Mountain Health Network hospitals schedule Donate Life Month events

National Donate Life Month, held each April, is dedicated to encouraging individuals to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those who saved lives through the gift of donation. Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) and St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC), members of Mountain Health Network (MHN), have scheduled events to commemorate the month.

The schedule of events is as follows: 

Wed., April 7

SMMC Remembrance Ceremony

The names of SMMC patients who donated organs in the past year will be read and added to the organ donor memorial tree located inside the hospital.

Location: Facebook Live @stmarysmedicalcenter

Time: Noon

Mon, April 12

CHH Flag-Raising Ceremony

Representatives from CHH and Kentucky/West Virginia Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) will be present as the Donate Life flag is raised, following a brief ceremony. The ceremony’s guest speaker will be Elizabeth Brown, mother of pediatric organ donor Vinnie Brown, who at the age of 10 made the decision to give the gift of life not knowing he would be helping others sooner than imagined. CHH will observe the statewide Pause to Give Life Event during the ceremony by raising the Donate Life flag at 10:08 a.m. to highlight that one donor can save eight lives. The flag-raising will be followed by a moment of silence for one minute and eight seconds to recognize the more than 108,000 patients waiting for a life-saving transplant. Masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be followed.

Location: The flagpole at the CHH entrance and Facebook Live @cabellhuntington.

Time: 10 a.m.

SMMC Pause to Give Life Event

SMMC will participate in this statewide event by observing a moment of silence for one minute and eight seconds beginning at 10:08 a.m. The moment will be introduced via a special intercom message throughout the hospital.

Location: SMMC

Time: 10:08 a.m.

Fri., April 16

SMMC Flag-Raising Ceremony

As part of National Donate Life Blue and Green Day, SMMC and KODA representatives will raise the Donate Life flag after a brief ceremony. On this day each year, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green and engage in sharing the Donate Life message.

Location: Facebook Live @stmarysmedicalcenter. This event is not open to the general public.

Time: 10 a.m.

According to KODA, every 10 minutes, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list. On average, 20 people die every day while waiting for a transplant. Just one donor can save up to eight lives.

To learn more about organ donation, please visit www.donatelife.net.