A tree-planting ceremony to honor organ donors and recipients will be
held Sept. 23 in Petersburg as part of “The Tree of Life” campaign being
sponsored by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Health
System. Twenty-three Nebraska communities are participating in the tree-planting
campaign, which is designed to raise the awareness level for organ and
tissue donation. Twelve communities held events in 1998 with the remaining
communities holding events this year.
The Petersburg event is open to the public and will begin at 2 p.m.
at Petersburg Community Park on Highway 14. Petersburg Mayor Junior Riecks
and other community leaders are expected to attend. Several organ
and tissue donor family members and organ recipients from around the area
have been invited to attend. In conjunction with the tree planting, an
educational presentation about organ and tissue donation will be given
at the Petersburg School. At 10:30 a.m., students in kindergarten through
sixth grade will hear the presentation, and at 11:15 a.m., students in
seventh through twelfth grade will hear the presentation.
Schrad’s Greenhouse & Nursery in Albion will donate and plant the
tree, which will be a Large Leaf Linden. A permanent plaque will be planted
at the base of the tree commemorating the event.
The “Tree of Life” symbolizes the new life organ donation has brought
to those who were dying from end-stage organ failure and those who have
given the “gift of life,” said Kevin Warneke, associate director of public
affairs for UNMC and one of the two coordinators of the tree-planting campaign.
Other communities holding ceremonies for “The Tree of Life” campaign
include:
Ainsworth Beatrice Broken Bow Chadron Columbus Fremont Grand Island
Hastings Holdrege Kearney Lincoln McCook Neb. City Norfolk
North Platte Omaha O’Neill Scottsbluff Sidney S. Sioux City Valentine
York
People may participate in the ceremony by giving a personal testimonial,
reading an original poem or singing a song. These activities will highlight
the importance of organ and tissue donation.
“The decision for organ and tissue donation comes at a time when a family
begins to realize their lives will continue without someone they love,”
said Kolleen Thompson, manager of organ recovery services for NHS and the
other coordinator of the campaign. “It takes true courage and compassion
to donate your loved one’s organs. The new life that results for the organ
recipient is something that will never be forgotten.”
The campaign will help UNMC and NHS create awareness of The Lied Transplant
Center, which opened earlier this year on the UNMC/NHS campus. The 14-level
building features 44 patient care suites as well as considerable space
devoted to transplant research. Patients staying at the center take part
in an innovative cooperative care delivery system in which family or friends
serve as care partners for the basic care needs of patients receiving solid
organ or bone marrow transplants.
Despite UNMC/NHS’s stature as a leading transplant center, Nebraska
only ranks No. 24 among all states in producing donors based on population,
said Byers W. Shaw, Jr., M.D., professor and chairman of the UNMC Department
of Surgery and an organ transplant surgeon.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.
Nebraska Health System (NHS) is the partnership of Clarkson Hospital,
the first hospital in Nebraska, and University Hospital, the primary teaching
facility for UNMC. The combined hospital is an 835-bed facility and serves
approximately 25 percent of the Omaha-area market. NHS operates clinics
and health care centers serving Omaha, Plattsmouth, Gretna and Auburn in
Nebraska; and Council Bluffs and Shenandoah in Iowa.
In addition, NHS physicians operate more than 300 outpatient clinics
in 100 communities in four states. NHS provides access to tertiary and
primary care including world-class specialized treatment such as solid
organ transplantation, burn care, wound care, geriatrics, bone marrow/
stem cell transplantation and other cancer treatments. NHS affiliate hospitals
include Shenandoah Memorial Hospital and Community Hospital in Fairfax,
Mo.