ELKINS – Davis Medical Center will host a flag-raising ceremony Thursday in honor of Donate Life Month.

The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the Davis Medical Center Serenity Garden. All community members are invited to attend.

Davis Medical Center is joining forces with the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) to raise awareness about organ, tissue and cornea donation, and to inspire people to register to be an organ donor.

“During National Donate Life Month, we celebrate the power of organ, tissue, and cornea donation to save and heal lives,” said Susan Stuart, President & CEO of CORE.

“We recognize the successful collaborations between CORE and the hospitals in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, that have resulted in more than 900 life-saving organ transplants in 2023. But, above all, this month is a tribute to the selfless donors and their families whose generous decision to give the gift of life has brought hope and healing to those close to home and far away.”

Vance Jackson, CEO of Davis Health System, added, “As a health system, we stand in a unique position to not just attend to the health of our patients but to ignite a powerful inspiration within our community, urging them to embrace wellness in every dimension of life.

“The greater number of individuals we can motivate to become organ donors, the more profoundly we fulfill our mission as passionate advocates for the holistic well-being of our entire community.”

Nationally, more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, including 2,500 people in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. At least 20 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 include:

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.

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 core.org/register.

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education is one of 56 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York.

CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region, and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities it serves. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7. 

Donate Life America (DLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization leading its national partners and Donate Life State Teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes and tissue available to save and heal lives. DLA manages and promotes Donate Life, the national brand for the cause of donation; motivates the public to register as organ, eye and tissue donors; provides education about living donation; manages the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org; and develops and executes effective multi-media campaigns to promote donation.