Green Bay, Wis. - On Monday, April 1 at 10:08 a.m., Aurora BayCare Medical Center is one of more than 80 Donate Life Wisconsin members and partner organizations that will "Pause to Give Life" by simultaneously conducting a flag raising ceremony and moment of silence to promote organ, tissue and eye donation as well as honor donors and their families.
This marks the second year that Aurora BayCare Medical Center has participated in the "Pause to Give Life" event. Donate Life Wisconsin first introduced the statewide event in 2018 to kick off April's National Donate Life Month and bring awareness to the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation.
The raising of the Donate Life flag is held at 10:08 a.m. to highlight that one donor can save eight lives followed by a moment of silence for 1 minute and 14 seconds to recognize the nearly 114,000 patients waiting for a life-saving transplant. Of those patients, nearly 2,000 are in Wisconsin. The event also honors the gift of life that donors and their families have made possible.
"When you see the organ donation flag flying, we encourage you to take a moment and remember the families who are grieving for the loved ones they lost and the great gift given through organ donation," said Jim Athey, Aurora BayCare chaplain.
Wisconsin organ, tissue and eye donation facts:
- Anyone age 15 and half or older can register as a donor regardless of age, health, gender, ethnic or racial background.
- Nearly three million, or almost 60 percent of those eligible, have said "Yes" and registered as organ, tissue and eye donors on Wisconsin's Donor Registry.
- There were nearly 150 living kidney and liver donors, more than 200 deceased organ donors, more than 900 tissue donors and more than 1,500 eye donors in 2018.
- Nearly 800 organs were transplanted, and more than 700 recipients received the gift of hope with an organ transplant in 2018.
Those interested in becoming an organ, tissue and eye donor can register online by visiting DonateLifeWisconsin.org or a Wisconsin DMV Service Center.
Aurora BayCare Medical Center is a 167-bed, full-service tertiary care hospital located at 2845 Greenbrier Road on Green Bay's east side. It opened in September 2001 as a joint venture of Aurora Health Care and BayCare Clinic. Aurora BayCare is committed to creating a better way to provide high quality tertiary healthcare, the latest in medical technology and superior service.
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin-area health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 30 counties throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Aurora is Wisconsin's most comprehensive health care provider and the state's largest private employer. Aurora serves more than 1.2 million patients every year via a comprehensive network of facilities, services and providers, including 15 hospitals, more than 150 clinics, more than 70 pharmacies and more than 33,000 Caregivers. As evidenced by more than 300 active clinical trials, Aurora is dedicated to delivering innovations to provide the best possible care today, and to define the best care for tomorrow. Get helpful health and wellness information via the Aurora MyHealth blog, our Facebook page, our Twitter account and our Pinterest account.
BayCare Clinic, baycare.net, is the largest physician-owned specialty-care clinic in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. BayCare Clinic offers expertise in more than 20 specialties, with more than 100 physicians serving in 16 area communities. BayCare Clinic is a joint partner in Aurora BayCare Medical Center, a 167-bed, full-service hospital. Follow BayCare Clinic on Facebook and Twitter.