[ INTERVIEW ]
TINA DILLON, LABOR AND DELIVERY MANAGER MONUMENT HEALTH RAPID CITY HOSPITAL
M
ONUMENT HEALTH Rapid City Hospital had its first donation of birth tissue in September as part of a new program with Dakota Lions Sight and Health.
DLSH can now coordinate the donation and collection of amniotic membranes and umbilical cords from consenting mother's having a planned Caesarean section at RCH. Grafts made from birth tissue have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties and have a wide range of medical uses. MED spoke with Labor & Delivery manager Tina Dillon for insight into the hospital's involvement in the birth tissue donation program.
MED: How did that first donation go? Is there a lot that hospital staff has to do? TD: The first one went really well. DLSH does a great job of getting everything set up ahead of time. It is a very seamless process from our point of view. As soon as the baby is born and the placenta is delivered, it goes directly into the placenta basin and we hand that off to the technician in a sterile manner. They take care of the rest. Everyone involved with the delivery is aware ahead of time that this is going to happen, so there is not a big impact to our workflow at all.
MED: How and where does the donation process start? Is the hospital involved in that? TD: The conversation starts in the physician's office well before delivery. Patients and physicians can discuss it if they know they are going to be doing a C-section. The office collects information from the patient and sends it to DLSH. DLSH stays in contact with the patient and with us at the hospital and they just show up the morning of the C-section to do the collection. If, for some reason, the placenta has to be kept for cultures or tests, they simply don't take it.
MED: We have heard that a single donation can produce enough tissue to help 20 to 40 people. How many donations do you expect to come from RCH? MED: What prompted RCH to sign on to the birth tissue donation program?
TD: We do about 40 C-sections a month but only
TD: The first time I heard about the many uses for
we anticipate being able to collect around 10 per
birth tissue was when Marcy Dimond of Dakota Lions
month. We do not typically get to talk with the
Sight and Health came and met with us in August. It
patients ahead of time, but the one patient I know of
was new information for me, but the minute that we
was very happy and excited to be involved. I think
heard about it, we were thrilled to be a part of using
the more people understand how important and
this tissue that would normally be discarded to help
valuable this is, the more they are going to be willing
so many people. Research is not new to Monument.
to do it. There is no negative impact for mother or
Our team is very accepting of doing new things like
baby. It really is a win-win for everyone. ❖
about 20 of those are scheduled ahead of time. So
this because they see the value. The day our staff met with Marcy was the day of our first donation.
❱ Learn more about the many uses of birth tissue collected by Dakota Lions Sight and Health on our website.
Midwest Medical Edition
November
13
