After a Record-Breaking 2019 and 2020, What’s Next for LifeSource?

The challenges of 2020 demonstrated that the LifeSource team can overcome obstacles and achieve the impossible. With that experiential confidence, we’ve set two Bold Aims for LifeSource over the next several years:

• SAVE MORE LIVES: 1,000 transplants for local donors in 2027.
• INCLUSION: Reflecting the diversity of our community by 2025. Achieving equity in communities of color saying “yes” to donation by 2030.

Save More Lives

Saving more lives by transplanting 1,000 organs in 2027 is certainly a stretch goal for the organization. In 2020, LifeSource facilitated 603 transplants, so reaching 1,000 is a 40 percent increase in transplants in just six years.

We’ve identified a host of strategies to reach this first Bold Aim, including:

• A reimagined Organ Donation Service Delivery model
• Enhancing our Surgical Recovery Capabilities & Capacity
• Innovating around the Allocation & Organ Placement infrastructure

LifeSource has always been focused on continuous improvement but reaching this bold aim will truly require an overall effort. Learn more about our first pilot project.

Inclusion

LifeSource has been partnering with the community to provide education and combat misinformation for over 20 years. But we can do more. Communities of color still say “yes” to organ, eye and tissue donation at a much lower rate.

The second piece of this “Inclusion” Bold Aim involves looking internally at what we can do to attract, support and retain a more diverse workforce that represents the communities that we serve.

Some immediate actions we’ve taken include:

• Making a formal Commitment to the Community
• Creating a new Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) role

• Forming an internal DE&I Committee
• Forming a Community Advisory Council

• Increasing Human Resources capabilities to revamp our recruiting practices

While we’ve identified some strategies to reach these Bold Aims, much of the path is yet to be paved. Achieving them will require new ways of thinking and systems to implement them.  The LifeSource team is motivated, energized and knows the risk of inaction. Together we can and will save more lives.