BloodCenter of Wisconsin (BCW), part of the nonprofit organization
Versiti, and RTI Donor Services, Inc. (RTIDS), a nonprofit organization
dedicated to providing responsible stewardship of the gift of tissue
donation, announced an expanded relationship to improve the tissue
donation process and enhance patients’ lives. Beginning September 1,
2018, BCW will manage all aspects of tissue recovery services for
Wisconsin hospitals in RTIDS’ service area and RTIDS will focus
specifically on acquiring tissue for processing and distribution.
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BCW will now serve more facilities, gain efficiencies and develop more
programs and a deeper level of service benefiting hospitals, health
systems and donor families. It will expand services to 60 additional
institutions and offer organ and tissue donation services to a total of
145 hospitals and medical examiner offices in Wisconsin. BCW anticipates
employing many of RTIDS’ professional team of specialists, growing its
staff across Wisconsin to better serve its partners and donor families.
“Each year thousands of lives are saved and enhanced through tissue
donation,” said Colleen McCarthy, Vice President of Organ and Tissue
Service, BCW. “Through the skills and care of BCW staff, and the
talented staff we are welcoming from RTIDS, we are able to advance our
mission to serve more donor families, more hospital and medical examiner
partners and patients awaiting a second chance at life.”
RTIDS is affiliated with RTI Surgical (Nasdaq: RTIX), a global surgical
implant company. Through this relationship, RTI is transforming its
approach to tissue acquisition to align more directly with the needs of
patients. RTIDS will transition from partially managing tissue recovery
to wholly relying on its trusted organ procurement organization partners
to recover transplantable tissue. For RTI, it also means greater focus
on advancing current tissue processing technology and developing new
products and implants.
“RTI is focusing on tissue, such as dermis and cartilage, used to
develop unique allograft implants,” said Olivier Visa, President, RTIDS.
“This requires us to be more intentional about what type of tissue and
how much tissue is recovered and processed based on patient need, thus
maximizing the gift of tissue donation to treat more patients.”
RTI has a proud history of tissue innovation and safety, and recently
announced a significant global milestone of providing more than 8
million biologic implants processed through RTI’s proprietary
sterilization processes with zero confirmed incidence of
implant-associated infection. In 2017 alone, RTI distributed more than
600,000 biologic implants—helping surgeons serve patients in nearly 50
countries. RTI’s tissue-based implants are used in surgical procedures
such as anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, meniscus
transplantation, fracture repair, rotator cuff repair, wound coverings,
post-mastectomy breast reconstruction and abdominal wall repair for
hernias.
Nationwide, life-enhancing tissue is generously donated by approximately
30,000 donors each year, and a single donor can help 75 or more people
improve their lives.1 For millions of Americans, tissue
transplants have relieved their pain and returned their mobility.2
About BloodCenter of Wisconsin
BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versiti, is a not-for-profit
organization headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., that specializes in blood
services, esoteric diagnostic testing, organ, tissue and stem cell
donation, medical services and leading-edge research. We advance patient
care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled
medical and scientific expertise. The collective efforts of Versiti
affiliates result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care,
and cost efficiencies for healthcare systems nationwide. For more
information, visit www.versiti.org.
About RTI Donor Services
RTI Donor Services, Inc. (RTI Donor Services) is a nonprofit tissue
acquisition agency working in collaboration with the donation community
and healthcare facilities in perpetuating the gift of tissue donation.
RTI Donor Services is accredited by the American Association of Tissue
Banks and affiliated with RTI Surgical, Inc. (RTI Surgical), a global
surgical implant company providing surgeons with safe biologic, metal
and synthetic implants. Both RTI Donor Services and RTI Surgical are
focused on improving the lives of others by maximizing the gift of
tissue donation and providing safe tissue implants for recipients.
1 Donate Life America: National Donate Life Month – April
2018 Donation and Transplantation Statistics. Online at https://www.donatelife.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2018-NDLM-Donation-and-Transplantation-Statistics-FINAL-12.17-FINAL-public.pdf.
Last accessed July 26, 2018.
2 Data on file at RTI Donor Services, Inc.
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