Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center Receives Gift of Life Michigan's Donation Champion Award
May 1, 2023
Categories: Health and Wellness, Kidney Disease
Award recognizes lives saved, innovation and success as community-based kidney program
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 2, 2023) – Gift of Life Michigan has honored Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center as its transplant center Donation Champion Award winner for 2023. The Grand Rapids center is one of 21 people or organizations in the state that was recognized in an April ceremony for extraordinary efforts to promote organ and tissue donation in their communities or to help make it happen in their hospitals.
Trinity Health Grand Rapids does both.
It was chosen in the transplant center/professional category for its ability to excel as one of the largest and most successful community hospital-based programs in the country. In its 50 years, Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center has performed close to 2,900 kidney transplants. It also is the first and only kidney transplant center in Michigan to partner with the National Kidney Registry, an extra avenue of hope for hard-to-match patients.
“Great things are happening for patients needing kidney transplants at Trinity Health in Grand Rapids,” said Dorrie Dils, president and CEO of Gift of Life Michigan. “We’re proud to partner with this innovative program as it works to save lives through both deceased and living kidney donation.”
Dils noted Trinity Health Grand Rapids’ innovative use of robotics for donor nephrectomies. The first procedure to surgically remove a kidney from a living donor using robotics was performed last fall by Joel Stracke, DO, surgical director of the Kidney Transplant Center. The procedure offers remarkable precision, smaller incisions and less pain for patients after surgery.
Gift of Life has been shining a light on the best of the best of its community partners and hospital and transplant professionals since 2018. Without their partnership and efforts, Gift of Life’s work to help fulfill the decisions of donors and their families would be difficult or impossible.
“Trinity Health Ki
dney Transplant Center is honored to accept the 2023 Gift of Life Michigan Donation Champion Award for the Transplant Center/Professional of the year,” said Kelly Summers, manager of the Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center. “Over the last 50 years, our program has become one of the largest and most successful community hospital-based transplant programs in the country. It takes several partnerships and collaborative efforts to ensure our patients receive individualized, compassionate and expert kidney transplant care. We are grateful for our strong partnership with Gift of Life Michigan to continue in this extraordinary work to bring hope and life to our community and the patients we serve.”
Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center was recognized at Gift of Life’s annual Champions Gala on April 28, during national Donate Life Month.
For more information about Gift of Life Michigan or to sign up as a donor, visit www.golm.org/register.
For more information about the Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center, visit www.TrinityHealthMichigan.org/KidneyTransplant
Pictured to the right: Bill Thompson, Transplant Center Liaison for Gift of Life Michigan, presents Donation Champion Award to Kelly Summers, Clinical Services Manager of Trinity Health Kidney Transplant Center.
About Gift of Life Michigan
Gift of Life Michigan is a federally designated organ procurement organization that serves the state of Michigan as the intermediary between donors, their families and hospital staff. In collaboration with Eversight, Gift of Life provides all services necessary for organ, eye and tissue donation. For more information, or to sign up on the Donor Registry, visit www.golm.org or call 866.500.5801.
About Trinity Health Michigan
Trinity Health Michigan is a leading health care provider and one of the state’s largest employers. With more than 24,000 full-time employees serving 29 counties, Trinity Health Michigan operates nine hospitals located in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Howell, Livonia, Muskegon, Pontiac and Shelby, and two medical groups. The health system has 2,314 beds and 5,446 physicians and advanced practice providers. With operating revenues of $4.16 billion, Trinity Health Michigan returns $184 million back to their local communities each year. Together with numerous ambulatory care locations, home health and hospice agencies and 23 senior living communities owned and/or operated by Trinity Health, Trinity Health Michigan provides the full continuum of care for Michigan residents. Trinity Health Michigan is a member of Trinity Health, one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the country serving more than 30 million people across 22 states. www.trinityhealthmichigan.org