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Offering
Families a Choice -
Providing support for families When Family Support Services Coordinator Phoebe Oblon talks to a family that has lost a loved one, her first priority is to offer support to the family in a way that will be helpful for that particular family, not necessarily focusing immediately on the request for tissue donation. Each and every family is unique in its individual needs, concerns and problems surrounding the death of a loved one and the consideration of tissue donation, Oblon said. It is the Family Support Services coordinator's duty to provide support, education and options to each family. Oblon broaches the subject of tissue donation only when she feels that the family is emotionally ready for the discussion. Often the Family Support Services coordinator and the family arrange to talk about tissue donation at a time that may be more comfortable for the family. The coordinator provides assistance to the family in dealing with the recent death of a loved one - calling prospective funeral homes, notifying family ministers and rabbis and coordinating with the hospitals to help the family through this difficult time. Oblon said she and the other coordinators consider this one of their most important functions - helping them cope with the difficult situation, or what she calls "immediate care for the family." The Southeast Tissue Alliance Family Support Services coordinators also provide grief support resources to families. The coordinators connect families with support from a wide range of resources including organizations like Hospice, support hot lines, and books or Web sites that help those who have lost family members. Whether the family says yes or no to donation, the Family Support Services coordinators help connect the families with grief resources. "My number one goal is to offer the option of tissue donation, and through that process, to uphold the integrity of the deceased and the entire family who is often in a tremendous amount of pain and grief," Oblon said. Carrying out families' wishes Although it is physically separated by closed doors from the rest of the Southeast Tissue Alliance headquarters office, the Family Support Services often is the first contact for hospitals and donor families in the donation process. Some may not realize the importance of the Family Support Services, but its role is essential to the success of Southeast Tissue Alliance. In the Family Support Services, three to four people working in 8- to12-hour shifts are always present to take incoming calls, screen potential donors, obtain informed consent and achieve closure with donor families. This is done with the hospitals, Medical Examiner offices and funeral homes in Southeast Tissue Alliance's local coverage areas and on a national level. Hospital nurses call the Southeast Tissue Alliance Family Support Services to report a death. After the nurse gives a brief medical history on the patient, the coordinator determines if the deceased's tissue is suitable for donation. The nurse provides the coordinator with the name and phone number of a family member of the deceased. This begins the process through which a potential donor can help to save the lives of several others through donation. Referrals also are made via fax from local and national funeral homes. Once the Family Support Services determines that the deceased is a suitable donor based on acceptance criteria, the coordinator approaches the family to offer the option of tissue donation. The process of locating the next-of-kin can be a time-consuming aspect of the process, and timing is critical. Tissues must be recovered for transplantation within a 12- to 24-hour time frame. Usually the Family Support Services coordinator who initially receives the call contacts the family to discuss their willingness to give consent for tissue donation. Oblon, who has worked in the Southeast Tissue Alliance Family Support Services for five years, said she first ensures that the family understands the process of tissue donation. Then, she offers the family the option of tissue donation and confirms that the family understands for what they are consenting at every juncture of the consent process. "I want to be there to provide the family with information and clarification all along the way to help them make a decision," Oblon said. "This is their gift. I am here to just help facilitate the gift for them." Caring and compassionate requestors
Professional Relations Manager Reva Riggins, who has worked with Southeast Tissue Alliance for more than seven years and has held the manager position since July 2002, said that one of the reasons she enjoys managing the Family Support Services is the people who work there. "We have a good group of people in here," Riggins said. "It's probably the best group we've had in a long time." The referral service coordinators are all caring, empathetic and giving and are able to take a step back to see how to best help the families that we serve, Riggins said. "It's definitely a team effort in what we do. And it does take a certain kind of person to work in the Family Support Services." One of those people is Family Support Services Coordinator Charles White, who has worked in the Family Support Services for more than two years. Each coordinator brings something different to the team, White said. He has two religious Master's degrees - one in American church history and the other in American religion and culture. Having a theological background gives White a good perspective and helps him when talking to families whose denominations have concerns about donation, White said. Although the coordinators may have different backgrounds and life experiences, there is one trait that makes them alike, White said. "We not only advocate for donation," White said. "All of the people in the Family Support Services advocate for the family and go above and beyond for them." Although dealing with grief can sometimes make his job difficult, White is very clear on what makes it worthwhile. "It's a real privilege to be able to talk to the families after they've just had a loss," White said. "Helping family members fulfill their loved one's wishes is important." Quality Assurance Manager Sarah Young appreciates the job done by the Family Support Services employees. She helps support the Family Support Services through auditing their consent and medical support histories, and the coordinators are very understanding and accepting of the procedures, Young said. "The Family Support Services coordinators are very caring, conscientious people with the ability to adapt to a lot of different situations," Young said. "They never know what they're getting into with every phone call they make."
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