In partnership with the LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, St. Elizabeth Healthcare honored organ donors and their families during National Donate Life Month at the St. Elizabeth Technology Education Center (SETEC).
Norm Milligan and Bernadette Oberrecht raise the flag at the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center to honor organ donors and their families.
The Donate Life flag raising ceremony brought donors, their families, St. Elizabeth associates and the community together to raise awareness of organ donation, and celebrate the families who have experienced organ donation firsthand.
“We are hoping this event becomes an annual celebration,” said Gary Blank, chief operating officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “It is a great opportunity for the community to come together and honor those who have given the gift of life.”
In 2016, more than 33,600 organs were donated in the U.S. and more than one million Americans received a life-changing tissue transplant, according to LifeCenter.
Yet, 21 people die every day while waiting for a transplant in the U.S.
“Donate Life Month serves to encourage more Americans to choose to become donors,” said Katie Dillon, the community relations manager at LifeCenter. “More than 118,000 people in the U.S. are currently in need of a life-saving organ transplant, including approximately 600 patients in Cincinnati. With one person registering to be a donor, they can save eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 50 others.”
