The Adams County Regional Medical Center (ACRMC) celebrated Organ Donation Awareness Month with a special flag-raising ceremony earlier this month at their hospital campus located at 230 Medical Center Drive in Seaman. The event was held to honor the selfless act of organ donation, which gives hope to thousands of individuals and their families each year.
The ceremony paid tribute to organ donors and recipients, recognizing the life-saving and life-restoring process of organ, tissue, and eye donation. More than 104,000 individuals are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in the United States, with another person added to the waiting list every 10 minutes. In Ohio, there are nearly 3,000 individuals waiting for a transplant.
Jason Francis, Director of Marketing and Community Outreach at the Adams County Regional Medical Center, expressed his gratitude to both Adams and Brown County Board of County Commissioners for proclaiming April as Donate Life Month. He said, “We are proud of our elected officials for their continued support and generosity towards organ donation. The flag-raising ceremony was a success and we thank all those who attended and participated.”
The Commissioners acknowledged the efforts of Donate Life America, the LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, and the Adams County Regional Medical Center in educating the public about the importance of donation and in encouraging individuals to register as organ, tissue, and eye donors. They proclaimed April 2023 as National Donate Life Month and April 14th as National Donate Life Blue and Green Day.
In 2022, families in Adams County were approached for tissue donation, and out of the eight families, four agreed to make a donation, resulting in an authorization rate of 50%. For eye donation, out of the fourteen families approached, nine agreed to make a donation, resulting in an authorization rate of 64%. These numbers demonstrate the impact of the efforts made by the Adams County Regional Medical Center and the community in raising awareness about organ donation.
ACRMC encourages everyone to register as organ, tissue, and eye donors through the Ohio Donor Registry at www.donatelife.net/register. The gift of life is precious, and the ACRMC continues to strive towards making organ donation a priority in their community.
