San Jose Rotunda Lit In Blue And Green In Honor Of Donate Life Month
San Jose City Council Declares April National Donate Life Month
(San Jose, CA) April 21, 2021 – San Jose City Hall’s iconic rotunda will be lit in blue and green on April 21 at 7:00 pm PT in observance of National Donate Life Month. The rotunda will display the Donate Life colors through April 23 to highlight the life-saving impact of organ donation and honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.
Donor Network West, the federally designated organ procurement organization for Northern California and Northern Nevada, is working to promote donation and transplantation as a way to save lives in Santa Clara County.
Santa Clara County currently has the longest list of patients waiting for an organ donation in Northern California, with more than 1,400 people waiting. In addition, East San Jose’s District 5 has been the hardest-hit with coronavirus cases in the county. Despite these unprecedented challenges, the residents of East San Jose continue to give the gift of life.
“Donor Network West is proud to partner with the City of San Jose to highlight the importance of organ and tissue donation,” said Janice F. Whaley, President and CEO of Donor Network West. “As we celebrate National Donate Life Month this April, we encourage the residents of San Jose and Santa Clara County to consider registering to become an organ donor to give those waiting a second chance at life. One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and heal another 75 people through tissue donation.”
National Donate Life Month honors those who received or continue to wait for lifesaving transplants and those who have given the generous gift of life through organ and tissue donation. Lighting San Jose’s rotunda will be especially memorable for Brenda Gutierrez. Brenda’s 16-year-old sister Nancy became a multi-organ donor and saved seven lives in 2020.
Regional Medical Center is a Healthgrades rated 5-star hospital in San Jose’s District 5 for leading conditions and patient outcomes. During the pandemic, Regional Medical Center, worked diligently alongside Donor Network West to achieve numerous organ transplants at their facility. The city of San Jose is recognizing RMC along with Donor Network West with proclamations for its outstanding work at next Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“As a trauma center, Regional Medical Center works closely with Donor Network West to facilitate organ donations and transplants. Even though we were impacted by the surge of COVID-19 patients last year, we were still able to grant the wishes of 16 patients who then were able to save 59 lives through organ transplants. RMC recognizes the importance of raising awareness around giving the gift of life and honoring those heroes who did so,” states Tomi Ryba, President and CEO of Regional Medical Center.
Each April, Donate Life Month is celebrated to focus national attention on organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation and sharing the importance of registering your decision to be a donor.
WHEN AND WHERE:
April 21, 2021, 7:00 p.m. – San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. San Jose, CA 95113
WHO:
- Brenda Gutierrez, Organ Donor Family Member
- Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco, District 5
- District Director Stacie Shih, District 27
- Janice Whaley, President & CEO of Donor Network West
- Ken West, COO of Regional Medical Center of San Jose
To learn more about organ and tissue donation and to register to be a donor, visit your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or visit DonorNetworkWest.org.
Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation and research. The organization was established in 1987 and is an official Donate Life organization accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). Federally designated to serve 45 counties in Northern California and Northern Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries. For information, visit DonorNetworkWest.org and follow us on social media: @mydnwest.
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