Reading Hospital will celebrate its commitment to building awareness about the importance of organ donation by raising a "2022 Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) Donate Life Challenge" flag on Thursday, April 14, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Fifth Avenue entrance. Reading Hospital is honored to join HAP and Gift of Life Donor Program in encouraging all people to register as organ, tissue, and cornea donors. Remarks will be made by Rosemary Wurster, DNP, RN, MPH, NEA-BC, CEN, Reading Hospital Chief Nursing Officer; Shelly Farmer, RN, educator at the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences; and Dwendy Johnson, Community Relations Supervisor at Gift of Life. The flag will be raised by Eileen Ravert, RN, and Cheryl Machemer, RN, coordinators of the Reading Hospital 2022 Donate Life Challenge.
"It's important to know that anyone can be a potential organ donor regardless of medical history, age, or race," said Dr. Wurster. "This is imperative because there are more than 95,000 individuals across the country waiting for a kidney, liver, heart, or lung transplant and every day more people are added to the list. By becoming an organ donor, you can give the most special gift, the gift of life, to those in need."
Ms. Farmer shared, "My mother suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was 60 years old. At the time of her accident, I was a nurse in the ICU so I was very familiar with organ donation and knew she may be a candidate for donation. My mother was blind in one eye and wanted to help others by donating her cornea. She had discussed organ donation with our family on multiple occasions and was designated as an organ donor on her driver's license. Having those discussions with her helped us to follow through on her wishes to be a donor. My family was very happy that my mother was able to donate and we find comfort in knowing that other individuals and families benefited greatly from her gift of life."
For more information and to register to become an organ donor, visit www.donors1.org.
Media are invited to attend the event and photos will be available upon request.
About Reading Hospital
Reading Hospital is the flagship, Magnet Recognized, acute care hospital of Tower Health. Located in West Reading, Pa., Reading Hospital is a 697-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 moving up to America's 50 Best Hospitals in 2022) and received a 5-Star Rating from CMS two years in a row. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.