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Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) Recognizes National Donate Life Month in April

Pittsburgh, March 25, 2013 – More than 117,000 people across the country are awaiting an organ transplant, and at least eighteen will die without receiving one. The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), a federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia and parts of New York, is joining the organ donation community once again in April by commemorating National Donate Life Month. Throughout the month, CORE is encouraging individuals to register to become organ, tissue and cornea donors.

“The number of people in need of transplants far exceeds the number of organs, tissues and corneas that are donated, and at CORE, one of our primary goals is to educate people on the need to make a pledge for life and become an organ, tissue and cornea donor,” said Susan Stuart, president and CEO of CORE. “In conjunction with OPOs across the nation, we are pleased to celebrate National Donate Life Month. Registering to become a donor only takes about 90 seconds, but it can make the difference of a lifetime.”

Individuals are encouraged to talk with family members and friends about making the pledge to become an organ, tissue and cornea donor. Each person that signs up to become a donor can help up to 50 people through organ, tissue and cornea donation.

Some important additional facts about organ, tissue and cornea donation:

  • More than 8,000 patients are awaiting life-saving organ transplants in Pennsylvania, along with more than 800 patients in West Virginia. Thousands of others could benefit from life-enhancing tissue transplants.
  • With at least 90,000 people across the nation awaiting a kidney, kidneys are the organ in greatest demand, followed by liver, heart and lungs.
  • Because conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are often more prevalent in the minority community, minorities make up more than 50 percent of the people on the national organ transplant list.

For more information about CORE, visit core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to coordinate the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation. CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs and placement of corneas. With headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Charleston, West Virginia, CORE oversees a region that encompasses 155 hospitals and almost six million people throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY. For more information, visit core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

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