HSHS hospitals recognized for efforts in tissue donation

Green Bay, Wis. – HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay, and HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan have received awards for successful efforts to provide families with tissue donation information and options.

The American Tissue Services Foundation (ATSF) presents these awards to hospitals that achieve a tissue donation rate higher than the national average, which is 35 to 40 percent. The overall combined tissue donation rate for HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s and St. Nicholas hospitals was 52% in 2022. Together, HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s and St. Nicholas hospitals helped advance the lives of more than 4,300 tissue donation recipients in 2022.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to work with families who see the value in selflessly donating their loved one’s tissue to someone in desperate need,” said Ken Nelson, Chief Nursing Officer, HSHS St. Vincent and St. Mary’s hospitals. “HSHS hospitals across Northeast Wisconsin receive training during the year in tissue donation practices from ATSF, the hospitals’ tissue donation partner, and each hospital has a donation committee that meets regularly. This helps us to be comfortable when speaking with a family about possible life-saving donation when the time is right.”

Gifts of tissue, which include bone, skin, heart valves, connective tissue and veins, are used in more than one million surgeries routinely performed each year in the United States. On average, one tissue donor can help more than 100 people by saving lives, as well as increasing strength, mobility and independence for many hospital patients.

To learn more about the work being done by ATSF, visit: www.atsfoundation.org

###

About HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center

HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center have been delivering quality health care to Green Bay and its surrounding communities since 1888. With HSHS St. Vincent being the largest tertiary care hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s location on Green Bay’s west side, patients from Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan benefit from a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, emergency and trauma care, preventive care across the lifespan, digestive health, orthopedic, cardiac care, neurosciences, rehabilitation and pediatrics. Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospitals primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of competent and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. Both hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

About HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital

HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital has been delivering high quality health care to Sheboygan and its surrounding communities since 1890. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital provides a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, 24-hour emergency care, digestive health, orthopedics, cardiac, home health and hospice care. The hospital’s primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of high quality and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.  An affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. To learn more, visit www.stnicholashospital.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states - Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.