Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center Joins Campaign to Help Increase Organ Donations

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center has once again joined NJ Sharing Network and other area hospitals in the National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign, sponsored by the Division of Transplantation, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The campaign urges hospitals to educate employees, patients, visitors, and the community about the crucial need for organ, eye, and tissue donation. This is the 4th year Lourdes has participated in the campaign.

The campaign has helped to register nearly 400,000 people to state registries, and aims to add more donor designations by May 2017.

“As a transplant center, we are acutely aware of the need for donors. Organ donation saves lives. Through the generosity of patients and their loved ones, we are able to provide second chances at life to residents across South Jersey and the region. We strongly urge people to register as donors so we can ultimately help increase the number of organs available for transplant,” said Alan Pope, MD, Lourdes Health System Chief Medical Officer.

Last fall, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center was among a select group of hospitals nationwide recognized for raising organ and tissue donation awareness in HRSA’s national campaign. Lourdes was awarded the campaign’s highest tier—Platinum Level.

New Jersey is served by six transplant centers, only two of which perform liver transplantation. Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is the only solid organ transplant center in southern New Jersey. More than 1,300 patients have received the gift of life at Lourdes.

In an effort to honor all organ donors, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center lights the hospital’s iconic 30-foot, 15-ton statue of the Blessed Mother green each time a patient has an organ transplant at the hospital.

There are four easy ways to become and organ and tissue donor in New Jersey: register online at www.registerme.org/campaign/lourdes or at www.njmvc.gov, add your name to the donor registry during a driver’s license or ID transaction, or request a paper registration at (800) 742-7365. To learn more about organ and tissue donation, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

Caption: Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center lights the hospital’s iconic 30-foot, 15-ton statue of the Blessed Mother green each time a patient has an organ transplant at the hospital. Lourdes is the only solid organ transplant center in southern New Jersey.