St. Luke’s Monroe Campus to be Recognized for Efforts to Secure Corneas for Donation

Hospital’s Increased Performance a Result of  Embracing Organ, Eye & Tissue Donation Program

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania -- SightLife, the nonprofit global health organization dedicated to eliminating corneal blindness, will recognize St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Monroe Campus for its robust efforts and adherence to protocol to facilitate corneal tissue donations. SightLife will present its Vision Award for exceptional performance as well as demonstrated commitment to cornea donation and advocacy, to the staff at the start of the hospital’s Management Team meeting Friday, May 31, at 10:30 a.m.

Last year, the hospital obtained 179 referrals on behalf of  Gift of Life Donor Program  (GOLDP) and SightLife. Twenty of them went on to become tissue donors, including 19 corneal donations. This was more than a 50 percent increase over 2017, when the hospital obtained 114 referrals to GOLDP and SightLife, and of those, 14 became tissue donors and all 14 resulted in corneal donations.

Beth Kern-Skraptis, RN, MSN, Director of Quality Management at the Monroe Campus, said that since the campus opened in October 2016, “we have embraced the organ and tissue donation process and consistently kept it in our staff’s view with yearly education supported through unit rounds facilitated by GOLDP and SightLife staff.” As a result, she said, “the hospital staff work collaboratively with both of these partners. We are honored that both organizations have shared such high praise for the professionalism of our staff in regards to corneal tissue donation and the support of protocols that enhance donation success, thus increasing successful donations.”

St. Luke’s is proud to be recognized for this achievement, Kern-Skrapits said.

“Last year we were able to provide a record 36,294 corneas for transplant, an incredible accomplishment that would not have been possible if not for incredible partners like the St. Luke’s Network,” said Claire Bonilla, CEO of SightLife.

Contact:

• SightLife: Molly Bull, 206-414-7146, molly.bull@sightlife.org,

About SightLife

Founded in 1969 and based in Seattle, WA, SightLife is a nonprofit global health organization dedicated to eliminating corneal blindness worldwide by 2040. Preventing and treating corneal blindness through early intervention and corneal transplant has a profound impact on patients, their families and communities—everyone should be able to experience the joy and possibilities that vision brings. With partners in more than 30 countries, SightLife is changing millions of lives around the globe by preventing blindness and restoring sight.

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 15,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and over 320 outpatient sites.  With annual net revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.  Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.  In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the Lehigh Valley’s first and only regional medical school campus.  It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 28 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 226 residents and fellows.  St. Luke’s is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system with Medicare’s five- and four-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.  St. Luke’s is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital.  In 2019, three of IBM Watson Health’s 100 Top Hospitals were St. Luke’s hospitals.  St. Luke’s University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health seven times total and five years in a row. St. Luke’s has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program.  Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.  St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.