JBH Joins in World-First Organ Transplant Procedure
In 2020 , JBH collaborated on a groundbreaking organ transplant procedure that made headlines and opened doors to new possibilities for organ donation . Burlington resident Mike Neill , suffering from incurable Huntington ’ s disease , became the first person worldwide to donate his organs for transplant after a medically-assisted death at home . JBH ’ s surgery team played a critical role in an intricate , time-sensitive transplant process that also involved the Trillium Gift of Life Network , Halton paramedics , police and other hospitals .
In just over an hour after Mike ’ s passing at his home , our surgical staff and physicians ( under the direction of Chief of Staff Dr . Ian Preyra ), removed Mike ’ s healthy lungs and carefully prepared them for transport to an awaiting recipient at Toronto General Hospital .
Organ donation usually occurs in hospital after someone has died but remains on life support to keep organs viable until doctors can identify a recipient and co-ordinate a transplant . Extraordinary medical advancements like the Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion System , used in Mike ’ s procedure , enable the retrieval of lungs from a donor who dies outside of a hospital .
“The most impactful and inspiring moment of my career .”
– DR . IAN PREYRA
Thanks to the well-coordinated teamwork of all involved , including JBH , Mike ’ s end-of-life wishes to donate his organs after a medically assisted death at home were fulfilled .
This revolutionary procedure also offers hope for the growing waitlist of patients needing vital organs to extend their lives .
CREDIT : TORONTO STAR
Supporting Mental Health
Our hospital offers a range of mental health services planned and designed according to the needs of the patients in our community – and during challenging times , this means creating innovative solutions for continued care .
With many services paused in 2020 , individuals with mental health concerns lost vital in-person linkages to critical supports . To sustain these connections , we created PORT : the Psychiatry , Mental Health and Addiction Outpatient Response Team .
PORT is a one-of-a-kind service that offers individuals in distress , via physician referral , a direct line by phone to a hospital-based clinician or psychiatrist . The caller can connect
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