World's Highest Performing Organ Procurement Organization Celebrates Sixth Record-Breaking Year

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nevada Donor Network (NDN) is proud to announce its sixth record-breaking year out of the last seven in the number of lives saved and healed through organ, eye and tissue donation. In addition to their role as a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO), NDN also coordinates healing tissue and cornea donation statewide.

Throughout 2018, Nevada Donor Network coordinated the recovery of 530 lifesaving organs from 130 organ donor heroes, 799 tissue donor heroes and 1,238 cornea donor heroes. These precious gifts allowed NDN to provide 442 grateful organ transplant recipients with a second chance at life, facilitate increased mobility and function for thousands of tissue recipients, and restore sight to 1,980 cornea recipients. As a key metric in determining OPO success worldwide, the average rate of organ donors per million of population served (DPMP) around the U.S. is approximately 33 DPMP. In 2018, NDN reached an unparalleled 59 DPMP based on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and U.S. Census data. Per this same data, NDN also leads the nation in the number of organs transplanted per million of population served (TPMP) in 2018, achieving 201 TPMP ? more than double the U.S. average of 99 TPMP.

The organization's President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Ferreira shares, "It is with great pride that the Nevada Donor Network team continues to save and heal more lives than ever before at such a remarkable per capita rate. With the support of our hospital partners and community champions, we have the privilege of honoring the wishes of a record number of heroic donors and their courageous families; each one whose legacy will live on forever. In addition to celebrating our success of maximizing the gift of donation, we remain mindful of the fact that our work is not done. Until all 619 Nevadans on the waiting list and the more than 114,000 others nationwide receive their lifesaving transplants, we will continue to passionately serve our mission with record-breaking success. More than 2 million people who call this beautiful state 'home' are counting on us. We will proudly continue serving those who give and saving those who desperately wait across the globe in honor of our donors and their families. We are #nevadastrong for Nevadans."

Nevada Donor Network (NDN) is a federally designated 501(c)3 not-for-profit organ procurement organization, also responsible for facilitating tissue and cornea donation in Nevada. Our primary function is coordinate, recover and allocate lifesaving organs and healing tissues for transplantation and research on behalf of our heroic donors. Nevada Donor Network is a member of Donate Life Nevada, a statewide collaboration of agencies committed to motivating Nevada residents to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.

www.nvdonor.org / www.Facebook.com/NevadaDonorNetwork / www.twitter.com/DonateLife_NV

SOURCE Nevada Donor Network