Donor Network launches birth tissue donation program at Carson Tahoe Health | Surgery

Donor Network West announced that mothers can donate their placenta after giving birth through Carson Tahoe Health’s new birth tissue donation program.

Instead of being thrown away after delivery, these tissues can be donated for research, education, and transplantation.

Donor Network West, the only federally-designated organ procurement organization in northern Nevada, is collaborating with Carson Tahoe Health in Carson City, Nevada, to provide expectant moms with the newborn tissue donation program.

Eligible mothers include those who give birth vaginally or by cesarean section. Donating birth tissue is a living contribution that doesn’t endanger the health of the mother or the unborn child.

Donor Network West says there is a great need for tissue donation, which is frequently used for therapeutic procedures and to help put an end to needless suffering.

Every year, one in twenty Americans needs a tissue transplant of some kind because of an injury, illness, or surgical reconstruction.

Reconstructive surgeries, spinal treatments to relieve pain from scar tissue, and the treatment of painful wounds and burns are just a few of the ways that donated newborn tissue can help patients recover.

As part of Donor Network West’s newborn tissue donation program at Carson Tahoe Health, Ashley and Clinton Rickman were the first parents to consent to donation.

A single donor can make a big difference. For patients in need, a single placenta can provide up to 100 tissue grafts.

Donating birth tissue also helps with scientific research and the creation of novel therapies.

Donor Network West says they educate expectant mothers about donating their newborn tissue in collaboration with its hospital partners.

Throughout the process, its donation team assists with paperwork, responds to inquiries, and interacts with moms who have chosen to be a part of the program.

After the baby is delivered, the birth mother doesn’t need to undergo any further operations to recover the tissue. The donated tissue, which would otherwise be thrown away, is packaged and sent by Donor Network West.

To learn more about birth tissue donation, visit DonorNetworkWest.org.