Midwest Transplant Network Presents Annual Awards for Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Excellence
Midwest Transplant Network staff members recognize their partners in saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation by presenting the annual Excellence in Donation Awards to hospitals, individuals and organizations in our community.
Based on 2023 donation outcomes, Midwest Transplant Network presents the Excellence in Organ and Tissue Donation Awards to hospitals that had a higher-than-average number of families granting authorization for donation. The organization also gives these awards to exceptional partners in hospitals; licensing, treasury and Department of Revenue offices; medical examiner officers; funeral homes and beyond. These individuals made an extraordinary contribution to Midwest Transplant Network’s lifesaving mission.
Butterflies and Organ Donation
The butterfly holds deep symbolism in organ, eye and tissue donation. The butterfly is associated with hope, renewal and transformation; just as a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis to become a butterfly, organ donation represents a transformative process for donor families and transplant recipients – the gift of life that brings hope to those in need.
Award honorees received a beautiful, pressed flower butterfly print by artist Ashley Foster. She believes that flowers symbolize joy, love and gratitude.
2024 Excellence in Donation Honorees
Midwest Transplant Network collaborates with 250 hospitals and recognized the following:
Organ and tissue excellence: Overland Park Regional Medical Center, Freeman Health System, Hays Medical Center, Lee’s Summit Medical Center, Saint Luke’s East Hospital, Capital Region Medical Center, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
Organ excellence: AdventHealth South Overland Park, Mercy Hospital Joplin, Centerpoint Medical Center, Stormont Vail Health Care, The University of Kansas Health System, Olathe Medical Center, Liberty Hospital, Saint Luke’s North Hospital.
Tissue excellence: Mosaic Life Care, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Salina Regional Health Center, The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus, Kansas Medical Center, Nevada Regional Medical Center.
In addition to hospitals, Midwest Transplant Network collaborates with countless individuals and teams and recognized the following:
Individual and group honorees: Olivia Zhang, CST, University of Missouri Health Care; Amy Keith, BSN, Wesley Medical Center; Crystal Vail, RN, BSN, Freeman; Ciara Wright, Ph.D, The University of Kansas Health System; Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office; Deborah Washam, RN, MS, Greater Kansas City Black Nurses Association; Anthony Harrington, MD, Blue Sky Neurology, Research Medical Center; Naftali Presser, MD, Research Medical Center; Bhargava Mullapudi, MD, Children’s Mercy Kansas City; Andrew Widman, volunteer Ambassador.
About Midwest Transplant Network
Midwest Transplant Network has been connecting lives through organ donation since 1973. As the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for Kansas and the western two-thirds of Missouri, Midwest Transplant Network provides services including organ procurement; surgical tissue and eye recovery; laboratory testing; and 24-hour rapid response for referrals from hospital partners. Midwest Transplant Network ranks in the top 10% in the country among OPOs, which reflects the organization’s quality, professionalism and excellence in partnerships throughout the region. For more information, visit mwtn.org.
A pressed flower butterfly print given to award honorees at MTN’s Excellence in Donation ceremony.
Guests at MTN’s annual Excellence in Donation Awards ceremony smile for a photo.
Andrew Widman, MTN Ambassador, speaking at the podium at MTN’s Excellence in Donation Awards ceremony.
Excellence in Donation Awards ceremony guests participating in a bubble remembrance.
