Chester County Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania Health System are once again teaming up to participate in the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania's (HAP) Gift of Life Campaign. Throughout the month of April, the campaign challenges our hospital to educate all employees and you, our community, about the crucial need for organ, eye and tissue donation and to encourage people to register as donors.
Every day more people join the national organ transplant waiting list, which now exceeds 106,000 people whose lives depend on receiving a life-saving organ transplant. This week, more than 17 of them will die because not enough organs are available for transplant. Thousands of others whose lives would benefit from the gift of organ, eye and tissue donations continue to wait and hope. Although 90% of U.S. adults support organ donation, only 60% are actually signed up as donors.
The choice to become an organ donor can be one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. It is a decision that can affect dozens of lives in a positive way and one that can affect a family forever.
It only takes 30 seconds to designate oneself as a donor... 30 seconds that may save a life.
Penn Medicine is home to the largest transplant center in our region and our commitment to the patients we care for and the community means we should be at the forefront regarding organ donation decision making. Now is the time to lead the way and become an organ donor.