New England Donor Services

Over 180 golfers participated in NEDS 1st Annual Golf Tournament at Juniper Hill Golf Course yesterday! The tournament raised funds to support NEDS mission and our work of increasing awareness about organ and tissue donation and registering donors. Juniper Hill Golf Course, Inc. Thank you to all the donor families, recipients, volunteers, hospital partners, local businesses, and sponsors who made the 1st NEDS Golf Tournament such a success!! #NEDSGolfTournament2024 #Honor #Remember #Celebrate

Peggy Day comes from a large family and when her brother Tim needed a heart transplant the family rallied around him. Tim received his heart transplant nine years ago and since then both Peggy and her husband Dave have been advocating for donation in their community. They visit the Natick RMV each month to share stories about donation and provide information and materials for the office. Each April Peggy and Dave will visit local businesses that display information during National Donate Life Month and decorate their own home which has started conversations with neighbors about donation. Throughout the year they also host tables at community events, such as festivals and health fairs inspiring many to consider donation through sharing their brother Tim’s story. NEDS staff are often treated to Peggy’s cookies that she brings in when she and Dave help at the office, assembling packets and preparing materials for donor families. They also join us at our annual Blue & Green Walk, where they are wonderful cheerleaders along the route. “We are so grateful for our brother Tim’s miracle heart transplant. While we are certain that we will never be able to repay the incredibly generous gift of his donor and donor’s family, we are doing our best to give back and pay it forward as volunteers for New England Donor Services. We truly enjoy each and every activity that we do to promote the importance of organ and tissue donation and we look forward to continuing for years to come.” Thank you Peggy and Dave for all you do in your community and beyond to support donation! #DonateLife #VolunteerAppreciation

Wishing you a safe & happy #FourthofJuly! 💙💚 #DonateLife Register your decision to be an organ & tissue donor at RegisterMe.org or in your iPhone Health App.

New England Donor Services is proud to learn that Mark Brevard, NEDS Director of Multicultural Community Outreach, is joining the American Heart Association’s Connecticut Board of Directors. The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization that works to reduce deaths and disability from stroke and cardiovascular disease. Congratulations, Mark! https://lnkd.in/enEt37xE

June at NEDS 💙💚

Please join us in welcoming our newest NEDS Team members! 🔹 Jonathan Sekalagala, Central Processing Coordinator 🔹 Jeevika Singh, Tissue Recovery Specialist Welcome to NEDS! We’re so glad you’re here! Want to join our mission? Click here https://lnkd.in/dkQQAmw to learn more about NEDS' lifesaving mission & check out our career opportunities! #MeaningfulWork

“I’ll never stop advocating, it not only transforms recipient lives, it helps families too. Making the decision to donate organs is the most generous gift you can give, and for our (LGBTQ+) community, it’s the ultimate way of showing our pride.” Read more of NEDS volunteer Billy Partain's interview with The Valley Breeze below. #PrideMonth

NEDS Senior Director of Organ Optimization Samantha Endicott, MPH, CPTC and NEDS Senior Director of Organ Operations Jillian Wojtowicz presented at the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) annual meeting on how programs and policy can improve efficiency and effectiveness in managing donor referrals, recovery processes, and ensuring quality standards are met. As NEDS donor activity continues to increase, redefining roles and workflows is essential to maximizing the gift and better outcomes. #AOPOAM24

Lesley Bellalta, a dedicated Donation Coordinator who has been with NEDS for 3 years, is this month’s superstar spotlight. Lesley, a 20-year nursing vet, became aware of NEDS through a seminar on Organ and Tissue Donation, that NEDS hosted in the Waltham office, for nurses throughout the New England area. Lesley has a personal connection to our work at NEDS, due to her late father being a tissue donor. She loves being a Donation Coordinator because of the challenges and critical thinking that comes with the job and the skills she has developed from working here. She describes it as “a whole new level of nursing that consistently challenges me”. Lesley strives to make a positive impact through her work with several committees and training new Donation Coordinators. Lesley’s manager, Jordan Stewart says “Lesley is a hard worker who hits it out of the park and has recently started to help train new DCs as well as joined Education and Development’s Clinical Learning Conference planning committee, showing that she has an interest in leadership and relationship building.” Thank you Lesley for all you do and your dedication to the team! #MeaningfulWork

NEDS Senior Director of Education and Development, Robin Ohkagawa led a discussion on creative ways to reduce training time while maintaining staff effectiveness. At this time of skilled worker shortages in health care at large, NEDS has grown our number of staff while using simulated learning scenarios to speed up the onboarding of new staff. Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) #AOPOAM24