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May 5, 2012For Immediate Release
 

Alert: AATB is Collecting Comments to SWGMDI Publication

 

The AATB Executive Office has recently been made aware of a draft document posted for public comment by the Scientific Working Group for Medicolegal Death Investigation (SWGMDI) titled "Organ and Tissue Procurement Committee Standards and Best Practices for Interaction Between Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices and Organ and Tissue Procurement Organizations." This draft was originally posted for comment in mid-March, however, organ, tissue and ocular donation organizations and professional associations were not notified. The comment period closes very soon on Saturday, May 12.

Access the document and the on-line method to submit comments at this link: http://swgmdi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&Itemid=96

The AATB is working closely with the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) to coordinate the submission of unified comments. To support this effort, we are collecting concerns from our respective constituencies that will be used for this submission. Tissue banks should send comments to Scott Brubaker (brubakers@aatb.org) by Wednesday, May 9. Use "SWGMDI Comments" as the subject line of your email.

Our Associations additionally encourage members to submit your comments individually using the on-line system provided at the link above.

General concerns include:
  • Input from organ, tissue and ocular donation organizations was not solicited when developing this document resulting in serious flaws that cannot be considered best practices or standards;
  • The draft does not consider individual needs of local Medical Examiners/Coroners or the Organ, Tissue or Eye Procurement Organizations with whom they have developed successful protocols; and
  • The National Association of Medical Examiners' Position Paper on the Medical Examiner Release of Organs and Tissues for Transplantation is not referenced and should be used.

It is important for you to participate and voice your concerns regarding this draft document.

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The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) -- a professional, non-profit, scientific and educational organization -- is the only national tissue banking organization in the United States. Founded in 1976, the AATB is dedicated to improving and saving lives by promoting and advancing the safety, quality and availability of donated human tissue. To fullfill that mission, the AATB publishes standards and accredits tissue banks, certifies personnel and operates a tissue network.