HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s honor National Donate Life Month

Donate Life flags fly outside each hospital throughout April

Green Bay – More than 110,000 people across the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ, tissue or eye donation; that’s more people than the country’s largest football stadium could hold. Of those,  more than 2,000 are men, women and children in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). 

To recognize the importance of donation, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay are flying “Donate Life” flags during the month of April as part of National Donate Life Month. 

To our media partners: Click here to download video and a photo of the Donate Life flag being raised at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital this morning (4/4/22). Interviews about the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation are also available upon request. 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports 90% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, but only 60% are actively registered as donors. You can register to become an organ, tissue and eye donor at the Department of Motor Vehicles by mail or online at: DonateLifeWisconsin.org.  

Did you know?

• One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Organs can help patients in liver, kidney or heart failure, those who suffer from cystic fibrosis, those on dialysis, and many other common illnesses.
• One cornea donor could restore sight to two people whose blindness may have been caused by a traumatic eye injury, a serious infection or other corneal conditions. 
• One tissue donor could heal up to 75 people. Tissue is used to treat severe burns and abrasions, and in reconstructive surgery for patients such as breast cancer survivors. Donor tendons are used to repair torn ligaments and damaged veins. Bone is used to help heal fractures or prevent amputation. 

For answers to common questions regarding donation, please visit: www.donatelifewisconsin.org/answers. 

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About HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center

HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center have been delivering quality health care to Green Bay and its surrounding communities since 1888. With HSHS St. Vincent being the largest tertiary care hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s location on Green Bay’s west side, patients from Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan benefit from a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, emergency and trauma care, preventive care across the lifespan, digestive health, orthopedic, cardiac care, neurosciences, rehabilitation and pediatrics. Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospitals’ primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of competent and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. Both hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states - Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries,  and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.