Scotland Health participated on April 1 in the HonorBridge Pause to Give Life Flag‑Raising Ceremony and Moment of Silence, joining hospitals and healthcare organizations across North Carolina to recognize organ donors, their families, and those waiting for transplants.
The event was held at 10:08 a.m., a time chosen to symbolize that one organ donor can save up to eight lives. The ceremony marked the start of National Donate Life Month, which is observed throughout April.
Chinna Hale, RN, Executive Director of Nursing Services at Scotland Health, said, “At Scotland Health, we have a longstanding commitment to supporting organ, tissue, and eye donation. This commitment extends to honoring donors and their families, supporting recipients whose lives have been forever changed, and advocating for nearly 3,000 North Carolinians who are still waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.”
David Pope, President and CEO of Scotland Health, spoke during the ceremony about the importance of donation. “For the people who are waiting right now—watching their number on a list—someone’s decision to donate is literally an answer to their prayers,” Pope said. “This is one of the few decisions we can make in advance that has the power to change and save lives. It’s incredibly important that we think about it, make our wishes known, and have those conversations with our families.”
Pope also shared that in the past year at Scotland Health there were ten donors who contributed three organs donations and seven tissue donations. Fifteen tissues were recovered overall benefiting eighteen recipients through transplantation or research.
The event concluded with Freddie Ratliff offering prayers as part of a benediction. “May this flag stand as a symbol of hope, unity, and the lives forever changed through donation,” Ratliff said.
Scotland Health encouraged community members to learn more about donation during National Donate Life Month.
