Every day, the men and women of the Johnson County Coroner’s Office deal with death and investigate it.
But now the office is being honored for its efforts to do the opposite — giving life by facilitating organ donations.
The Johnson County Coroner’s Office and Coroner Mike Pruitt will be jointly recognized in March as a Champion for Donation by the Indiana Donor Network, whose mission is saving and enhancing the quality of life through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Champions for Donation are individuals and organizations that undertake “exceptional efforts” to advance organ and tissue donation and transplantation, either through direct professional work or advocacy on behalf of the mission of Indiana Donor Network, according to their website.
Along with the coroner’s office and Pruitt, Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Chief Communication and Engagement Officer Susie Guyer and Keller Mortuary Services Owner Mike Keller are also being named 2024 champions. They all will be honored at an Indiana Donor Network Foundation Angel Fund Gala on March 1 at the Crane Bay Event Center in Indianapolis.
“Their continued dedication to saving and healing lives is truly outstanding,” the donor network’s website says.
Since 2020, the Johnson County Coroner’s Office has given 365 referrals to the Indiana Donor Network, benefiting 2,652 people through tissue and organ donation. It was also one of the top coroners’ offices in the state for donations, said Mike Pruitt, county coroner.
“We’ve been very successful in doing our referrals,” Pruitt said.
Past administrations had collaborated with the Indiana Donor Network, but they weren’t as frequent. Under Pruitt, who was elected in 2020, the coroner’s office took a “much more aggressive approach,” he said.
“One of the missions that we set out to do in the coroner’s office was that any decedent that could be a potential donor, whether they were listed on their driver’s license as a donor or not, we were going to refer them to the donor network because we felt that there was such a value in making sure that any opportunity was taken advantage of,” Pruitt said.
To begin, the coroner’s office staff of 11 would have discussions with families about the Indiana Donor Network for eligible candidates. Families don’t often think about organ or tissue donations until after someone dies, he said.
“Sometimes people would tell us, ‘Gosh, I wish we would have known that we have that option,’ or ‘Looking back, I wish we would have donated the tissue and organs to help someone else in need,’” Pruitt said.
Once a family gives their approval, they turn it over to the donor network. Sometimes the conversations help the families amid their tragedies, he said.
Pruitt is excited to see the coroner’s office honored for their efforts. Everyone at the office has been 100% supportive of doing this, he said.
“It’s just a direct reflection of, we were trying to create a good situation out of a bad situation,” he said. “That’s healthy for not only the families who choose to donate, but also healthy for our people from the coroner’s office because it gives them something positive out of something negative.”
Working for the coroner’s office can be both emotionally and mentally challenging. The donations are a way for them to give back, while also helping those in need of the donations, he said.
These efforts are important because people are waiting for organ donations who are just trying to survive day to day. It’s important to try to give them every option possible so they can live a healthy life, he said.
“Unfortunately, for one family, it’s going to be a very tragic situation when you lose a loved one,” Pruitt said. “But the family that’s waiting for the organ donation, this is where … we can make something positive out of it.”
