PITTSBURGH (PRWEB)
March 31, 2021

Over the past year, people across the region have stepped up in extraordinary ways to help their neighbors. Organ donation is yet another way individuals and families have become heroes in the Pittsburgh community, and Allegheny Health Network will pay tribute to those who have given the gift of life during National Donate Life Month this April. Through a series of events across its eight hospitals, including Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), Allegheny Valley, Canonsburg, Forbes, Grove City, Jefferson, Saint Vincent and West Penn, AHN will encourage staff, patients and visitors to learn more about organ donation and how to become a registered organ donor.

According to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), more than 110,000 men, women and children await lifesaving organ transplants with another person added to the waiting list every ten minutes.

Through the Covid-19 pandemic, AHN has remained committed to providing life-saving care for everyone who has needed it, including organ transplant candidates. In 2020, AHN saved or improved lives through organ, tissue and cornea donations thanks to the generous gifts of more than 282 donors across its hospitals. AGH is the center for heart, liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation. Last year, AGH’s surgical team performed 23 heart, 42 liver and 113 kidney transplants.

“Allegheny Health Network has a longstanding legacy of providing patients with high-quality, compassionate transplant care. Donate Life Month is an important time for our Network to come together to raise awareness for organ donation and honor those who have made the selfless decision to give the gift of life to others through organ donation and transplantation,” said Cynthia Hundorfean, president and CEO at Allegheny Health Network. “This is also a time to recognize our talented transplant clinicians and caregivers at AHN and across the country for the remarkable work they do each day to save and transform lives.”

Among the month’s highlights at AHN will be flag-raising ceremonies at each hospital where hospital leadership, transplant patients and donor families come together to share their journey. Throughout the month, hospitals will also invite employees to “Step Up and Give a Hand,” by pledging their support of organ donation with a colorful handprint display.

On April 16, each hospital across AHN, as well as its parent company, Highmark Health, will unite for “National Donate Life Blue and Green Day.” All employees will be asked to wear blue and green attire to show their support for organ donation, and many of the organization’s facilities will be illuminated with blue and green lights including the Highmark Health spire at Fifth Avenue Place. Additionally, West Penn Hospital will display blue and green lights in its winter garden throughout the month of April.

Donate Life Activities:

• Allegheny General Hospital: Flag Raising on Monday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m.; Rose Garden Ceremony on Friday, April 23 at 10 a.m.
• Forbes Hospital: Flag Raising on Tuesday, April 6 at 11 a.m.
• Grove City Hospital: Flag Raising on Wednesday, April 7 at 11:30 a.m.
• Jefferson Hospital: Flag Raising on Thursday, April 8 at 11 a.m.
• Saint Vincent Hospital: Flag Raising on Friday, April 9 at 10 a.m.
• Allegheny Valley Hospital: Flag Raising on Tuesday, April 13 at 9 a.m.
• Canonsburg Hospital: Flag Raising on Friday, April 23 at 11 a.m.
• West Penn Hospital: Rose Garden Ceremony on Monday, April 19 at 2:30 p.m.; Flag Raising on Monday, April 26 at noon

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About Allegheny Health Network

Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org) a Highmark Health company, is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of 13 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, Health + Wellness Pavilions, an employed physician organization, home and community based health services, a research institute and a group purchasing organization. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, cardiovascular disease, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women’s health, diabetes and more. AHN employs approximately 21,000 people, has more than 2,600 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

About CORE

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 57 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 http://www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

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