Nathan Littauer Hospital was recognized with a rose on the Donate Life Float in the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. Nathan Littauer  partners with the Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT) to facilitate life-saving organ and tissue donation.  CDT is sponsoring a rose on the Donate Life float in honor of the donors from Nathan Littauer Hospital.  The rose also recognizes Littauer’s for its support of donors and their families through the Donate Life Flag Program.  In 2013, a flag will be flown at the hospital following every organ and tissue donation case, which will then be given to the donors’ families in honor of their loved one.

Today, over 117,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant; this statistic includes just over 10,000 New Yorkers. Over 28,000 organ transplants were performed in 2011; however, the demand is still much greater than the supply, with an average of 17 Americans dying every day due to the shortage of donor organs.

New Yorkers can register to be an organ and tissue donor by joining the New York State Donate Life Registry available online at

www.donatelifecdt.org.

The Center for Donation & Transplant is the federally designated non-profit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation at 43 hospitals throughout western Vermont and northeastern New York State.