Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates

Every member of our communities deserves access to life-saving and life-changing organ, tissue and eye donation. That’s why we're joining LifeCenter Organ Donor Network to become #bettertogether — and why today, we’re announcing our new name: Network For Hope! As Network For Hope, we’re committed to leading innovations in organ procurement and transplantation, and we're still as deeply rooted in respect for donors and as driven by a mission to transform lives as we've always been. On October 1st, 2024, Network For Hope will begin operations under our new brand identity. We're so excited to come together to make the biggest impact possible for our donor heroes, donor families, and for those waiting on a miracle. #organdonation #organprocurement #organprocurementorganization #donatelife

At KODA, we honor the decision of deceased donors and donor families, but did you know that we also support the selfless decision to make a direct and immediate impact to save and improve quality of life for someone in need through living donation? That’s why KODA has a special Living Donor Leave Policy for employees who choose to give this gift—because donation not only saves lives, it also inspires hope and action throughout our communities. Right now, we have a member of our own community waiting for this healing gift. Deneal, daughter of our Family Support Liaison Tanda, is in need of a kidney transplant after living with Antiphospholipid Syndrome and IGA Nephropathy. This National Living Donor Day, we encourage you to reach out to your local transplant center to learn more about becoming a living donor. If you’d like to explore whether you may be a match for Deneal, you can indicate your interest in being contacted by the University of Cincinnati Living Donor program at https://lnkd.in/gUBXc8eT

Same mission, same commitment to saving and healing lives, and now the same tees. We're clearly both excited about everything our merger promises for the future of organ, tissue, and eye donation. Do you want to know more about how KODA and LifeCenter Organ Donor Network are becoming #bettertogether? Just visit https://lnkd.in/gr7MZNge

Sometimes it’s the simplest gestures that remind us of how connected we really are—like wearing your new favorite tee to work and matching not just one or two colleagues, but everyone! Our new #bettertogether tees are a visual reminder of the mission we share with our future coworkers at LifeCenter Organ Donor Network and the vision we have for becoming a larger, stronger OPO thanks to this merger of equals. We’re excited to see how much we have in common and how we can innovate, collaborate, and build belonging as we continue our integration efforts. #collaborative #innovative #authentic #belongingtoall #organprocurement #organprocurementorganization #organdonation #bettertogether

Across KODA, we are starting to make connections with our future colleagues at LifeCenter Organ Donor Network as we continue the collaborative work of becoming #bettertogether! By connecting our teams and people, we’re ensuring a smooth transition and unified approach to becoming a larger, stronger organ procurement organization. Take Brett Milam and Kayla Lunt for example. These two communicators have taken the time to shadow each other and learn about the ways our two organizations engage employees, manage change, and build culture in service to the mission of saving and healing lives. We’re both mission-driven OPOs so it’s no surprise that this collaborative knowledge-sharing is proving that our staff are united in their drive to positively impact donation and transplantation in our communities. Our complementary capabilities will only be further strengthened by the new connections our staff are forming—we can’t wait to see more of it. #belongingatwork #collaborative #innovative #authentic #organprocurement #organdonation #bettertogether

It's #SocialWorkerMonth, and we're giving a shoutout to all the incredible social workers in our community, including Ann Young, a Pediatric Transplant Social Worker. Ann's compassion and expertise help guide families through the complexities of pediatric organ transplantation, providing support every step of the way. Join us in thanking Ann for her unwavering dedication to the well-being of our young transplant recipients and their families.

At KODA, honoring the gift of donation is at the core of everything we do. The impact of our mission is amplified and fulfilled by the efforts of our incredible, purpose-driven staff. For many of us, personal connections to donation and transplantation sustain the compassion and dedication we bring to the work of supporting families, coordinating recoveries, and educating our community. We’re so proud to see our colleague Andreas Price, MDiv, BCC featured last week on Spectrum News, highlighting his passion, dedication, and pursuit of making a tangible difference in the lives of others. We’re grateful for everything Andreas does to support donor families and to advocate for donation, but more than that we’re grateful to know and work alongside him—and every one of our colleagues who dedicates themselves to the mission of saving and improving lives through organ and tissue donation. Listen to Andreas share his incredible journey at https://lnkd.in/gcMt_eRa

"AOPO is raising concerns about the serious impact mass decertification would have on the system, especially the health of patients..." Advocates and partners: Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)'s recent statement is an important read. It highlights serious risks posed by the Federal Government’s policy change, especially to the donor families and transplant patients we serve. We ask your help to urge legislators to enhance collaboration, communication, and planning with organ procurement organizations (OPOs) like KODA.   With your help, we can inspire real change and innovation in organ donation and transplantation, preserve what works great in our system, improve upon areas in need of support and fulfill our promise to donor families and transplant patients.  Read the full statement here: https://lnkd.in/gmpzpypg

We’re thrilled to share that KODA intends to join forces with LifeCenter Organ Donor Network! 🤝 This merger will bring together our complementary strengths to fuel our shared mission of increasing organ donation rates and addressing the critical shortage of organs for those waiting. In the words of our CEO, Julie Bergin, this merger is “a fusion of shared values and a collective vision to revolutionize organ donation and transplantation. Together, we are poised to make a more significant impact, reaching more people and ultimately, turning hope into healing for countless individuals and families. Our united efforts will shape a future where the gift of life is a hopeful and accessible reality for all.” Together, we will be the 16th largest OPO in the country, revolutionizing the landscape of donation. Pending completion of all necessary regulatory reviews and closing conditions, we expect to sign a definitive agreement and close the transaction in October of this year. We wholeheartedly believe that—from stewarding the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation to supporting our employees—we will be better together. 🫶 Want to learn more? All the details are on our website now. Visit https://lnkd.in/g375pYbz

Sometimes, the helpers need help. The life-saving mission that drives so many of us in the OPO field can come hand-in-hand with unique stressors, from the physical effects of the work’s intensity to the unique emotional labors of working at an OPO. That’s why KODA is proud to have partnered with Critical Incident Stress Consultants for 2024. CISC brings our employees concrete, evidence-based and scientifically grounded strategies to activate while on-shift to manage stress. If our staff experience a high-stress situation at work, we connect them with CISC to ensure they have what they need to leave every experience feeling more—not less—resilient. This partnership exists thanks to our resiliency workgroup, who helped us start our KODA Cares initiative. Special thanks to Alicia R Nord, Christina Paxton, Donald Miller, Gretchen Starnes, Lori Pinkston, Melissa South, and Trent Hensley for embodying our core values of compassion, dedication, and accountability. We can’t wait to see how this new partnership helps every one of the helpers here at KODA. #compassionate #dedicated #accountable #organdonation #organprocurement #resiliency