By the Numbers: 5 Reasons to Support Organ Donation

Donate Life Month and the 2022 HAP Donate Life Pennsylvania Hospital Challenge begin today

April 01, 2022

Thousands of Pennsylvanians and others around the country are waiting for the lifesaving gift of organ donation.

During Donate Life Month, HAP and Pennsylvania’s hospitals encourage everyone to learn about the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donors, and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

This year, Donate Life Month carries the “Bee a Donor” theme, inspired by “the vital role that bees play in sustaining life.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), estimates there are more than 106,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, including 7,000 in Pennsylvania.

Here are five other statistics from HHS highlighting the need for organ donation across the country:

• 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant
• A single donor can save eight lives and enhance 75 more
• A new person is added to the transplant waiting list every nine minutes
• 83 percent of people on organ transplant lists are waiting for a kidney
• During 2021, there were 6,539 living donors and 13,863 deceased donors

This month, the state’s hospitals and health systems are raising awareness for this important issue through the 2022 HAP Donate Life Pennsylvania Hospital Challenge.

The 2022 challenge officially begins today and runs through April 30, 2022. The challenge encourages Pennsylvania hospitals to increase the number of organ and tissue donors, as well as raise donation awareness within their hospitals and throughout their communities.

HAP has partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and 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.

HAP, CORE, and Gift of Life will publicly acknowledge participating hospital efforts, sharing their awareness activities and designations at the end of the challenge.

HAP applauds our members’ commitment to increase organ donation awareness and designations within their hospital and community. For more information, contact Mary Marshall, HAP’s director, workforce and professional services.