Decatur Memorial Hospital will host a flag-raising ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, to call attention to the importance of organ and tissue donation. The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the flagpole located near the hospital’s main entrance.
According to Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, which serves Illinois and northwest Indiana, nearly 5,000 Illinoisans are currently waiting for an organ transplant.
“April is National Donate Life Month,” said Amber Vest, director of the intensive care unit at DMH. “We hold the flag-raising ceremony each year as a way to honor organ and tissue donors for giving the gift of life to others.”
The ceremony will feature remarks by officials from Memorial Health, Gift of Hope and Eversight. The public is invited to attend. Staff will be available in the hospital lobby to register new donors.
Similar ceremonies are planned at the other four Memorial Health hospitals in central Illinois.