UPMC Hamot reaches a milestone with its transplant department.

On Monday, Hamot celebrated its 99th, 100th and 101st kidney transplants. It’s a program they say they built from scratch six years ago.

Doctor Rajesh Govindasamy, the medical director of the program, explained it’s been a long road getting to three surgeries able to be done in a day.

He added the transplant program should be considered one of Erie’s most valuable medical assets.

“One variable that really makes a huge difference in changing the lives and outcomes is proximity and access of care. To have a community that truly benefits from this program at UPMC Hamot is very important, because as we know, UPMC Hamot is growing rapidly,” Dr. Govindasamy said.

Dr. Govindasamy advocates for the community to consider proactively being donators for this program to help save lives.