WVU Medicine United Hospital Center Celebrates National Donate Life Month

United Hospital Center (UHC) has joined the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) to raise awareness about organ, tissue, and cornea donation, and to inspire everyone during Donate Life Month to register to be an organ donor.

On Thursday, March 28, UHC held its flag raising event to recognize the impact of organ donation.

“During National Donate Life Month, we celebrate the power of organ, tissue, and cornea donation to save and heal lives. We recognize the successful collaborations between CORE and the hospitals in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, that have resulted in more than 900 life-saving organ transplants in 2023,” said Susan Stuart, President & CEO of CORE. “But, above all, this month is a tribute to the selfless donors and their families whose generous decision to give the gift of life has brought hope and healing to those close to home and far away.”

“As a health system, we stand in a unique position to not just attend to the health of our patients but to ignite a powerful inspiration within our community, urging them to embrace wellness in every dimension of life,” said David F. Hess, MD, CEO and president of UHC. “The greater number of individuals we can motivate to become organ donors, the more profoundly we fulfill our mission as passionate advocates for the holistic well-being of our entire community.”

Some important facts about organ, tissue, and cornea donation:

• Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race or medical history.
• With more than 90,000 people across the nation awaiting a kidney, it is the organ in greatest demand, followed by liver, heart and lungs.
• Because conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are often more prevalent in the multicultural community, these individuals make up more than 50 percent of those on the national organ transplant list.

Individuals are encouraged to talk with family members and friends about registering as a donor. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and a tissue donor can improve the lives of more than 100 others. To sign up, visit core.org/register.

About United Hospital Center

United Hospital Center (UHC) is the result of a merger between St. Mary’s and Union Protestant hospitals in 1970. This bold move provides North Central West Virginia with a regional community hospital that offers a vast array of services. The new UHC opened in 2010 and is located along I-79 in Bridgeport. The 736,403 square foot structure rises eight stories. It is designed around the environment with the patient, family, employees, and community in mind—which includes enhanced patient privacy, a high level of technology integration, and improved access to care. The acute care facility has 292 private inpatient rooms and a medical staff that consist of more than 366 physicians, advanced practice providers, and allied health professionals. UHC has more than 2,450 employees and is a member of WVU Medicine (West Virginia United Health System). For more information about UHC, please visit uhcwv.org.

About CORE

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 56 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region, and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. CORE is a winner of the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a presidential award that recognizes nonprofits for their innovation and excellence. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

About Donate Life America

Donate Life America (DLA) is a 501©3 nonprofit organization leading its national partners and Donate Life State Teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes and tissue available to save and heal lives. DLA manages and promotes Donate Life℠, the national brand for the cause of donation; motivates the public to register as organ, eye and tissue donors; provides education about living donation; manages the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org; and develops and executes effective multi-media campaigns to promote donation.