Susan Stuart: CORE sets record year for saving, healing lives

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education’s mission is to save and heal lives through organ, tissue and cornea donation. This mission guides CORE’s every step, every initiative and every interaction. And it was the driving force behind a record-breaking year in 2019 for donation in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Together with the selfless donors and their courageous families, CORE made possible 661 life-saving organ transplants in 2019. This was an increase of nearly 10% over 2018 — because of the generosity of 253 organ donors, nearly 20% more than in the previous year. Also, a more than 4% increase in the number of tissue and cornea donors has meant healing and restored sight for more than 80,000 people worldwide.

In 2019, CORE maintained performance among the top 10% of the nation’s 58 organ procurement organizations and was named a 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winner. This is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive, and CORE is one of only five Pennsylvania and two West Virginia organizations to accomplish the honor in its more than 30-year history.

Achievements like these are built upon unwavering focus — on both the mission as well as a steadfast dedication to excellence and improvement so that more can always be done. They are proof that we are changing the lives of grieving donor families, courageous recipients and those holding out hope for a life-saving transplant. Most importantly, these achievements are truly a celebration of the donors and their families, and an acknowledgment of their life-saving and healing gifts.

Our accomplishments in 2019 inspire us to renew our commitment to each one of the more than 112,000 people on the national transplant waiting list who hope for a second chance at life, including 7,500 in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Every 10 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list. Every day, at least 20 people waiting for a life-saving transplant die, including two from our region. Every year, approximately 11,000 people die who are considered medically suitable for donation, yet only a fraction of them are donors.

That’s why we will continue to tirelessly promote a culture of donation and encourage everyone to make A Pledge for Life by becoming a registered organ donor. To do our part, CORE is aiming to add 75,000 newly registered organ donors in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2020.

Becoming an organ donor is a selfless and simple act — and one that has an enormous impact. As an organ donor, you have the power to save up to eight lives. As a cornea donor, you can restore sight for up to two people, and as a tissue donor, you can heal the lives of up to 75 people.

In addition, you can become a living donor, providing the gift of life for someone waiting for a life-saving kidney or liver transplant. Signing up to be a donor takes only a moment, yet can give an entire lifetime to someone in need. You can sign up online at core.org/register.

As we embark upon a new decade, we will leverage our achievements as inspiration while renewing our commitment to those on the national transplant waiting list. CORE continues to take great pride in serving the region to recover and match organs, tissues and corneas for transplant, and will remain steadfast on our mission to save and heal even more lives through donation.

Susan Stuart is president and CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education.