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Saving & enhancing lives through organ and tissue donation

Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is proud to serve as the federally designated not-for-profit agency that coordinates organ and tissue donation and supports families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Since our inception in 1986, we have coordinated donations that have saved the lives of 17,000 organ transplant recipients and helped hundreds of thousands of other patients receive needed tissue transplants.

As one of 58 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that make up the nation’s organ donation system, we work with 179 hospitals in our donation service area. As healthcare administrators and professionals, trained clinicians and community educators, we are responsible for:

• Evaluating potential donors for medical suitability;
• Discussing donation with family members of potential donors;
• Coordinating the organ and tissue donation process;
• Providing support and follow-up information to families of
  organ and tissue donors;
• Educating the 12 million residents in our service area about donation and how to register as donors;
• Educating healthcare professionals about their roles in donation;
• Assisting hospitals with the development of policies and procedures
  that facilitate the donation process for staff and families.

In managing the recovery, care and transportation of donated organs to transplant patients, we work closely with Illinois' nine transplant centers:

• Advocate Christ Medical Center
• Children's Memorial Hospital
• Loyola University Medical Center
• Memorial Medical Center
• Northwestern Memorial Hospital
• Rush University Medical Center
• OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
• The University of Chicago Medical Center
• University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago

We also work with other transplant centers and other OPOs through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to provide lifesaving organs for patients awaiting them. UNOS is the federally mandated registration center for organ transplant candidates in the United States. UNOS' computer-based system matches donated organs with patients in need, in accordance with strict federal guidelines intended to ensure equitable distribution.