The groundbreaking Simulation Center will train LiveOnNY clinical and field staff and educate the public on the lifesaving process of organ donation.

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveOnNY, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the New York Metro region, is proud to announce the Donate Eight Simulation Center at LiveOnNY.

The unveiling took place during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at LiveOnNY's headquarters in Long Island City, Queens.

Thanks to the generous financial support of Donate Eight and the LiveOnNY Foundation, the cutting-edge Simulation Center will elevate training and education for both Clinical Operations staff and the public, focusing on the lifesaving process of organ donation. The center includes a fully equipped mock operating room and ICU, designed to train employees in donor case management within a controlled, immersive environment.

"We are deeply grateful to Donate Eight and the LiveOnNY Foundation for their invaluable support in making this vision a reality," said LiveOnNY CEO and President Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP. "This center will help ensure that our staff and the community are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out our mission of giving hope and saving lives. Our organ donor heroes and their families are our top priority, and this simulation center will allow us to continue upholding donor care excellence, ensuring their legacies live on through the gift of life."

By simulating critical scenarios—such as navigating organ donor operating rooms and critical care donor management settings, engaging with family members, and seeking authorization for organ donation—the center complements the hands-on learning experience of shadowing senior staff during real donor hospital cases. Staff will have the opportunity to develop crucial conversation skills and experience the complexities of approaching families in crisis to discuss the lifesaving gift of organ donation.

"We founded Donate Eight over a decade ago, and what we're most proud of is that we did it purely out of altruism," said Scott Salmirs, CEO and President of ABM Industries and founder of Donate Eight. "As members of the buildings industry, we wanted to give back to our city. We are honored to partner with LiveOnNY on this lifesaving mission and deeply grateful to the LiveOnNY Foundation team for their dedication. We also thank LiveOnNY President and CEO Leonard Achan for his exceptional leadership, which has resulted in saving more than 3,000 lives over the past three years."

The Donate Eight Simulation Center is also designed as an educational tool for high school students, nursing and medical students, elected officials, and members of the public. By offering insight into the intricacies of organ donation, the center aims to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of organ and tissue donation, and the extraordinary effort involved in saving and changing lives through these gifts.

"This center embodies what we at Donate Eight wanted to do from the start – provide education and raise awareness about the critical need for organ donation in New York," said Bill Dacunto, Executive Vice President of Silverstein Properties, Chairperson of LiveOnNY Foundation and member of Donate Eight. "The Board of Donate Eight is proud to be part of the Simulation Center, it is such an achievement."

ABOUT LIVEONNY

LiveOnNY is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation. The OPO, which was established in 1978, serves a culturally and ethnically diverse population of 13 million residents in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Rockland. Working closely with donor hospital and transplant centers, LiveOnNY coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the National or New York State Donate Life Registry. LiveOnNY is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the organ transplant waiting list in the U.S. For more information, please visit LiveOnNY.org

ABOUT DONATE EIGHT

Donate Eight is a non-profit organization founded by members of the New York City Real Estate, Building Management and Building Service community in response to the immediate need to increase organ donation education and awareness to help save more lives. Learn more about Donate Eight here.

Donate Eight is the founding and primary fundraising organization for LiveOnNY Foundation – the philanthropic arm of LiveOnNY.

SOURCE LiveOnNY