Ontario Hospitals Recognized for Supporting Organ and Tissue Donation as Part of Compassionate End-of-Life Care

TORONTO, ON – Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), part of Ontario Health, is proud to recognize 50 hospital partners across the province through the 2024/2025 Hospital Achievement Awards for their exceptional efforts to support organ and tissue donation as part of compassionate end-of-life care. This marks the largest number of hospital partners ever honoured in the history of the awards.

"This year’s record level of recognition is a testament to the dedicated, patient-centred care provided by health care teams as they honour and support the decisions of patients and their families to donate,” said Janet MacLean, Interim Vice-President, TGLN. “It also reflects the deep commitment of Ontario hospitals to fostering a culture where organ and tissue donation is a natural and meaningful part of end-of-life care."

This growing momentum is the result of years of collaboration, grassroots clinical engagement, and professional education across the health care system. Thanks to this work, 339 organ donors enabled 1,053 transplants, saving 836 lives, while 2,077 tissue donors improved the lives of many more.

About the Awards

Each year, the Hospital Achievement Awards recognize hospital partners that meet or exceed Ontario’s targets in key areas of the donation process. Award categories include:

• Provincial Conversion Rate, awarded to 24 hospital partners. The conversion rate is the percentage of potential organ donors (patients who die in a hospital setting and are deemed medically suitable for donation) who went on to become actual donors.
• Provincial Eligible Approach Rate, awarded to 30 hospital partners for demonstrating leading practices by facilitating a donation discussion with eligible patients or families of patients at end of life.
• Provincial Routine Notification Rate, awarded to five hospital partners for achieving a 100% routine notification rate, which is the percentage at which hospitals notify Trillium Gift of Life Network when a patient has died and there may be potential for organ or tissue donation.
• Outstanding Achievement Award – Provincial Routine Notification Rate, awarded to four hospital partners for demonstrating leading practices in routine notification with only a single missed notification in 2024/2025.
• Award of Excellence, awarded to 23 hospital partners, up from 14 last year, for meeting or exceeding the provincial target for conversion rate, eligible approach rate or routine notification rate for four or more consecutive years, demonstrating an outstanding commitment to the implementation of donation leading practices.

“Behind each award is a team of dedicated health care professionals who ensure that every opportunity for donation is thoughtfully considered, and that families are supported in honouring their loved one’s end-of-life wishes,” said Dr. Andrew Healey, Provincial Medical Director – Donation, TGLN. “Trust begins at the door of the hospital, where patients first receive active care. The compassion and commitment shown throughout a patient’s journey profoundly shape the possibility of donation. It’s the care at every stage that makes donation possible.”

Why It Matters

One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and a single tissue donor can improve the lives of up to 75 people. Yet right now there are 1,662 people in Ontario on the transplant waitlist in need of an organ to save their life—while thousands more are waiting for tissue donations.

Despite this need, only 35% of eligible people in Ontario are currently registered as organ and tissue donors—that means more than 9 million people are still not registered. Anyone 16 years or older with a valid Ontario health card can register at beadonor.ca or in person at any ServiceOntario location during a visit to renew their health card or driver’s license.

Just as important as registering is talking to your family about your wishes. When a person has both registered their consent and discussed their decision with their families, their loved ones can confidently move forward in fulfilling those wishes without doubt or uncertainty of their wishes.

Hospital Achievement Award Recipients 2024/2025