News Release - New legislation to improve organ and tissue donation rates

We thought the following news release from the Government of Alberta would be of interest to our members and offer it for your information.  We welcome any feedback you may have.

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New legislation to improve organ and tissue donation rates

The Redford government is taking action to improve Alberta’s organ and tissue donation rates and lower transplant wait times across the country, in an effort to save and improve more lives.

The government will bring forward a motion tonight to adopt Private Member’s Bill, the Human Tissue and Organ Donation Amendment Act, 2013 — or Bill 207 — as a government bill.

“Our government is thrilled to adopt this good idea — I know this legislation will give us more tools to increase donation rates and save lives,” said Premier Alison Redford. “We need to encourage more Albertans to consider becoming an organ donor and I am absolutely convinced that Bill 207 will set the stage for achieving that legacy in our province.”

The Human Tissue and Organ Donation Amendment Act will establish one agency to co-ordinate organ and tissue donation activities in Alberta, including work to increase public awareness. This agency will report to the Minister of Health.  The legislation also proposes the creation of an organ and tissue consent-to-donate registry. Albertans who are willing to donate their organs and/or tissue will be able to provide online consent.

“We believe that by making it easier for people to register their intent to donate and by raising awareness of the need, we can dramatically increase organ and tissue donations in our province,” said Fred Horne, Minister of Health. “I thank Len Webber for his leadership in bringing this legislation forward as a Private Member’s Bill. Because it is of such vital importance, we want to adopt it as a government bill.”

“I am proud that this bill is moving forward with the government’s support,” said Len Webber, MLA for Calgary-Foothills and sponsor of the original Private Member’s Bill. “This legislation is going to a have a positive impact on organ and tissue donor rates, and ultimately many lives will be saved.”

Alberta lags behind other provinces in donation rates for organs and tissues. The province’s deceased organ donation rate was 16-17 donors per million population from 1995 to 2005; by 2011, the rate had dropped to 5-7 donors per million population. This compares to 16.3 donors per million population in Ontario and 11.8 donors per million population in British Columbia in 2011.

According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information for 2011, there were 324 Albertans actively waiting for a kidney transplant, 94 Albertans actively waiting for a liver transplant, 57 Albertans actively waiting for either a single or a double lung transplant, and 17 Albertans actively waiting for a heart transplant. Alberta has one of Canada’s highest incidences of diabetes, which is a leading cause of kidney failure requiring dialysis.

Our government was elected to keep building Alberta, to live within its means and to fight to open new markets for Alberta’s resources. We will continue to deliver the responsible change Albertans voted for.

2013 Casino - Update

Thanks to the 28 volunteers who came out for our 2013 GoodHearts casino it was a success. The casino was held April 1 and 2 of this year at the Pure Canadian Gaming casino on Argyll.  The pay-out to the charitable organization working the casinos has averaged $75,000, but we will not know the exact amount until August. We will provide an update once more information becomes available.

Holding the casino immediately after Easter made it difficult to find volunteers, however our board member Barb Foxall came to the rescue by connecting GoodHearts with a dedicated group of volunteers who staff casinos for not-for-profit groups.

Thank-you cards were sent to all the volunteers who staffed the GoodHearts casino.

If you would like to help the GoodHearts Foundation as a volunteer at one of our fundraising events please contact us.

Information on Private Member's Bill 207

We thought the following article from the Alberta Donates LIFE Coalition would be of interest to our members and offer it for your information.  We welcome any feedback you may have.

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On Thursday March 21, 2013, MLA Len Webber introduced Private Member's Bill 207 proposing the creation of an Agency to co-ordinate all Provincial organ and tissue donation issues.

Let the Government of Alberta know you would like the government to adopt its provisions and to implement Bill 207 as quickly as possible.

Citizen action NOW is critical.

THE PROBLEM:

Donation Rates Dropping and Demand is Rising:  “Alberta, while a world leader in transplant medicine, has one of the lowest rates of organ and tissue donation in the country” said Dr. Atul Humar, Director, Alberta Transplant Institute.  Over the past decade Alberta's rates of donation have declined from 17/million to 8.9/million.

Waiting in Vain:   In the past two years, 176 Albertans have died while waiting for a life saving organ transplant.

Bill 207 calling for a well-funded, accountable provincial organ donation agency is timely and represents a solution that has worked well in other provinces.

