Montefiore in the News

By Leonides Trevino, Clinical Manager, Office of Organ and Tissue Donation Services, Montefiore Health System 

HEALTH - Every 15 hours someone dies waiting for an organ transplant in New York State.  

Right now, over 7,000 people are waiting for organs in the New York Metropolitan area and most people don’t know that we have the power to change these numbers. One organ donor can save eight lives and heal 75 more people through eye and tissue donation. 

April is National Donate Life Month, a time when we focus on the importance of saving lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Throughout the month we are holding educational events and donor registry drives to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation as a means to extend the promise of life to those in greatest need.    

Through organ and tissue donation initiatives, our goal is to increase donations in the Bronx, and help to alleviate the donor shortage. We reach out to our associates and our Bronx community, raising awareness and acceptance of organ donation, dispelling myths and misconceptions that can be barriers to donation. We provide health education to prevent the onset of diseases that eventually may lead to the need for transplantation.

To kick off Donate Life Month on April 1st we will be holding a flag raising ceremony. This is part of a national effort to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors. In addition to honoring organ donors and their families, the ceremony salutes hospital staff who care for donors and transplant recipients. 

We are also holding educational sessions and donor registration drives at these Montefiore locations:

• April 1, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Moses Campus East Garden at 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, 10467

• April 5, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Moses Campus entrance at 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, 10467

• April 8, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Medical Arts Pavilion, 3400 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, 10467

• April 11, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Medical Arts Pavilion, 3400 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, 10467

• April 22, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm Moses Campus Gun Hill Rd Entrance

• April 27, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Montefiore Medical Group, 2532 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York 10458

Every ten minutes a person is added to the National Transplant Waiting List and with the current shortage of donated organ and tissue, most patients wait three to five years for a transplant in New York State. We are calling upon all Bronx residents to add their names to the New York State Donate Life Registry for organ, eye, and tissue donation, to do your part in saving a life.

For more information about donation or to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry, visit www.donatelifeny.org or call me at 929-285-4331.