UHS to mark Donate Life Month

April marks the 16th annual National Donate Life Month, a celebration commemorating those who have given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation.

UHS is partnering with the Center for Donation & Transplant to observe National Donate Life Month by spreading awareness within our organization and community about the importance of registering as an organ and tissue donor.

Volunteers from the Center for Donation & Transplant will be at UHS in April.

Display tables will be set up with information and giveaways, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Monday, April 15, near the Harrison Street Café at UHS Wilson Medical Center, and from 11 to 1:30, on Wednesday, April 17, near the Cafeteria at UHS Binghamton General Hospital.

Those who stop by can register to be an organ donor, spin the wheel for a possible prize or just say hello.

On Wednesday, April 24, UHS will host its first “Wear Blue & Green Day,” encouraging employees across the UHS System to wear something blue and something green to show support for organ donation.

People of any age can make a powerful difference in someone’s life by being a donor. Donation saves and heals lives every day, but it can happen only when someone makes the important decision to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor. You can make that lifesaving difference by registering your decision at www.donatelifecdt.org.

More than 115,000 people are currently awaiting a transplant, and, sadly, an average of 22 patients die every day because the organ they needed was not donated in time. More people donate every year, but still, in 2018, over 6,500 people died while on the waiting list (by comparison, the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Broome County holds 6,925 people).

Here in New York State, every 2.5 hours, a person’s name is added to the statewide organ transplant waiting list. Over 10,000 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant, yet the Empire State ranks 50th out of the 50 states in the number of people registered to be donors.

The solution to this problem is to continue educating the public about the lifesaving effects of donation and encouraging families, friends, colleagues and neighbors to sign up on the Donate Life registry.

It is important to remember that organ donation is not just about the recipients. It is also about helping families who are grieving the loss of a loved one, supporting those families, and providing them the opportunity to do something positive at a time when so much has gone wrong in their lives.

The staff at UHS has always been fully committed to supporting and nurturing these grief-stricken families, and making the option of donation a positive experience for them.

UHS is a locally owned, not-for-profit hospital and healthcare system serving Greater Binghamton and surrounding counties. Founded in 1981, UHS provides a full range of medical, surgical, rehabilitative and long-term care services throughout New York’s Southern Tier.

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