Each day, 17 people in the United States die while waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. All Tower Health hospitals are pleased to join Gift of Life Donor Program to promote organ and tissue donation throughout April as part of National Donate Life Month. Gift of Life encourages individuals to register to become an organ, tissue, and cornea donor, which is as easy as visiting donors1.org.
"Transplantation is one of the most significant advancements in the history of medicine, with 95 percent of Americans saying they support organ donation. Still, the need for organs is far greater than the number available," said Richard D. Hasz, President and CEO of Gift of Life. "Gift of Life’s mission includes educating our community about the powerful impact they can make by taking less than a minute to register as an organ, tissue and cornea donor."
“I am proud of our hospitals for investing time in educating our team and community members about the importance of organ donation,” said P. Sue Perrotty, president and CEO of Tower Health. “This is a topic we, as healthcare employees, are so passionate about because it saves lives. I am also proud to share that I am an organ donor, and I hope that others consider registering if they haven’t done so already.”
Individuals are encouraged to talk with family members and friends about registering as a donor. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and a tissue donor can improve the lives of more than 100 others. To sign up, visit donors1.org.
Some important facts about organ, tissue, and cornea donation:
- Anyone can sign-up to be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.
- More than 5,000 children and adults in the region currently await life-saving organ transplants.
- Thousands of others could benefit from life-enhancing tissue transplants.
- With more than 90,000 people across the nation awaiting a kidney, it is the organ in greatest demand, followed by the liver, heart and lungs.
- Conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are often more prevalent in minority communities, these individuals make up more than 50 percent of the national organ transplant list.
About Tower Health
Tower Health is a regional integrated healthcare system that offers compassionate, high quality, leading edge healthcare and wellness services to communities in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. With approximately 11,500 employees, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, in partnership with Drexel University. Tower Health is strongly committed to academic medicine and training, including multiple residency and fellowship programs, the Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health, and the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading. The system also includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; home healthcare provided by Tower Health at Home; TowerDirect ambulance and emergency response; Tower Health Medical Group; Tower Health Providers, our clinically integrated network; and 25 Tower Health Urgent Care facilities across our service area. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.
About Gift of Life Donor Program
Gift of Life Donor Program is the non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organization, working with 126 acute care hospitals and 13 transplant centers to serve 11.3 million people in the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. Thanks to its compassionate community, for the past 15 years, Gift of Life has coordinated the most organ donors in the United States. Its annual donation rate, most recently 61 organ donors-per-million-population, ranks among the highest in the world. Since 1974, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 58,000 organs for transplant, and more than two million tissue transplants have resulted from the generosity of donors and their families. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and a tissue donor can improve the lives of more than 100 others. For more information or to register, visit donors1.org.