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Federal Funding Makes Donate Life Black Hills Possible
RAPID CITY, SD – Rapid City Regional Hospital and LifeSource, the organ and tissue procurement organization in the Upper Midwest, are partners in a new campaign to increase the number of people who are registered organ and tissue donors in the Black Hills. The campaign, called Donate Life Black Hills, is the first of its kind featuring nurses sharing their commitment to organ and tissue donation.
Beginning Monday, June 7, residents in the Black Hills will begin seeing advertisements on television, radio and billboards as well as online and in area newspapers. The advertisements feature nurses from Rapid City Regional Hospital sharing their support of organ and tissue donation and encouraging others to register as donors. Rapid City Regional Hospital nurses will also be sharing the life-saving message of donation through workplace and community events, and driver’s license bureaus will carry new materials that match the campaign.
Donate Life Black Hills is funded by a federal grant (No. D71HS13417-01-00) from the Division of Transplantation, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Organ and tissue donation is an incredible gift that saves and heals lives,” said Rita Haxton, Rapid City Regional Hospital Vice President of Patient Care. “Our nurses are honored to support the families of donors as their loved ones leave this amazing legacy, and we are proud they will be sharing their commitment to donation with our communities.”
More than 2,800 people in the Upper Midwest are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. One donor can help up to 60 people. If an individual chooses to be an organ donor, there is no additional cost to that individual or their family. Rapid City Regional Hospital, which is not a transplant center, works with LifeSource to ensure people’s wishes to be organ and tissue donors are fulfilled.
Rapid City Regional Hospital has been acknowledged by LifeSource for its organ and tissue donation program. “Rapid City Regional Hospital is a strong partner in our mission,” said LifeSource CEO Susan Gunderson. “Their dedication to the health of the communities they serve, combined with their passion for fulfilling people’s wishes to save lives through donation, makes them the perfect partner for this exciting campaign.”
Registering as a donor brings hope to the men, women and children who are waiting for their second chance at life. South Dakotans who would like to register as an organ and tissue donor can do so by visiting www.DonateLifeSD.org.
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LifeSource is the non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest, serving communities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin. Visit www.Life-Source.org for more information.
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