McAllen, Texas (December 8, 2009)—The South Texas Transplant Center reached a milestone this week when it performed its 50th kidney transplant at McAllen Medical Center since the center opened in July 2007.
The 50th transplant recipient, a male from the Rio Grande Valley, received the life-saving organ from a female living donor. Both the recipient and donor are doing well and are continuing their recovery at the hospital this week.
The South Texas Transplant Center is the first and only comprehensive transplant service center in the Rio Grande Valley. Since its initial transplant procedure in July 2007, the South Texas Transplant Center and McAllen Medical Center have earned prominent recognition for quality service.
In November, the South Texas Transplant Center officially qualified as an approved live donor kidney transplant center by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a nonprofit organization that administers the country's only Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). The network matches donors and recipients, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
McAllen Medical Center was also one of seven hospitals in the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance's donation service area that was awarded an "Organ Donation Medal of Honor." That honor, issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services, was awarded at the 5th Annual National Learning Congress on Organ Donation and Transplantation in Grapevine, Texas on September 30th. McAllen Medical Center was acknowledged for its outstanding donation rate goal and was recognized for exceeding the 75 percent conversion rate goal between the years of 2007 and 2008. The conversion rate measures the percentage of times that a potential organ donor becomes an actual donor.
The South Texas Transplant Center maintains an ongoing collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to provide live donor patients in the Rio Grande Valley with the highest quality of care possible - both before and after transplantation.
As a result, the South Texas Transplant Center has had a profound impact in the community and has proudly contributed in helping 50 individuals in the Rio Grande Valley rejoice in the gift of life this holiday season.
For more information about the South Texas Transplant Center or becoming a kidney organ donor visit the South Texas Transplant Center.
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