 Mid-America Transplant Services provides the following services within its service area:  Family Support Services MTS has a team of family support personnel who are specially trained to approach families about donating the organs and tissues of a loved one who has died. They are available to answer the families' questions and guide them through the donation process during a very difficult time. In addition to the MTS staff, MTS provides special training to hospital personnel including nurses, pastoral care and social workers on how to approach families about tissue donation. Organ Recovery MTS coordinates all aspects of the organ recovery process from scheduling the operating room to the preservation of the organs. Working from a national list of recipients, all suitable organs are placed by the MTS coordinator prior to their recovery in the hospital operating room. Depending which type of organs are suitable for transplant, one or several teams of transplant surgeons do the careful recovery of the organ. MTS then assists with the preservation, packaging, and transportation of the organ to its final destination at the operating room where an anxious recipient awaits. Tissue Recovery MTS recently moved into a state-of-the-art building located in the Highlands in St. Louis. Tissue donors are transferred from the donor hospital to the MTS facility. A highly-skilled team of MTS medical professionals performs the tissue recovery. Recovery of tissue is dependent on the age and medical condition of the donor. Tissue from one donor may help up to 50 people, restoring a quality of life to many recipients throughout our service area. Eye Recovery Eye recovery is a simple procedure that can be performed in a variety of places: the patient's room, the hospital morgue, the operating room, or the funeral home. The procedure takes less than one half-hour, including restoration. One eye donor will enable two people to restore their sight after a cornea transplant. After eyes are recovered, the corneas are carefully preserved under sterile conditions at the MTS facility. The corneas are then placed in a storage solution that allows them to be stored for up to one week. Donor Family Services The loss of a loved one is a stressful and life-altering experience. Making the decision to donate can be an emotional process. Mid-America Transplant Services is committed to providing ongoing support services to donor families by respecting the loss, honoring the memories of loved ones, and appreciating the "Gift of Life" given through organ and tissue donation. MTS offers bereavement support services to donor families including: scheduled educational and informative mailings; the Solace newsletter; invitations to memorial events hosted by MTS; and opportunities to share the stories of loved ones. We also have dedicated a select group of our staff available to answer donor family questions. Professional Education MTS is responsible for maintaining a high level of awareness with the medical staff of over 120 hospitals within its service area. MTS must develop specific systems for both requesting donations and the recovery process within each hospital. Education includes criteria for identifying donors, requesting donations, and the care and medical management of the potential donor. Community Involvement Part of our mission is to educate the public on the importance of organ and tissue donation; therefore, MTS is very involved in many community functions. Many audience-specific education programs have been developed by MTS, especially our new secondary school program which is consistent with Missouri DESE criteria. |
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