Each day, 20 people in the United States will die while waiting for an organ transplant. Thousands more await a life-enhancing tissue transplant. As healthcare providers, we are all too familiar with this struggle. Yet, only 47 percent of Pennsylvanians have registered to become organ and tissue donors.
In honor of the upcoming National Donate Life Month, Reading Hospital is joining forces with the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and Gift of Life Donor Program to improve donation practices and outcomes and increase the number of registered donors.
Over the next several weeks, we will be celebrating organ and tissue donors and encouraging our staff to talk with their family members and friends about becoming donors, and to consider becoming one ourselves. As an organ donor, one individual can save up to eight lives, while tissue donors can improve the lives of up to 75 people. By encouraging hospital staff and their friends and families to become donors, Tower Health aims to inspire hope, advocacy, and passion among those waiting for a transplant.
Join us in this important endeavor to increase the number of registered, life-saving donors in Pennsylvania. To register to become a donor, or for more information on National Donate Life Month, visit Gift of Life’s website at: www.donors1.org.
Reading Hospital
Reading Hospital is the flagship, Magnet Recognized, acute care hospital of Tower Health. Located in West Reading, Pa., Reading Hospital is a 714-bed hospital that is home to many top-tier specialty care centers, including Reading HealthPlex, McGlinn Cancer Institute, Miller Regional Heart Center, Emergency Department, Level I Trauma Center and Beginnings Maternity Center, which houses the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). With more than 1,000 physicians, specialists, and advanced practice providers across 49 locations, Reading Hospital has been recognized for its quality outcomes and clinical expertise across services lines. It is listed as one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for four consecutive years and received a 5-Star Rating from CMS two years in a row. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.