Resource Newsletter Archive
WSP Tissue Donor Program: The Evolution of an Inspiring Idea
Sixteen-year-old Dylan West loved snowboarding, long talks with his “best friend,” Nicole, and his first car, a 1986 Mazda RX 7. According to his mother, Blanche, he was a “hard worker” at his father's produce stand, and planned to open one of his own as soon as he could.
When Dylan died tragically in a
motor vehicle collision near Shelton, Washington, in July 2003, he became the first donor in the Washington State Patrol POPS program. Dylan's corneas have helped restore two people's sight. “What a gift that is for them,” says Blanche, “but what a gift it is for us too, to know that, in a way, Dylan lives on.”
What began more than two years ago as a detective's heartfelt gesture to a bereaved father has progressed from innovative pilot program to proven policy and an acclaimed model that has caught the attention of state police agencies around the country.
Last Nov. 1 marked the first anniversary of the Washington State Patrol Tissue Donor Program, and the results are exceeding expectations—and improving lives.
WSP Detective Steve Stockwell was the originator of the POPS (Problem Oriented Public Safety) program that enables troopers at fatal collision scenes to relay information to State Patrol Communications, who then contact the donation agencies.
With cooperation of medical examiners, coroners and funeral directors, the program offers the option of tissue donation to the families of traffic fatality victims. Det. Stockwell developed the protocol in conjunction with the Northwest Tissue Services and Northwest Lion's Eye Bank.
That successful pilot program was lauded as POPS “project of the year” and evolved into the WSP Tissue Donor Program, complete with its own Web page at www.wsp.wa.gov. During its first complete year, the program forwarded more than 250 referrals, resulting in 13 tissue donations and 21 cornea donations.
In the months since the one-year anniversary, another tissue donation and five more cornea donations have been made. In all, more than 400 patients may benefit as a direct result of the WSP Tissue Donor Program.
Based on the success of Det. Stockwell's idea and eventual program, Northwest Tissue Services plans to establish similar programs later this year in Idaho and Montana.