WV Press Release Sharing
MADISON, W.Va. – Boone Memorial Health (BMH) recently received a gold award from Donate Life West Virginia for its commitment to educate employees and the community about the crucial need for organ, eye, and tissue donation. BMH employees supported Donate Life West Virginia through the West Virginia Hospital Challenge to not only encourage individuals to register as donors but provided them with opportunities to sign up.
Participating hospitals’ awareness and designation activities were captured on a scorecard where points were tracked and recorded. Awareness activities included donor registry enrollment events, education initiatives, flag raising ceremonies, and participation in National Blue and Green Day.
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving West Virginia, partnered with the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) and Donate Life West Virginia, to honor those hospitals and health systems throughout the state, who have gone above and beyond to build a culture of donation within their facilities. Hospitals were presented with platinum, gold, silver, and bronze awards at the Donate Life West Virginia Hospital Challenge Awards Luncheon held at Stonewall Resort this month.
CORE President and Chief Executive Officer, Susan A. Stuart extends her heartfelt gratitude to all the healthcare professionals and hospital leaders who made this year’s hospital challenge a success.
“CORE’s mission, to save and heal lives through donation, is about giving a second chance at life to those in need of a transplant and helping donor families heal from the tragic loss of their loved ones. However, to carry out this mission, we depend on the support of an entire community, and most notably, our hospital partners. Donation and transplantation cannot happen without you.
And while being a believer in this mission is essential, to become a champion for donation and to affect change, we must constantly ask ourselves…what more could we be doing? I see what Boone Memorial Health and our hospital partners are doing. We recognize your passion and your commitment. And, on behalf of my entire team, we thank you for being true champions of organ, tissue, and cornea donation. You are giving hope to so many, including me.”
“It’s an honor to partner with and be recognized by an organization dedicated to lifesaving and life-enhancing transplants,” said BMH Chief Executive Officer, Virgil Underwood. “We are committed to supporting CORE and its mission. As a health system, we are uniquely positioned to not only care for our patients, but to inspire our community to be mindful of wellness in all aspects of life. The more people we can inspire to become organ donors, the better we can serve our mission to be advocates for the well-being of our entire community.”
Right now, over 500 West Virginians are still awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. In the 11 years of the Hospital Campaign, partners nationwide have added more than 575,000 donor registrations—increasing the number of organs available for transplantation to improve the lives of others.
Nationally, more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, including 2,500 people in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. At least 17 will die each day without receiving the transplant they so desperately need. Someone is added to the transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.
Important facts about organ, tissue, and cornea donation:
- Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.
- With more than 90,000 people across the nation awaiting a kidney, it is the organ in greatest demand, followed by liver, heart, and lungs.
- Because conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are often more prevalent in the multicultural community, these individuals make up more than 50 percent of those on the national organ transplant list.
- Nationally, more than 250,000 people need tissue and cornea transplants.
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 75 others.
To sign up, visit core.org/register
ABOUT BOONE MEMORIAL HEALTH
Boone Memorial Hospital, Inc. (d/b/a Boone Memorial Health) is a non-profit health system based in Madison, W.Va. which primarily serves patients across Boone, Logan, Lincoln, and southern Kanawha counties. Boone Memorial Health includes a critical access hospital with a 25-bed inpatient unit, Level IV Trauma Center, and Black Lung Center; four rural health clinics; a specialty clinic; and a substance abuse and mental health treatment center. In addition, BMH offers several specialty practices and ancillary services at our locations throughout Boone County.
ABOUT DONATE LIFE WEST VIRGINIA
Donate Life West Virginia is comprised of four federally-designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that are dedicated to promoting and coordinating the donation of organs and tissue for transplantation – Center for Organ Recovery & Education, Lifeline of Ohio, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and LifeNet Health. For more information, visit www.donatelifewv.org.
ABOUT CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 57 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues, and corneas for transplant within their service region, and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities they serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. CORE is a winner of the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a presidential award that recognizes nonprofits for their innovation and excellence. For more information, visit core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.
Pictured Above (left to right):
Brian Keith, RN, BMH Director of ED Nursing and Trauma Services; Lauren Stone, CORE PSL/Donor Family Support Coordinator; and Adam Richardson, RN, BMH Executive Director of Nursing Services.
