Nationwide Childrens Hospital Honored by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Leadership in Organ Donation

August 9, 2012

Nationwide Children’s Hospital recently earned the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Silver Medal of Honor for its leadership in organ donation. Nationwide Children’s is one of 300 hospitals across the country awarded this distinction and will be formally recognized during the Fourth Annual National Learning Congress October 4-5, 2012 in Dallas, Texas.

This medal is awarded to hospitals that have achieved at least two of three cohorts as part of the Breakthrough Collaborative on organ donation launched in 2003 by former HHS Secretary, Tommy Thompson. The collaborative addresses three goals related to organ donation including achieving a 75 percent conversion rate, 3.75 organs transplanted per donor and 10 percent of donations after circulatory death. Nationwide Children’s achieved two out of the three goals specifically related to the conversion rate and donations after circulatory death.

Karen Rediger, MSSA, LISW-S, in-house coordinator for Organ and Tissue Donation at Nationwide Children’s, led the team to achieve these goals. In her role at Nationwide Children’s, Rediger provides ongoing education to new and current hospital personnel on the organ donation process, and leads the hospital’s donation council which addresses ongoing needs and concerns related to organ and tissue donation as well as reviews cases, quarterly statistics and best practices. Rediger also meets with families to present them with the opportunity to give the gift of life while supporting them throughout the donation process. 

(Front Row from L to R): Bobbie Timmerman, Nationwide Children's Hospital; Heather Blausey, Lifeline of Ohio; Monique Judy, Riverside Methodist Hospital; Jennifer Howell, Lifeline of Ohio; Karen Rediger, Nationwide Children's Hospital

(Back Row from L to R): Marilyn Pongonis, Lifeline of Ohio; Ladora Dils, Lifeline of Ohio; Anna Bockert, Mount Carmel East Hospital; James Moulton, Lifeline of Ohio; Andrea Ferguson, Lifeline of Ohio; Laura Stillion, Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University; Kacy Walker, Lifeline of Ohio 

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.