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LifeGift’s Simulation Center Awarded SSH Provisional Accreditation

April 2, 2024

Organ Procurement Organization is First in the Nation to Receive Prestigious Accreditation

LifeGift’s Institute for the Future of Transplantation Simulation Center (LIFT SIM Center) was recently awarded the Provisional Accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). The LIFT SIM Center is the first organ procurement organization (OPO) in the nation to receive this best practice and quality accreditation. LifeGift was recognized at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare President’s Diamond Ball in San Diego, Calif. for this accomplishment.

The SSH is the largest healthcare simulation accrediting body in the world, with more than 250 global programs currently accredited. SSH Accreditation is a peer-reviewed evaluation of a simulation program’s processes and outcomes integration to improve healthcare simulation by providing standardization and best practices in core standards as well as assessment, research, teaching/education and systems integration.

The LIFT SIM Center is an essential element of the LifeGift Institute for the Future of Transplantation, a premier professional development and training program that provides team members with access to the latest education in the field.

“In achieving SSH Accreditation, LifeGift is leading the way and demonstrating a pioneering commitment to deliver a high-quality educational program and services to its team members and the donation community,” states LifeGift president and chief executive officer, Kevin Myer.

“We’re proud to have achieved this initial milestone in ensuring that our SIM Center follows simulation-standard best practices for our clinical team members and community learners,” says Rodney Cruz, RRT, CPTC, manager of the LIFT SIM Center. “LifeGift’s previous executive vice president and chief medical officer, R. Patrick Wood, MD, played a vital role in this achievement. Our newly accredited SIM Center has been named in his honor.”

The state-of-the-art simulation center was completed during LifeGift’s recent campus expansion in Houston, Texas. The LIFT SIM Center’s mission is to provide simulation-based education and technology to team members and donation partners with the goal of saving and enhancing lives by optimizing patient safety while increasing organ and tissue donation.

“Research shows that using interactive simulation training combined with classroom learning develops better prepared clinical practitioners while improving quality health care, education and patient safety,” shares Manuel Calderon, M.Ed., CPTD, director of LIFT. “As the first OPO in the United States to have received accreditation, we’re committed to providing a learning environment that enhances care.”