Reading Hospital will celebrate its commitment to building awareness about the importance of organ donation nationwide by raising a "2019 Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) Donate Life Challenge" flag on Monday, April 1, beginning at 7:45 a.m. at the Fifth Avenue entrance. Reading Hospital is honored to join HAP and the Gift of Life Donor Program in encouraging all people to register as organ, tissue, and cornea donors.
"Each tissue, organ, and cornea donor can help numerous individuals," said Joseph Brookes, MSN, RN, Nurse Manager of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Reading Hospital. "More than 20 people die every day in the U.S. awaiting an organ transplant that can save their lives. The more people we can inspire to become organ donors, the better we can serve Reading Hospital's primary goal for the communities we serve: 'Advancing Health, Transforming Lives.'"
More than 5,000 patients in this region await life-saving organ transplants. Only 47 percent of registered drivers in Pennsylvania have designated themselves as organ and tissue donors.
Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history. With approximately 95,000 people across the nation awaiting a kidney, it is the organ in greatest demand, followed by the liver, heart, and lungs.
For more information and to register to become an organ donor, visit 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.