There are more than 98,000 people waiting for an organ transplant in the United States. In Arizona, more than 1,500 people are waiting for a transplant, and in 2006, 98 people died while waiting for an organ transplant in Arizona.

Since 2003, AzHHA and its member hospitals and Donor Network of Arizona have worked with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to address this shortage. The efforts of the Breakthrough Collaborative for Organ Donation have led to improvements in the number of people receiving transplants.

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) honored U.S. hospitals that have met or exceeded the national collaborative goal for organ donation conversion rates with an HHS Medal of Honor. Two Arizona hospitals, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn, were honored for achieving a 75 percent donation rate or higher over 12 months from 2006-07. In addition, Arizona was honored for achieving breakthrough rates of organs transplanted per donor.

These hospitals and others throughout Arizona along with AzHHA and Donor Network of Arizona have worked together to implement national best practices as identified through the Collaborative. These efforts have led to significant improvement in Arizona's organ donation system.

Click here to visit the Donor Network of Arizona Web site.

Questions about Donate Life should be addressed to Sara Pace Jones at sara@dnaz.org or 602-222-2264.