The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Medical Foundation joined Dane County’s government Wednesday in announcing their initiatives to offer paid sick leave for employees willing to serve as human organ or bone marrow donors.

According to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk’s spokesperson Joshua Wescott, the ordinance was easily cleared by a Dane County committee earlier this week and “a very positive reaction” is expected when the Board of Supervisors votes on its acceptance Thursday.

Assuming the board accepts this legislation, Wescott said the County Clerk will have to complete some administrative action and paperwork, but then Falk should sign the ordinance.

Wescott said the proposed legislation would allow all 2,500 Dane County government employees to take a five-day paid sick leave for bone marrow transplants and a 30-day paid leave for donating an organ.

Wescott said currently, financial difficulties involving missed work and even possible job loss are obstacles for potential organ donors, but passage of this ordinance would alleviate this issue.

“This is one extra hopeful incentive, one less thing for [potential donors] to be concerned about, one less thing to be a potential impediment to giving the gift of life. It’s indented to be helpful to folks considering this big, important decision,” Wescott said.

Wescott said he and Falk have discussed Dane County having a rich heritage of progressive policy making, and after the board’s vote Thursday, Dane County will be the first of 72 counties in Wisconsin to put this measure into effect.

According to UW Health spokesperson Aaron Conklin, former head of UW Health’s transplant program Hans Sollinger saw other counties and organizations instituting similar benefits to donors around the nation. He brought this information to Falk, who began considering the idea.

Conklin said he saw Falk’s initiative of a paid sick leave for human organ and bone marrow donors as a great model for UW Health to follow as well.

“Obviously, UW hospital is one of the top transplant organizations in the county, and nobody is as aware as our physicians about the need for donor organs,” Conklin said.

There are more than 100,000 people waiting for organs across the country, and more than 1,500 on UW Hospital’s waiting list alone. Signing onto this is removing one more barrier to organ donation, Conklin said.

UW Hospital and Medical Foundation expects to offer its employees similar donor benefits as the county starting July 1. Conklin said the details of the benefits, such as how days will be offered, are not yet certain.

“There’s a process that we have to go through, but our CEO has made it clear that this is going to happen for employees of the hospital and the Medical Foundation,” Conklin said.

The possibility of hundreds of employees partaking in sick leaves to recuperate from the organ or bone marrow seemed highly improbable to Conklin, but he said even if only three or five people take advantage of these proposed benefits, it is still three to five saved lives.