Charleston, W.Va., Feb. 5, 2016 – Nearly 500 West Virginians are awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. Thousands more are in need of healing tissue or cornea transplants.

During the West Virginia Hospital Association’s annual Hospital Day at the Legislature, state legislators had the opportunity to learn how they can make a difference in thousands of lives through raising awareness about organ donation and encouraging constituents to register as organ donors.

Donate Life West Virginia volunteers delivered informational packets to legislators highlighting the importance of donation during the event. They also answered questions throughout the day as part of the event held in the Capitol Upper Rotunda between the House and Senate chambers.

“State legislators are in a unique position to help increase organ donation awareness and reduce waiting times for recipients in need of life-saving transplants in the state of West Virginia,” said Susan Stuart, president and CEO, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE). “We are thankful to our friends at the West Virginia Hospital Association for providing Donate Life West Virginia the opportunity to exhibit at this important event and share the life-affirming power of organ donation with state legislators.”

Donate Life West Virginia is comprised of four federally designated organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that are dedicated to promoting and coordinating the donation of organs and tissue for transplantation: CORE, Lifeline of Ohio Organ Procurement Agency, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and LifeNet Health.

Nationally, more than 123,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant. At least 22 will die each day without receiving one. For every person who donates organs, tissues and corneas, as many as 50 lives can be saved or dramatically improved.

For more information about Donate Life West Virginia, visit www.donatelifewv.org.

About CORE

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to coordinate the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation. CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs and placement of corneas. With headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Charleston, West Virginia, CORE oversees a region that encompasses 155 hospitals and almost six million people throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY. For more information, visit core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.