Gift of Life Donor Program, Tower Health Promote Organ Donation to Save Lives

Gift of Life Encourages Individuals to Generate Hope, Advocacy and Passion by Registering to Become an Organ, Tissue and Cornea Donor

Each day, 20 people in the United States die while waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Tower Health is pleased to join The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and Gift of Life Donor Program, along with organ procurement organizations throughout the country, to inspire hope, advocacy and passion as part of a statewide campaign to promote organ and tissue donation. Gift of Life is encouraging 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% 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 just 30 seconds to register as an organ, tissue and cornea donor.”

“Every Tower Health hospital strongly supports organ donation,” said P. Sue Perrotty, Tower Health President and CEO. “I also encourage everyone to become an organ and tissue donor. Together we can help those waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Tower Health offers an outpatient care site of Penn Transplant Institute (PTI) at Reading Hospital. This ensures transplant patients have convenient access to sophisticated pre- and post-transplant surgical care from the PTI team in their community.”

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 be a potential donor regardless of age, race or medical history.
• More than 5,000 children and adults in the region await life-saving organ transplants. Thousands of others could benefit from life-enhancing tissue transplants.
• Fewer than 50 percent of registered drivers in Pennsylvania have designated themselves as organ and tissue donors.
• Kidneys are the most in-demand organ—with more than 95,000 people across the nation waiting for one—followed by liver, heart and lungs.

Because conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are often more prevalent in minority populations, these individuals make up more than 50 percent of those on the national organ transplant list.