Spartanburg Medical Center was among three South Carolina hospitals recognized for promoting organ, eye and tissue donation through the Excellence In Donation (EID) Public Outreach Program at the South Carolina Hospital Association/South Carolina Medical Association's 36th Annual TAP Conference.  

The EID Public Outreach Program launched in September 2015 as an effort to save more lives by renewing and building on the relationships between hospitals in the state, the South Carolina Hospital Association, LifePoint and Donate Life South Carolina to support organ, eye and tissue donation.

In addition, Spartanburg Medical Center was among a select group of hospitals nationwide recognized for promoting enrollment in state organ donor registries in a national campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The campaign has added 400,000 donor enrollments to state registries nationwide since 2011. Spartanburg Medical Center conducted awareness and registry campaigns to educate staff, patients, visitors and community members about the critical need for organ, eye and tissue donors.

The hospital earned points for each activity implemented between May 2015 and April 2016 and was awarded GOLD, which is the second highest, recognition through the HRSA Workplace Partnership for Life Hospital Campaign. Of the 995 hospitals and transplant centers participating in the campaign, 147 were awarded GOLD recognition. Spartanburg Medical Center was the only South Carolina hospital to receive this national recognition.

“The program unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from LifePoint,” said Nancy A. Kay, LifePoint president and CEO. “By working together, we can be more effective in educating about the critical need for organ, eye and tissue donors.”

In the United States there are more than 120,000 people currently awaiting a life-saving organ transplant; approximately 1,000 of those are in the South Carolina. Every 10 minutes another person is added to the waiting list in the United States, and an average of 22 people die in the United States each day because an organ wasn't available for transplant.

More than 45,000 corneas are transplanted annually in the United States. Over 95 percent of all corneal transplant operations successfully restore the recipient's vision. More than 1 million tissue transplants are performed each year and the surgical need for tissue continues to rise. 

For more information about the how to become an organ and tissue donor, visit DonateLifeSC.org.