Dakota Lions Sight & Health Marks 30 Years of Service
Since its founding 30 years ago, Dakota Lions Sight & Health (DLSH) has remained dedicated to restoring sight and health through excellence in eye and tissue donation throughout the region. What was once a small volunteer part-time organization has grown into a large professional organization, serving a multi-state region helping to restore sight and health worldwide.
Today, Dakota Lions Sight & Health recovers a variety of tissues and provides those tissues to transplant surgeons for restoring sight and health and also to researchers for the advancement of medical science. The service area encompasses the states of South Dakota and North Dakota, along with northern Nebraska and western Minnesota.
In addition to preparing tissue for transplantation, DLSH offers a compassionate donor family bereavement program as well as education and training to medical professionals, including CEU credits for nurses, social workers, and first responders.
“Not only is the technology among the best in the country, but the people are the best in the world," says DLSH Associate Medical Director Dr. Michael Greenwood of Vance Thompson Vision Fargo. "Having Dakota Lions Sight & Health in our community has made countless lives better over the past 30 years.”
From the 99 corneas placed in Dakota Lions Sight & Health’s first year in 1991 to more than 1,000 corneal transplants in 2021, they continue to strive to ensure surgeons have the materials they need, prepared to their exact specifications, to significantly improve lives.
“Dakota Lions Sight & Health eye bank has been steadfast and wonderful stewards of vision in our community," says Dr. John Berdahl of Vance Thompson Vision Sioux Falls, DLSH Medical Director. "Not only do they provide high-quality cornea transplant and tissue for humans in our local community and around the world, but they have also been instrumental in training medical personnel and helping advance science through research.”
“Dakota Lions Sight & Health has provided high quality access to transplant tissues for 30 years. The service they provide has restored vision and function, improving the lives of patients and the communities they serve,” adds DLSH Associate Medical Director Dr. Mike Eide of Ophthalmology Ltd in Sioux Falls.
While celebrating 30 years of service, Dakota Lions Sight & Health is looking forward to the addition of a birth tissue donation program that is another important step in furthering their Mission of Helping to Enable the Restoration of the Gifts of Sight & Health.
“The achievements of this organization are built upon the foundation laid by Dr. Thomas White and the Lions Club members many years ago,” says DLSH CEO Marcy Dimond. “I am thankful for their hard work and I am proud to work with a team of professionals who strive every day to serve our communities and meet our Mission.”
To learn more about Dakota Lions Sight & Health please visit dakotasight.org.
