WHS holds National Donate Life Month flag ceremony
Courtesy of Washington Health System
Washington Health System President and CEO Brook Ward, left, with state Rep. Tim O’Neal, center, and CORE COO Kurt Shutterly hold a Donate Life flag that later was raised during a National Donate Life Month flag-raising ceremony at Washington Hospital. National Donate Life Month is held annually in April in appreciation of organ donors and their families, and to encourage people to become organ donors.
Courtesy Washington Health System
The Donate Life flag will fly throughout April at WHS Washington Hospital. It was raised during a flag-raising ceremony held at the hospital in recognition of organ donors and their families.
Washington Health System recently held a flag-raising ceremony at Washington Hospital to commemorate National Donate Life Month, held annually in April to encourage organ donation awareness, and to honor organ donors and their families.
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) and WHS President and CEO Brook Ward took part in the event, where state Rep. Tim O’Neal issued a citation on behalf of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recognizing April as Donate Life Month and encouraging community members to register as organ, cornea and tissue donors.
Washington Hospital will fly the Donate Life flag throughout April to signal its support of donation.
Last year, 660,000 people did not have the chance to change their organ donor driver’s license designations from “no” to “yes” due to partial department of motor vehicle closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nationally, close to 110,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, including 2,000 people in Western Pennsylvania. At least 20 will die each day without receiving the transplant.
In 2020, CORE and the hospitals it serves throughout Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia made possible a record number of 792 life-saving organ transplants.
“National Donate Life Month is a time when we honor the selfless donors and their courageous families who make the decision to give the gift of life,” said Susan Stuart, president and CEO of CORE.
Register as an organ, tissue and cornea donor at core.org/register.