Williamson Health and Tennessee Donor Services (TDS) recently launched a birth tissue donation program, enriching the birth experience for new mothers and their infants born at Williamson Medical Center. The collaborative effort aims to extend hope and healing to patients nationwide.

Mothers delivering their babies via planned Cesarean section at Williamson Medical Center now can choose to voluntarily donate their birth tissue, a resource typically discarded, to heal patients recovering from conditions such as burns, facial and eye injuries, diabetic ulcers, and more. Remarkably, a single donation of birth tissue can facilitate the healing of more than 100 individuals.

Since launching the program in late summer, more than 50 mothers have donated tissue at Williamson Medical Center. This could result in as many as 5,000 healing grafts.

Leah Morrell, TDS Birth Tissue Program Manager, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership: “Tennessee Donor Services is thrilled to partner with Williamson Health to offer birth tissue donation to expectant mothers. Since TDS began recovering birth tissue in Tennessee, our program has steadily grown and Williamson Medical Center has launched its program with a tremendous response. Mothers have such a positive experience that we often see donations with subsequent births, and it is wonderful to know so many people benefit.”

For families who elect to participate in this program, Tennessee Donor Services and Williamson Medical Center staff collaborate closely to ensure that birth tissue donation seamlessly integrates with the mothers’ birthing experience.

“Williamson Medical Center is known for the high quality, compassionate and award-winning care we offer to our new mothers and their babies,” said Lori Orme, chief nursing officer for Williamson Health. “This new collaboration is just one more way we enhance the overall experience for families who choose to deliver at Williamson. We appreciate those mothers who have recognized tissue donation as a way to help others.” For more information about birth tissue donation in Tennessee, please visit TNBirthTissue.org. To learn more about the services provided by Williamson Health, visit williamsonhealth.org.

ABOUT TENNESSEE DONOR SERVICES (TDS) | Tennessee Donor Services (TDS) is a top-performing, nonprofit healthcare organization serving nearly six million people in Tennessee. Our exceptional team of professionals saves and improves lives by connecting lifesaving organ, eye and tissue donations to the patients who need them. Visit https://tennesseedonor.org/ for more information.

ABOUT WILLIAMSON HEALTH | Williamson Health is a regional healthcare system based in Williamson County, Tennessee, with more than 2,100 employees across more than 30 locations and more than 860 physicians and advanced care practitioners offering exceptional healthcare across 60-plus specialties and subspecialties close to home. The flagship hospital, Williamson Medical Center, now undergoing a historic $200 million expansion and renovation project, offers extensive women’s services, state-of-the-art cardiology services, advanced surgical technologies, an award-winning obstetrics and NICU, leading-edge orthopaedics, outpatient imaging services, and comprehensive emergency and inpatient services for both adult and pediatric patients. Other Williamson Health service providers include the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, The Turner-Dugas Breast Health Center, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt at Williamson Medical Center, Williamson Health physician practices that are strategically located throughout the community, countywide Emergency Medical Services that include 18 rapid response units, Williamson Health Foundation, and multiple joint venture Vanderbilt Health and Williamson Medical Center Walk-In Clinics in Williamson County. Learn more about our many specialized services at www.WilliamsonHealth.org.