(West Chester, PA) -- The Chester County Hospital and Health System is pleased to announce it has joined The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) as a Donate Life Hospital Partner. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration, the campaign brings together National Partners, regional and local organ, eye, and tissue donation organizations, and their "Hospital Partners" to educate hospital communities on the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation.
Every day new people join the national organ transplant waiting list, and this week more than 100 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.
It doesn't have to be that way. Each day, on average, 78 Americans receive life-saving organ transplants, and thousands more benefit from cornea and tissue transplants. These extraordinary gifts have been selflessly donated by ordinary people - individuals like you - who took just a few minutes in a busy day to record their decisions to become organ, eye, and tissue donors.
The Health System urges the community to become actively involved in the HAP Donate Life Hospital Campaign. As a Hospital Partner in this initiative, we have also encouraged all members of the Health System staff to join with our partner organ donation organization Gift of Life Donor Program in educating our Hospital community on the critical need for organ donation and providing opportunities for people to sign up as organ, eye, and tissue donors.
You may register at www.donors1.org/penn or gain additional information on organ and tissue donation by visiting www.donatelifepa.org. By taking a few minutes to register as a donor, you ensure that your desire to give this gift is officially recorded. Did you know that one donor can save as many as eight lives?
Thank you for caring and for your support.
Impact Statistics
- 117,000: Approximate number of people on the national organ transplant waiting list
- 8,366 Number of people in Pennsylvania who are on the national list
- 78: Average number of people on the waiting list who will receive a life-saving transplant today
- 18: Average number of people on the waiting list who will die today
- 8: Number of lives one organ donor could save
- 50: Number of lives one organ donor could improve
Please register to become an organ, eye and tissue donor at www.donors1.org/penn.
Waiting List Statistics
People on the national organ transplant waiting list wait for weeks, months and years until an organ becomes available to them. Many die before an organ becomes available. Median time to transplant for the most recent year data is available:
- Kidney:1,219 days (3 years, 4 months)
- Kidney-Pancreas: 448 days
- Liver: 361 days
- Pancreas: 260 days
- Intestine: 159 days
- Lung 141 days
- Heart: 113 days
Please register to become an organ, eye and tissue donor at www.donors1.org/penn.