Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital was recently honored at a CORE (Center for Organ Recovery and Education) luncheon at Stonewall Resort with a platinum award for the 2019 CORE campaign.

SJMH has received several annual honors from CORE but this was the highest honor in 2019 thanks to the work of IT specialist Christa Shaver.  Shaver and Mon SJMH CEO Avah Stalnaker received the award for the Hospital.

The CORE Campaign is an annual event running from October 1 to the end of April.  There are several goals for the campaign including educating the public about the importance of organ donation as well as signing up people for the donation list.

According to CORE, “Promoting organ donation takes a community, a community with passionate individuals who want to educate others on the importance of organ donation.  The Community Outreach Team is to provide the tools for a variety of successful educational events. We provide trained volunteers, speakers, educational materials & other resources in order to engage and educate your community.”

Shaver worked closely with the Community Outreach Team in the education of SJMH staff and the public. About CORE.   

She noted, “This is a great honor for our hospital.  This was achievable due to the teamwork of our staff and the commitment our employees have to the care of our community and patients.”

During the campaign, SJMH registered 20 New Registrations (the goal was 10).  The total points posted was 2,025 (1,000 was needed to obtain platinum).  

The CORE Hospital Campaign was launched June 29, 2011 as a special effort of the national Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL), an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

More than 12,000 companies and organizations are partners in WPFL and are committed to building awareness of the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donation registrations. This awareness is vital because more than 113,000 people in the United States are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

West Virginia Hospital Association & Donate Life West Virginia Partnership: The collaboration between the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) and Donate Life West Virginia (DLWV) for West Virginia Hospital Challenge campaign began two years ago and focuses on hospitals within the state to encourage them to bring awareness to the importance of organ, tissue & cornea donation. 

DLWV & WVHA is encouraging hospitals to coordinate donor awareness and registry enrollment activities with their staff, patients, and community members. We look forward to providing support and ideas for organizing donor registry enrollment events and education opportunities with your hospital. 

For the last two years, hospitals in West Virginia who participated in the WVHA Hospital Challenge campaign were recognized for their efforts locally and were automatically included in and recognized as a part of the national Hospital Campaign.  Donate Life West Virginia representatives will continue to coordinate entry and submission of all activities so credit can be earned both locally and nationally for their efforts.  Winning hospitals will receive recognition from DLWV state team and a certificate of recognition from HRSA based on the points system outlined on the scorecard.