JGH hosts information session to educate public

The Jewish General Hospital (JGH) invites the public to attend an information session offered as part of Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week (April 22-29).  The JGH is joining several other healthcare institutions throughout Canada hosting displays and education sessions to promote awareness on this important issue. The JGH Organ Donation Committee is proud to invite you to EXPO-DON(ATION).   

Date: Tuesday, April 24, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Location: Samuel S. Cohen Auditorium, Pavilion A, Room 102

This information session will aim to educate the public on the donation process; from the identification of a potential donor, to the retrieval or organs and tissues. Organ recipients will be present to describe what their life was before and after the transplantation, as well as pharmacists, Transplant Quebec coordinators, and various law-enforcement agencies describing their role in the transportation of organs and. Representatives from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute will also be on hand to discuss their brain donation programme for research.

“It is so important to raise awareness about this issue and educate the public on the importance of organ donation,” says Catherine Lefebvre, Liaison Nurse for Organ and Tissue Donation at the JGH. “The topic is often considered taboo, however it is one that most people will have to face at one point or another. The more people are aware of the issue, the more likely they are to make an educated decision on their position on the topic of organ and tissue donation.”

Over 4000 Canadians are waiting for an organ transplant to save their lives. While so many people remain on waiting lists, few realize that one organ and tissue donor can save up to eight lives. Canada has some of the best transplant technology in the world, however it remains that only about 15 in every 1,000,000 Canadians are organ donors, meaning that there are not enough organs available to save all of the people on the waiting list.



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Contact:

Glenn J. Nashen, Director
Astrid Morin, Media Relations
Public Affairs and Communications
Jewish General Hospital
Tel.: 514-340-8222  ext. 4612
Email: amorin@jgh.mcgill.ca
Website: jgh.ca