THE SOLUTION:

Build a Bridge:  We already know that transplantation provides a medical solution for many.  What we need is to build an institutional bridge between the Albertans who support organ donation with the people who need one.  This can be accomplished through the Government by:

1. Establish a Provincial Agency to coordinate, promote and educate on the issue of organ donation:  Alberta does not yet have a central provincial agency to manage organ donation.  Ontario, for example, created the Trillium Gift of Life Foundation and last year recorded a 12% increase in donation, due in large part to the efforts of the Foundation.


2. Establish an ongoing public awareness campaign:   Alberta's rates of donation have dropped from 17/million a decade ago to less than half of that, due in part to the lack of a sustained public awareness campaign.  The first time a family considers organ donation should not be in the middle of a traumatic death - it should be part of regular life planning that individuals discuss with their families and make their wishes known ahead of time.


3. Establish an electronic registry:   Once an individual makes the decision to be willing to be a donor, an electronic registry makes the collection and dissemination of that information much more efficient and available in a timely manner.   Additionally, when the time comes that families are asked for consent, they can be asked if they wish to honour their loved ones wishes, removing from them the emotional burden of decision making.   

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• Use Your Voice!  One voice joined together with many makes the difference – ACT QUICKLY.   Email the Minister of Health Fred Horne and Premier Alison Redford to tell them you support Bill 207: (Suggested text – Every 5 days an Albertan dies waiting for a life saving “gift of Life” organ transplant.  I ask the Government to adopt the provisions of Bill 207 and fully implement the Bill as quickly as possible)
• Contact your local MLA and urge them to support the implementation of Bill 207
• Like the Facebook page: Support Alberta Organ Donation ; ask your friends to join you in action
• Contact your local media outlet/write Letter to Editor
• Forward this article on to friends and family and ask that they join you in action

Tipping Point

It's so close.  We know what the challenges are.  We know what the solutions are.  We have the attention of the Legislature.  We just need your support to make sure the Government acts quickly to fully implement Bill 207.

Update - Website

GoodHearts Facebook Page reaches 30 Likes

Facebook likes according to city 

Over the past year we here at the GoodHearts Foundation have been working to update our web presence, including this brand new website, a page over at Facebook and a Twitter account. In a recent article in our newsletter (and posted to this website) we outlined some of the steps we had taken to improve our website, and asked everyone to take some time to visit us online.

I'm happy to announce our Facebook page has recently reached 30 likes. This allows us to access statistics on visitors to our page. I've posted a few graphics illustrating who likes our Facebook page according to where they live, gender and age.




Facebook likes according to Gender and age



Visitors to our website
according to country

Thank you to everyone who has found and liked us on Facebook.  If you belive in GoodHearts please pass along our website and Facebook page so others can join.

Our new website is hosted by blogger who have always offered visitor statistics as part of the service. So for a bit of added interest, I've added a map of visitors to this website according to country.

Note:  Please click any of the graphs to view the larger version.

Update - Programs and Website

Program spending rises; website gets revamped

There are many aspects to organ transplants, a U of A Hospital cardiologist said, and GoodHearts is addressing some of the more practical needs.

The practical needs include temporary housing for transplant patients who must move to Edmonton, food and gas cards, MedicAlert bracelets, a YMCA membership subsidy, the Dr. Dennis Modry Bursary for post-secondary studies, as well as organ and tissue donor awareness.

In 2012, for instance, GoodHearts allocated more than $42,000 to its “practical” programs. Funds spent on food and gas cards totaled $13,195 — triple the amount given to the transplant social workers in 2009, the year the gift card project was started.

All programs supported by GoodHearts are outlined on the website — www.goodhearts.ca — which was recently revamped by Jennipher Card.

GoodHearts on Twitter

Jenn is looking for volunteers to keep the website current and informative.   “The new website does not require any special software to update, so anyone with a blogger account can be an administrator,” said the webmaster.  Some training is required, she said, but it’s minimal.

When updating the site, Jenn also added the GoodHearts Facebook and GoodHearts Twitter pages.  Members are asked to check out these new features, especially Facebook.   “We require 30 ‘Likes’ to access the statistics on visitors to our new site. So I ask that every member with a Facebook account check this out and to ‘like’ our page,” urged the communications director.

The GoodHearts website had 257 visitors in December, and the page with the most hits was “About Us,” Jenn told the board members at the January meeting.

