RECORD SET FOR ORGAN DONATIONS IN NOVEMBER

November saw a record number of organ donors -- 15 in the area served by the Mid-America Transplant Association. The November total surpassed the previous one month record of 13 organ donors set in January 1991.

Two Cape Girardeau hospitals, St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital, accounted for four of the 15 donors.

"As a result of these 15 organ donors, 50 people received life-saving and life-improving transplants," said MTA President and CEO Dean Kappel.

Kappel attributed the record to three factors: the cooperation of area hospitals, the skill of MTA's nursing staff, and the willingness of family members to donate the organs of their loved ones.

"We are dependent on the medical staff at each hospital to recognize potential organ donor cases and refer them to us in a timely manner," said Kappel. "But we still cannot proceed with any organ donation unless we receive consent from the legal next-of-kin."

MTA is a private, not-for-profit corporation designated by the federal government to coordinate vital organ procurement throughout Missouri, southern Illinois and northeastern Illinois.