Kern Medical Hosts “Flags Across America” Flag Raising Ceremony in Honor of Donate Life Month

In observance of national Donate Life Month, Kern Medical will participate in the “Flags Across America” awareness campaign by hosting a Flag Raising Ceremony at Kern Medical’s main entrance on April 4, 2017. The event is in collaboration with Donate Life California, the organ and tissue donor registry of the state, and OneLegacy, an organ, eye and tissue recovery organization who serves Kern County and the greater Los Angeles area.

Ever year Kern Medical takes part in this national effort to bolster organ and tissue registry, and honor organ and tissue donors and their families who have saved or enhanced other lives. Last year, the donors from Kern Medical had 30 organs transplanted, which is more than any other hospital in Kern County.

“Kern Medical is committed to increasing our statewide donor registry, improving referral processes and promoting best practices in donor management,” said Russell Judd, CEO of Kern Medical. “Every day we honor those who have donated and celebrate the lives saved. As part of the Flags Across America initiative, we fly the Donate Life flag during the month of April and encourage other donor hospitals and transplant centers to do so as well.”

The Flag Raising Ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on April 4, 2017 at the main entrance of Kern Medical (east side of the building) at 1700 Mt. Vernon Ave. Speakers include Kern Medical’s CEO Russell Judd, Lori Malkin, president of JJ’s Legacy, and Pamela Harris, local donor recipient and living donor.

There are over 123,000 patients across our nation currently in need of lifesaving organ transplants and every ten minutes another name is added to the waiting list. About 22 people die each day because the organ they needed was not donated in time.

More than 12 million Californians have registered to be donors at the Department of Motor Vehicles, making the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Registry the largest in the nation.

Media are invited to attend the Flag Raising Ceremony.

To register to be a donor or for more information visit www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or its Spanish-language counterpart, www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org

CONTACT:
Carrie Weiss
925-790-2718
carrie@amfmediagroup.com

About Donate Life California:
Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Individuals can add their name to the registry by checking “YES!” every time they renew/apply for their driver license or ID card at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This ensures their desire to donate life will be carried out. A pink “DONOR” dot is added to their driver license or ID as a symbol of their decision. Individuals can also sign up online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org. As a public service, the registry ensures all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel at the time of an actual donation opportunity. The registry is administered by Donate Life California and California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organizations (OPOs): Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services.

About OneLegacy:
OneLegacy is the non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in the seven-county greater Los Angeles area. With more than 215 hospitals, 11 transplant centers and a diverse population of nearly 20 million, OneLegacy is the largest organ, eye and tissue recovery organization in the world.

About Kern Medical:
Kern Medical serves as Kern County’s only trauma center and provides all members of the community access to basic and specialty care through a network of clinics, physicians and affiliated medical groups. It is the area’s only academic training hospital and has an affiliation with the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. In addition to its main campus, it operates outpatient clinics on Columbus Street, Truxtun Avenue, and Stockdale Highway for nearly 120,000 patients each year.