April is Donate Life Month, a designated time that recognizes the importance of and need for organ donation. Nearly 104,000 people nationwide are on the transplant waiting list for organs, including kidneys, livers, lungs and hearts, according to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
Yale New Haven Transplantation Center (YNHTC) is a beacon of hope for nearly 750 Yale New Haven Health patients who are currently awaiting a kidney, liver or heart transplant.
Organ donation options are living donation and/or deceased donation. Of the 185 organs transplanted at Yale New Haven Hospital in 2022, 37 were from living donors. Of the more than 42,888 transplants performed nationally in 2022, more than 6,400 organs came from living organ donors, according to UNOS. That year also marked a milestone of one million transplants performed in the United States.
YNHH’s Center for Living Organ Donors helps connect living donors with patients needing liver and kidney transplants. Visit www.ynhh.org/organdonation to learn more about organ donor registration.
YNHH and New England Donor Services staff will hold a flag-raising ceremony at 9:30 am Thursday, April 6, outside the York Street Campus entrance. YNHTC will recognize Blue and Green Day Friday, April 14 (employee dress code applies). These colors signify support for organ, eye and tissue donation awareness.
To further spread awareness of the need for organ donation, YNHH is a Hero sponsor of a colorful mural to be painted on the side of Alltown Fresh, 1941 Dixwell Ave., Hamden. Donate Life Connecticut, in partnership with RiseUP for Arts, is creating the mural. Artist Micaela Levesque will begin painting in April. According to Donate Life Connecticut, this will be the first mural in New England focused on raising awareness about organ donation; encouraging people to register to be a donor; and honoring all involved with organ donation, including professionals in the community.
