ANN ARBOR, Mich. – St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor has been awarded an Organ Donation Medal of Honor from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for its success in raising organ donation rates.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital received the Medal of Honor this fall during the Fourth Annual National Learning Congress on Organ Donation and Transplantation in Nashville, Tenn. The hospital earned the recognition by collaborating with its Gift of Life Michigan partners to achieve the national goal of converting at least 75 percent of eligible deaths into actual organ donors. Each organ and tissue donor can save the lives of up to eight people and enhance the lives of 50 more.

The hospital also was recognized for being one of six in the state and just 93 nationwide to have earned the Medal of Honor all four years that it has been awarded.

“Winning this medal four years in a row is a real honor,” said Mary Johnson, patient resource manager and liaison for organ and tissue donation at St. Joseph Mercy. “It doesn’t happen by chance. Everyone here – the staff, nurses, physicians – is committed to a system and to practices that enable us to provide the best possible end-of-life care to our patients. We know that making organ donation possible can provide families some measure of comfort in their time of grief, while extending life for others.”

Mary Pat Butcher, Gift of Life Michigan’s hospital development associate for St. Joseph Mercy, called the honor well-deserved. “This medal symbolizes its commitment to its patients and to saving lives," Butcher said.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital is one of 18 Michigan medical facilities to receive the Medal of Honor for organ donation this year. Its work with Gift of Life is helping to try to close the gap in Michigan between the number of organ donors and the more than 3,000 residents in need of a life-saving organ transplant. Last year, there were a record 301 organ donors in Michigan hospitals, leading to 881 transplants.

“The work of our hospital partners never fails to inspire,” said Richard Pietroski, Gift of Life Michigan's executive director. “In Michigan, more than 3,000 people need a life-saving organ transplant. They get that chance for a new life through the generosity of donors and the dedication of hospital staff like these at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.”

To sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry and receive a heart sticker on the front of your driver’s license to signify that you want to become an organ and tissue donor, go to www.giftoflifemichigan.org.