UHS turns blue and green for Donate Life Month

You’ll soon be seeing quite a lot of blue and green around UHS. 

With the arrival of April 2023, UHS is marking the 20^th annual “National Donate Life Month” observance by memorializing those who have given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation. 

UHS is partnering with the Center for Donation & Transplant of New York and Vermont 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. We all have the power to save lives by registering.

During this month:

•  Look for table tents in café areas with organ donation information.
• A flag-raising ceremony was held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, April 10, outside UHS Wilson. Flags will fly at UHS Wilson and UHS Binghamton General during April.
•  Charlotte Heil and Deb Hagerman from the CDT will be at UHS Binghamton General from 10 am to 2 pm on April 12 and at UHS Wilson from 10am to 2pm on April 14.
• Everyone is encouraged to wear blue and green on April 14 to raise awareness about donation.

UHS is a federally designated organ procurement organization, partnering with the CDT to share in the mission of saving lives through donation. In the past year, CDT has seen its community and hospital partners make the largest impact on record, with 254 lives saved through organ transplantation and more than 40,000 lives enhanced through the healing gift of tissue donation. 

This was made possible by nearly 700 families in the two-state region who made the heroic decision to say yes to the legacy of helping others. Nationwide, more than one million organ transplants have been performed over the years since transplantation became possible.

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.cdtnyvt.org. 

More than 100,000 people are currently awaiting a lifesaving transplant, and, sadly, an average of 17 patients die every day because the organ they needed was not donated in time. More people donate every year, but every nine minutes someone is added to the transplant waiting list.

If you donate your organs, you can save up to eight lives. If you donate your corneas, you can restore sight to two people. If you donate your tissue and bone, you can heal the lives of up to 75 people.

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.