About Us

There is an urgent need for registered organ and tissue donors in Ohio and across the United States. One organ donor can save eight lives, while one tissue donor can enhance the lives of more than 50 people. Unfortunately, nearly 115,000 men, women and children nationwide are currently waiting for life-saving organ transplants. Thousands on that waiting list live in Ohio.

Lifebanc is the nonprofit organ and tissue recovery organization for Northeast Ohio. As one of the original seven independent organ procurement organizations in the United States, Lifebanc serves nearly four million people and works with 80 hospitals in 20 counties. We are a member of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which has been managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) since 1986. We also work closely with local partners, as well as the other Organ Procurement Organizations in the state of Ohio to educate the public and healthcare professionals about the benefits of and need for organ, tissue and eye donations. These organizations include Lifeline of Ohio; LifeCenter and Life Connection of Ohio. Visit Community Education for more information on these and other related organizations.

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For 25 years, Lifebanc has transformed death into life.

Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans are alive today because of Lifebanc. Along with serving the public, professional community and donor hospitals, Lifebanc provides life-saving organs to two transplant centers: The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital Case Medical Center. Recovered tissue is transplanted countless times in hospitals throughout the region.

Last year, Lifebanc helped to heal and save more than 25,000 lives.  Additionally, it was instrumental in helping to perform the nation’s first near-total face transplant and establishing the world-record for lungs transplanted in a year.  

Lifebanc’s volunteers and staff annually educate nearly 100,000 students and adults in an effort to provide accurate information, engage the public and increase the number of registered organ and tissue donors. We also provide bereavement services to families touched by donation, offering them support, comfort and care throughout the grieving process.

Recently, through national and statewide efforts, Lifebanc has dramatically increased the number of registered donors, organ donors, conversion and consent rates, and, ultimately, organs transplanted and lives saved. However, the demand for organs far exceeds the number available for transplantation. Even with the great strides made by our organization and others like it, 18 people in the U.S. die each day because an organ is not available.

Do it now, join the Ohio Donor Registry. It's easy, free and offers the ultimate opportunity to share one's life with others.

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Diversity Statement

Lifebanc is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We recognize that diversity is crucial to the success of our organization and seek to develop strategies to ensure that our workforce is reflective of the community population. In addition, Lifebanc supports diversity initiatives within the organization which serve to educate our staff members and highlight their broad range of perspectives.

Lifebanc also supports board diversity and involves our board members in key leadership positions and committees which support inclusion.

Finally, Lifebanc recognizes the importance of supplier diversity and seeks to contribute to the development of underused suppliers while diversifying our vendor base.