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“Saving lives through organ and tissue donation is important to our hospital,” says Aimee Yu, MD. “Anyone can save a life by being a donor,” adds Dr. Yu. Although the latest advances in transplant medicine have created more options for patients on the transplant wait list, the demand has never been greater.
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To help ing awareness to this growing healthcare crisis, AAMC has partnered with The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland (LLF) and Donate Life Maryland for April National Donate Life Month. The partnership provides employees and members of our community information about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation.
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“Last year, the national waiting list reached more than 114,000 people and the gap between those who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and registered donors keeps widening every year,” said Charlie Alexander, president and CEO of The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland. “One of our goals is to provide advocacy and comprehensive public and professional education to help increase the number of designated organ donors throughout the state.”
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“Donate Life Month is an opportunity for Anne Arundel Medical Center to honor those who have given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation,” said Dr. Yu. “We are excited to partner with The Living Legacy Foundation and Donate Life Maryland to spread the word about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation and the need for donor designation.”
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AAMC was recently awarded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Silver Medal of Honor for achieving and sustaining national goals for organ donation. AAMC was one of five hospitals in Maryland and 237 nationwide to receive this award for integrating practices of donation as part of standard procedures so more lives can be saved.
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With more than two million Marylanders having already made the decision to designate themselves as organ, eye and tissue donors, either through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration or the Maryland Donor Registry at www.donatelifemaryland.org, this statewide outreach will hopefully encourage others to make the decision to be a donor.
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For more information on organ, eye and tissue donation, please visit the Donate Life Maryland website at www.donatelifemaryland.org or call 866-MD-DONOR.
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The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland is a federally designated organ procurement organization dedicated to saving lives by facilitating the process of organ and tissue donation, recovery and transplantation.
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About Anne Arundel Medical Center
Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is part of Anne Arundel Health System. Anne Arundel Health System is the parent organization of AAMC, Anne Arundel Diagnostics Imaging, Pathways Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, and four satellite locations: AAMC – Health Services in Bowie, Waugh Chapel, Kent Island, and Odenton. AAMC, founded in 1902 as the Annapolis Emergency Hospital, is a not-for-profit hospital that provides acute inpatient and outpatient care to residents of the region, encompassing Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Queen Anne's and Calvert Counties. Visit www.askAAMC.org to learn more.
