Grady Health System pays tribute to organ donor with Honor Walk

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Apr 26, 2019, 13:00 ET

ATLANTA, April 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Grady Health System held its first organ donor Honor Walk just before Christmas, 2018. The overwhelmingly positive response to that event has led the health system to commemorate April's Donate Life Month by making the Honor Walk a new Grady tradition. During an Honor Walk, staff line hallways as the donor patient and their family are led to the operating room.

"Our first Honor Walk was an intensely moving experience, made even more touching because the honoree was the husband of one of our emergency department nurses," said Michelle Wallace, Grady's chief of clinical operations. "Organ donors are giving the gift of life to others as theirs comes to an end. That selfless act deserves a special tribute."

"It was a breathtaking moment as I watched him come down the hall surrounded by physicians, nurses, Grady leadership, social workers, and so many others who showed up to honor my husband in this meaningful way. I could feel his pride in that moment, and it gave me peace as I let him go," said Cori Huff.

As one of the state's leading donation sites, Grady is proud to partner with LifeLink of Georgia to honor donors and help those who benefit from the lifesaving and life changing donations. LifeLink of Georgia is the non-profit federally certified organ and tissue recovery agency serving the state of Georgia and two South Carolina counties.

About Grady Health System

Grady Health System is one of the largest safety net health systems in the nation. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, six neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health & Rehabilitation Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated as a Children's affiliate.

With its nationally acclaimed emergency services, Grady is Atlanta's premier Level I trauma center – the metro area's only nationally verified Level 1 center. Grady EMS serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta, South Fulton County communities, and numerous counties across Georgia. It also operates the state's first Mobile Stroke Unit, taking cutting-edge pre-hospital care directly to patients. Grady's American Burn Association/American College of Surgeons verified Burn Center is one of only two in the state. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Other key services/distinctions include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center with its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Georgia's first Cancer Center for Excellence, The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center, the Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady is one of an elite group of hospitals to earn the Baby-Friendly USA international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility. Grady has earned the prestigious Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model - Georgia's first adult acute care hospital to earn the highest rating for improving patient care and safety through health information technology.

SOURCE Grady Health System