PHX Reporter

Banner Health and the Donor Network of Arizona (DNA) have inaugurated a new donor care center at Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix. The center, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 23, 2024, is dedicated to enhancing the care of organ donors.

Organ donors meeting specific criteria will be transferred from their admitting hospitals to this new facility for continued care. This initiative follows recommendations from the Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which suggested that organ procurement organizations establish donor care centers as a best practice.

The DNA decided that a hospital-based donor care center would enhance the generosity of donors and their families by expanding transplantation impacts and increasing healthcare effectiveness. Banner Health collaborated in establishing this facility.

Arizona's first donor care center includes ICU beds and operating room space to ensure consistent treatment for up to four donors simultaneously. The location near Sky Harbor International Airport aims to improve efficiency in donor care and organ allocation.

Hospitals referring donors will benefit by reallocating resources like operating rooms and ICU beds previously used for organ recovery procedures.

Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is a teaching hospital affiliated with The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. It is part of Banner Health, which operates 33 hospitals across six states.