Donate Life Group – From the left is Scott Williams, COO at CRMC; Paul Korth, CEO at CRMC; Kara Mathis, donation committee member; Angela Craig, co- chair donation committee at CRMC; David Philips, chair of donation committee at CRMC; Danette Gardenhire, donation committee member; Alan Spriggs; Tennessee Donor Services; Kelly Noel, Tennessee Donor Services; Scott Lethi, CNO at CRMC; Wendy Arnett, donation committee member; Brittany Solada; Tennessee Donor Services; Joe Iwanyszyn, Plant Facilities Director; Angel Troxell, donation committee member.
Cookeville, Tenn- Cookeville Regional Medical Center is raising the Donate Life Tennessee flag during the month of April in honor of those who have given and received organ and tissue donations. The month long celebration honors the generosity of organ, eye and tissue donors and their families and commemorates all transplant recipients in the United States.
“At the beginning of April we support the ongoing efforts of organ and tissue donation by raising theDonate Life flag to honor our donor families and hospital staff in the patient units who provide care to these individuals and their families. This is a way we can say thank you to those who have given and received donation,” said Paul Korth, CEO at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
In 2017, Cookeville Regional had two patients that were organ donors and 21 tissue donors. They
transplant more than 1,000 tissues each year into their patients. That includes bone, cartilage, heartvalves and corneas. One person’s organ donation can save up to eight lives, and one person’s tissue donation can enhance the lives of up to 50 people.
The current donation statistics show that more than 115,000 people in the Unites States are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Every day 22 people die waiting for a transplant, and every 10 minutes a new name will be added to the national transplant waiting list. While most Americans are in favor of donation, many believe they are too old or unhealthy to donate, and others simply don’t take the steps required to sign up. Almost everyone can be a donor. There is no age limit to organ donation and very few diseases preclude donation. “Our goal at CRMC is to help our patients that are on the list by increasing awareness regarding organ and tissue donation. There are several ways to register to become a donor and it is an easy process to register. There are people who are well-educated and available to talk with you about donation,” said David Phillips, chair of the donation committee at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
Angela Craig, co-chair of the donation committee added, “There are a lot of misconceptions about organ donations and we really encourage people to research and find out information before counting it out. If you are a registered donor and your desire is to see that through, we encourage you to let your loved ones know you are and your wishes. We see families come in who never knew their loved one was a registered organ donor. Donation is a wonderful way to leave behind a legacy. This is a gift you can giveto save lives,” Cookeville Regional Medical Center will be celebrating Organ and Tissue Donation on Tuesday, Apr. 10 in the North Tower Lobby at the medical center from 7:00- 9:00 a.m. and by the Cookeville Regional Cafeteria from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
There are several opportunities to register to become an organ donor. Tennesseans can register to be anorgan donor by simply checking YES when applying for or renewing their driver’s license. A small red heart is placed on the driver license. And residents can also sign up online by visiting www.donatelifetn.org.
