Donate Life PA Hospital Challenge Underway

April 08, 2024

The 2024 Donate Life Pennsylvania Hospital Challenge launched April 1, highlighting the lifesaving gift of organ donation during National Donate Life Month.

Every year, the HAP Donate Life Pennsylvania Hospital Challenge encourages Pennsylvania hospitals to increase organ donation awareness and designations within their hospital and community. This month is an important time to emphasize the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donors, and to celebrate those that have saved lives through their donations.

Last week, Governor Shapiro signed a proclamation officially recognizing April as Donate Life Month in Pennsylvania. The proclamation emphasizes Pennsylvania’s commitment to saving and restoring lives in need of organ and tissue donations by continuing to increase public awareness about the importance of registering as a donor. There are more than 6,000 men, women and children throughout the commonwealth waiting for life-saving organ transplant.

The Health Resources and Services Administration emphasizes the following key points about organ donation:

• More than 103,223 people are on the national transplant waiting list.
• About 17 people die every day waiting for a transplant.
• Every donor can save right lives and enhance over 75 more.
• Every eight minutes another person is added to the transplant waiting list.
• 46,000 transplants were performed during 2023.
• About 85 percent of potential recipients are on the waiting list for kidneys. Another 10 percent are waiting for liver transplants.

HAP applauds our members for their outstanding commitment to increase organ donation awareness and designations within their hospital and community and their participation in this year’s challenge. Winners will be announced later this year.

HAP has partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), and the Gift of Life Donor Program—the two organ procurement organizations serving Pennsylvania—to support the hospital challenge.

Learn more about this year’s challenge online. For more information, contact Mary Marshall, HAP’s senior director, workforce and professional services.