About Golden State Donor Services — Staff
Golden State Donor Services (GSDS) is the nonprofit, federally designated transplant donor network serving two and a half million people in the greater Sacramento area. We are committed to saving and improving lives by connecting one life to another through donation and transplantation. We support potential donor families in their time of loss, provide care for them through the donation process and coordinate the recovery of organs and tissues for transplant. We also provide after-care support to donor families while at the same time working to inspire universal acceptance of donation to ensure every person in need receives the “Gift of Life.”
In Golden State Donor Services' area, more than 1000 people now wait for an organ transplant, (heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, intestine or pancreas). The need for transplants far exceeds the number of donations in the area covered by GSDS, and across the nation. Currently, in the United States, about 100,000 people wait for an organ transplant. One third of them will die waiting for a transplant.
GSDS' designated service area includes 11 counties in Northern California, (Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba), as well as the communities of Santa Rosa and Reno. Currently GSDS has agreements with 30 hospitals.
When a potential donor is identified by one of those hospitals, GSDS is notified. A GSDS Transplant Coordinator, in conjunction with a trained social services worker (Family Care Coordinator) immediately begins work to facilitate the donation process and assesses the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry to establish if the potential donor has signed up to be an organ/tissue donor. If the potential donor is on the registry, the family is notified and the donation process proceeds. If the potential donor has not signed up on the registry the Family Care Coordinator supports the donor family and consults them regarding possible donation.
GSDS then evaluates the medical suitability of the donor, manages the medical care of the donor until transplantation can take place, and taps into a national database to identify patients in need of transplants. Finally, GSDS manages the transport of organs to the surgeons who will perform the transplants into waiting recipients.
GSDS' goal is to alleviate the critical shortage of organs by increasing the number of donations in our community and across the country, through public and professional education. GSDS' Executive Director, Helen Nelson states, "I look forward to working with each person within our community who can help us build on our philosophy of -- It's about giving life."
Golden State Donor Services' Vision, Mission and Core Values:
Vision
Mission
— Committed to saving and improving lives
— Connecting one life to another through donation and transplantation
— We provide hope.
— We provide life.
— Honesty, Integrity and Open Communication
— Respecting and Compassion for All
— Excellence and Innovation
— Cooperative and Collaborative Teamwork
— Commitment to Mission-Driven Goals
— Fiscal Responsibility
— Advocacy for Donors, Families and Recipients
1760 Creekside Oaks Drive, Suite 220
Sacramento, CA 95833
916.567.1600
FAX: 916.567.8300
e-mail: info@gsds.org (see staff page for direct e-mails)
GSDS operates in an ethically and financially responsible manner to conserve scarce resources and to ensure public trust.
For a full list of our GSDS staff and contact information, please click here.
Golden State Donor Services (GSDS) is the nonprofit, federally designated transplant donor network serving two and a half million people in the greater Sacramento area. We are committed to saving and improving lives by connecting one life to another through donation and transplantation. We support potential donor families in their time of loss, provide care for them through the donation process and coordinate the recovery of organs and tissues for transplant. We also provide after-care support to donor families while at the same time working to inspire universal acceptance of donation to ensure every person in need receives the “Gift of Life.”
In Golden State Donor Services' area, more than 1000 people now wait for an organ transplant, (heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, intestine or pancreas). The need for transplants far exceeds the number of donations in the area covered by GSDS, and across the nation. Currently, in the United States, about 100,000 people wait for an organ transplant. One third of them will die waiting for a transplant.
GSDS' designated service area includes 11 counties in Northern California, (Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba), as well as the communities of Santa Rosa and Reno. Currently GSDS has agreements with 30 hospitals.
When a potential donor is identified by one of those hospitals, GSDS is notified. A GSDS Transplant Coordinator, in conjunction with a trained social services worker (Family Care Coordinator) immediately begins work to facilitate the donation process and assesses the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry to establish if the potential donor has signed up to be an organ/tissue donor. If the potential donor is on the registry, the family is notified and the donation process proceeds. If the potential donor has not signed up on the registry the Family Care Coordinator supports the donor family and consults them regarding possible donation.
GSDS then evaluates the medical suitability of the donor, manages the medical care of the donor until transplantation can take place, and taps into a national database to identify patients in need of transplants. Finally, GSDS manages the transport of organs to the surgeons who will perform the transplants into waiting recipients.
GSDS' goal is to alleviate the critical shortage of organs by increasing the number of donations in our community and across the country, through public and professional education. GSDS' Executive Director, Helen Nelson states, "I look forward to working with each person within our community who can help us build on our philosophy of -- It's about giving life."
Golden State Donor Services' Vision, Mission and Core Values:
Vision
— To be the leader in the donation community
— Inspiring universal acceptance of donation
— To ensure that every person in need receives the "Gift of Life"
— Inspiring universal acceptance of donation
— To ensure that every person in need receives the "Gift of Life"
Mission
— Committed to saving and improving lives
— Connecting one life to another through donation and transplantation
— We provide hope.
— We provide life.
— Honesty, Integrity and Open Communication
— Respecting and Compassion for All
— Excellence and Innovation
— Cooperative and Collaborative Teamwork
— Commitment to Mission-Driven Goals
— Fiscal Responsibility
— Advocacy for Donors, Families and Recipients
1760 Creekside Oaks Drive, Suite 220
Sacramento, CA 95833
916.567.1600
FAX: 916.567.8300
e-mail: info@gsds.org (see staff page for direct e-mails)
GSDS operates in an ethically and financially responsible manner to conserve scarce resources and to ensure public trust.
For a full list of our GSDS staff and contact information, please click here.
