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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 congratulate the Lake County Coroner's Office on the occasion
4 of receiving the 2024 Life Changer Award for Outstanding Teams
5 from the Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Network; and
6 WHEREAS, The Gift of Hope organization is part of a
7 nationwide system helping people through organ and tissue
8 donation; and
9 WHEREAS, The Lake County Coroner's Office received the
10 Life Changer Award for Outstanding Teams in recognition of the
11 commitment and dedication invested by Coroner Jennifer Banek
12 and her team in collaborating with Gift of Hope, increasing
13 organ and tissue donations and ultimately saving lives of
14 those in desperate need; and
15 WHEREAS, The Lake County Coroner's Office was nominated
16 for the award earlier this year by the Gift of Hope Community
17 Foundation; and
18 WHEREAS, The Lake County Coroner's Office and Gift of Hope
19 expanded their ability to work together last year by
20 collaborating on an initiative that allows Gift of Hope to
21 access electronic information related to a deceased person
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1 more efficiently, a pivotal change allowing Gift of Hope to
2 connect with families and coordinate tissue and organ donation
3 when this is the intention of the loved one or their next of
4 kin; prior to the new electronic interface, coroner's deputies
5 would reach out to Gift of Hope representatives to notify them
6 of potential donors; and
7 WHEREAS, Coroner's deputies of the Lake County Coroner's
8 Office are responsible for conducting death investigations,
9 working with families, and other investigative and logistic
10 concerns; since electronically interfacing with Gift of Hope,
11 when a coroner's deputy enters the deceased person's
12 information into a portal, Gift of Hope can immediately begin
13 its organ and tissue screening process, and their valiant
14 efforts have made a clear impact on organ and tissue donation;
15 and
16 WHEREAS, In 2023, the Lake County Coroner's Office made
17 148 referrals to Gift of Hope, which led to 84 family
18 discussions and 24 successful organ and tissue donors, and
19 those 24 tissue donors contributed to the improvement or
20 healing of over 600 lives; and
21 WHEREAS, As of May 30, 2024, the Lake County Coroner's
22 Office has referred 60 cases, resulting in 11 tissue donors;
23 therefore, be it
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1 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
2 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the
3 Lake County Coroner's Office on receiving the 2024 Life
4 Changer Award for Outstanding Teams from the Gift of Hope
5 Organ and Tissue Network; and be it further
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