education about donation is saving lives

High school students fresh out of a wide-eyed hour of Gift of Life’s All of…

Read More
Scroll to Top