Update - Transplant Housing

Two transplant suites in high demand

Transplant patients, caregivers and University of Alberta Hospital transplant social workers started calling about the GoodHearts apartments soon after the 2009 transplant housing fund-raising dinner.

Since the door was opened to our first furnished apartment — Kaelyn’s Place — in July 2011, GoodHearts has received more than 60 phone calls and e-mails. Some inquiries came from as far as Nova Scotia. The bulk of the calls were made after we moved to the Galen Lofts and opened the second apartment.

The furnished one-bedroom suites are located across the street from the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute.

Fourteen transplant patients and their caregivers have stayed at our apartments so far. The average stay is three months. Each suite is empty only as long as it takes to get it ready for the next transplant patient.

The application process to stay at the GoodHearts suites is simple and starts with a phone call — 780.916.5026 or e-mail info@goodhearts.ca — to GoodHearts.

No reservations are taken, but the GoodHearts volunteer records the call or e-mail. And when a suite becomes available the patient or caregiver who made the initial inquiry is called back.

The volunteer also stays in touch with the transplant social workers, because they know who is in need of temporary housing.

Patients pay $900 a month, that’s less than 50 per cent of the actual rental cost for each suite. GoodHearts subsidizes the balance. A damage deposit of $450 is required. The rent is pro-rated so anyone staying fewer than 30 days in a month is charged a daily rate of $30.

To date, the damage deposit has been returned in full to each tenant.

The single-bedroom suites include a queen-size bed, a pull-out sofa, television, internet, dishes, pots, pans, and bedding.

Parking is not included in the rent, but Galen Lofts residents can check with the leasing office for underground stalls at the Windsor Park Plaza.

Each suite also contains a folding walker, a shower seat, raised toilet seat, digital weigh scale, and bathtub hand grip. Transplant patients may require these items, and past tenants suggested they be provided.

After consulting with U of A Hospital transplant physiotherapists, co-ordinators, and occupational therapists, we contacted Homecare Surgical, and the company provided the items either free or at cost.

When booking the furnished suites, the GoodHearts volunteer looking after the apartments meets with the prospective tenant. He or she is informed about the rent payment, damage deposit, the check-in and check-out process, and how the Galen Lofts leasing office fits into the transplant housing process.

The move to the Galen Lofts has many benefits for patients as well as GoodHearts:

• Patients can walk across the street to attend the clinics or physiotherapy sessions;
• Caregivers can walk rather than drive from the apartment to the hospital;
• Parking costs for daily hospital visit have been eliminated;
• Patients no longer have to fill out the GoodHearts application and legal forms;
• The Westcorp leasing office handles all the legal paperwork for renting the suites;
• The leasing staff handles the walkthrough for checks-ins and checks-outs;
• Tenants call the leasing office in case of non-medical emergencies;
• Galen Lofts staff checks the apartments for cleanliness before a new tenant moves in.

To view more photos of the furnished suites view our Transplant Housing at Galen Lofts photo album on our Facebook page.

To have the transplant housing project function well and keep costs as low as possible, GoodHearts needs volunteers — preferably organ recipients.

The volunteer is required to handle the rental inquiries, maintains contact with the transplant social workers, the Westcorp leasing office, and most important, meet and stay in touch with the tenants staying in the suites. If you are interested in volunteering please contact us.

2nd GoodHearts Casino

Casino Volunteers needed for April 1 & 2

The second GoodHearts casino dates are April 1 and 2.  The event will be held at Casino Edmonton, which is located at 7055 Argyll Road.

GoodHearts needs 38 volunteers — 19 workers to cover three shifts per day:

• the first is from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
• the second is 6:15 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.;
• the count room hours are 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Meals and snacks are provided for all volunteers. GoodHearts also covers the costs of public transportation, and babysitting. If these are required, please call the casino chairperson well in advance. Silvio can be reached at 780.916.5026.

We still need 19 volunteers to fill the following positions:

• general manager
• banker
• cashiers
• chip runners
• count room workers

Each volunteer must fill out a Casino Volunteer Workers Application. This form was e-mailed to GoodHearts members with instructions how to fill it out and return it to Silvio. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission requires that the key position be be filed by Feb. 1. This has been done.

The last deadline to file volunteer applications is March 10.

GoodHearts volunteers raised $75,000 with our first casino in 2011. The casino in April is expected to raise another $75,000. Casino funds cover the costs to operate two apartments.