Community Memorial Hospital Raises Flag to Honor Organ Donors

Community Memorial Hospital – Ventura joined thousands of hospitals and community organizations nationwide in April to celebrate National Donate Life Month, including hosting a flag raising ceremony at the hospital on Tuesday, April 20. The celebrations are designed to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.

“Our team sees firsthand the lives saved by the willingness of others to give life,” said Diane Drexler, CMH’s Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “The flag raising ceremony is an opportunity to recognize the generosity of families who have offered this gift to others while experiencing a profound personal loss.”

At 9 am on Tuesday, April 20th, CMH, in partnership with OneLegacy, the world’s largest nonprofit organ, eye and tissue recovery organization, hosted a flag raising ceremony to highlight the importance of donation and celebrate donors and recipients. Speaking at the event were Reverend Curtis Hotchkiss, CMH’s director of Spiritual Care Services; Drexler; and Alexa Delima and Angela Bolaris of OneLegacy. Ellen Langston of Ventura represented a donor family and transplant recipient Jennifer Vasilakos of Ojai also attended.

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A single organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people and improve the lives of up to 75 more people by donating their corneas and tissue, says OneLegacy. Nearly 40,000 life-saving transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2020, according to the organization, which also notes that nationwide, over 107,000 people are on waiting lists for a donated organ.

To become a donor, people can register with the Department of Motor Vehicles or online at www.OneLegacy.org/Register. To help facilitate organ recovery and placement, CMH is one of over 200 hospitals and nine transplant centers in Southern California that works directly with OneLegacy.