SHELTON, WA – Every year, LifeCenter Northwest, Mason Health’s partner in organ donation, and LifeNet Health, Mason Health’s partner in tissue donation, recognize top-performing hospitals for their continued dedication to supporting organ and tissue donation and transplantation. A single gift of an organ or tissue donation can impact up to eight lives, creating a ripple effect throughout a community. This year, Mason Health leadership received four awards that demonstrate the District’s commitment to providing respectful, caring and patient-centered health care while helping families navigate organ and tissue donation.

LifeNet Health awarded Mason Health Director of Acute Care Services Rob Bennington with the 2023 Liaison of the Year Award for his outstanding support for the gift of tissue donation. In 2023, Mason Health had eight tissue donors, the most the District has had in nine years.

“This award honors exceptional dedication and coordination by hospital donation liasons,” said Becky Wenger, LifeNet Health’s Donor Relations Account Manager. “Over the last year, Rob has done a tremendous job of promoting tissue donation at Mason General Hospital. He consulted with the donation agencies in 2023 to get proposed updates to the hospital’s donation policy to create clarity on how Mason General Hospital can best support donation. Anytime there is a question about donation, Rob is quick to jump in and find the answer.”

Mason Health received three awards from LifeCenter Northwest:

• Honoring Donor Decisions Award: Earned by hospitals honoring all donor decisions for patients appearing or declared brain dead. Mason Health was one of only 46 hospitals across LifeCenter Northwest’s four-state region to earn this award.
• End The Wait Organ Donation Rate Award, Gold: Earned by hospitals with a donation rate of 75 percent or greater. Mason Health was one of 13 hospitals to earn this honor across LifeCenter Northwest’s four-state donation service area.
• Collaborative Family Support Award: Earned by hospitals with a collaborative request rate of 100 percent. Mason Health was one of only 23 hospitals to earn this honor across LifeCenter Northwest’s four-state service area.

“Organ donation can’t happen without the collaboration and teamwork between hospital and LifeCenter Northwest staff,” said Korri Shimizu, Senior Hospital Development Program Manager for LifeCenter Northwest. “One of the most important areas for collaboration is when the time comes to assess family readiness for an introduction of or conversation regarding donation. Mason General Hospital excels in the area of planning a collaborative family connection with LifeCenter Northwest.”

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County is ISO 9001 Quality Management System certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. Mason General Hospital and Mason Clinic are ENERGY STAR® certified and Mason Health is the recipient of three Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Partner for Change Awards, two Greening the Operating Room Awards and the Making Medicine Mercury Free Award. To learn more about Mason Health’s sustainability efforts, visit https://www.masonhealth.com/about/sustainability-environmental-stewardship. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. For more information or to find a health care provider, visit www.masongeneral.com. To learn more about DNV, visit www.dnv.com/healthcare.

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