From Beginning to End, 'E.R.' Gets it Right

From Beginning to End, 'E.R.' Gets it Right

Honored at Donate Life Film Festival with Inspire Award on June 13

LOS ANGELES, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- "E.R." may have ended, but the long-running television show is still garnering awards. On June 13, Donate Life Hollywood (www.DonateLifeHollywood.org) is honoring two E.R. episodes, Life After Death and Old Times, with its Inspire Award from the organ and tissue donation and transplant community. It will be presented at an awards dinner hosted at the Directors Guild of America as the culmination of the daylong Donate Life Film Festival. Actor Sam Jones III will present the award to Dr. Joe Sachs, screenwriter of Life After Death and an executive producer of E.R.

Life After Death was E.R.'s season premiere and featured the sensitive portrayal of Dr. Pratt's progression to brain death and the valiant efforts of his team to save his life. The episode showed viewers the many tests performed to determine brain death, made it clear that Dr. Pratt was not on life support, and showed the role of the next of kin, brother Chaz Pratt, played by Sam Jones III. Also true-to-life, the number of lives saved through Dr. Pratt's gift was a source of strength and hope for his friends and family.

"This show will have a strong and positive impact on the public's understanding and perception of organ donation," says Tenaya Wallace, Donate Life Hollywood Campaign Director. "One of the most common fears about donation comes from a misunderstanding of brain death."

After being congratulated by Donate Life Hollywood for Life After Death, writer John Wells worked with the group on Old Times, which provided in-depth consultation with organ donation professionals at OneLegacy, the organ procurement organization serving Southern California.

"John Wells scripted the most impressive and accurate 'approach' of a donor family that has ever been shown on televison," says Tom Mone, CEO of OneLegacy. "When George Clooney's character sensitively asked Susan Sarandon's character to tell him about the kind of kid her grandson was, donor families across the nation cheered. Finally they were able to see their own experience reflected on television, and by two great actors at the close of a historical medical drama. We are honored that Mr. Wells revealed the deeply moving, generous and life-affirming act of consenting to organ and tissue donation."

Source: Donate Life Hollywood

CONTACT: Rivian Bell, rbell@jdipr.com, or Lisa Bernfeld, both of JDI
Communications, +1-213-612-4927, 1-888-477-4319, for Donate Life Hollywood

Web Site: http://www.donatelifehollywood.org/

-------
Profile: intent