April Is National Donate Life Month

Nationally, 115,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, including 2,500 in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. At least 20 will die each day without receiving the transplant they so desperately need. Someone is added to the transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.

Penn Highlands Healthcare is pleased to join the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, or CORE, to raise awareness about organ, tissue and cornea donation, and to inspire everyone during Donate Life Month to be a hero — to be an organ donor.

Donate Life Month provides an opportunity to remind ourselves of what heroes look like. Through organ, tissue and cornea donation, they gave life and offered healing to others. They are the also the people who are waiting for a life-saving transplant; yearning for more time with their loved ones.

Our close collaboration with CORE sets the gift of life in motion. That process starts with creating a culture of donation within our hospital and includes being donation champions — raising awareness about the vital importance of registering as organ, tissue and cornea donors. Though we do not do transplants, we do provide care for patients who need life-saving procedures and see the need first-hand.

Approximately 11,000 people die annually who are considered medically suitable to donate organs, tissue and corneas, yet only a fraction donate. Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race or medical history.

We hope that you have already signed up to be a donor. If not, do so today at core.org/register.

Also, we ask that you participate in showing your support for organ donation by wearing blue and green on Blue & Green Day, Tuesday, April 12, 2019. Feel free to share your photos with us at [email protected] and we may post them to our Penn Highlands Healthcare Facebook page.