Cape Breton Post: Health authority hosting organ + tissue donation clinical day

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Health authority hosting organ and tissue donation clinical day
Published on October 25th, 2010

Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Taking organ and tissue donation to the next step is the focus of the Cape Breton District Health Authority’s second annual organ and tissue donation clinical day.

Topics : Days Inn in Sydney    , Nova Scotia , Inverness

The daylong event takes place Wednesday at the Days Inn in Sydney. Health professionals from several fields including medicine, nursing, nutrition, cancer care, pastoral care, social work, management and more are among the participants.
“This event is a great platform for health-care providers to learn more about organ and tissue donation,” says Janet Evans, organ and tissue donation resource nurse. “We have a variety of speakers who can educate everyone on all aspects of donation from both clinical and personal perspectives.”
Two guest speakers — Shelley MacLean and Dr. Stephen Beed — will be sharing their expertise with the participants.
MacLean, who was born in Inverness, is now the picture of health but this wasn’t always the case. In 2001, MacLean suffered from an acute onset of pulmonary veno occlusive disease, an extremely rare form of high blood pressure in the lung area. As it gets worse, the disease causes narrowed pulmonary veins, pulmonary artery hypertension and congestion and swelling of the lungs. Without effective treatment or a transplant, the chances of survival are low. Then in February of 2002 she received a gift from a perfect stranger: a double lung transplant. Now, MacLean and her 14-year-old son spend each day with a new appreciation of life and family. MacLean will share her tremendous journey and the difference the transplant has made in her life.
Dr. Beed is the medical advisory for the Nova Scotia donation program and is involved regionally and nationally with supporting organ and tissue donation. He has been involved with policy and standard development with donation after cardiac death at Capital Health. He will discuss the background, process and criteria for donation after cardiac death. In addition, he will discuss the possible impact this process may have on health districts outside of Capital Health.
Some of the additional topics being covered Wednesday include live donor paired exchange program, renal patients and transplantation, tissue bank, approaching families in crisis, the Nova Scotia Organ and Tissue Donation Act, EHS and tissue donation in the field.

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