Decatur Memorial Hospital will host a flag-raising ceremony on April 8 to highlight the importance of organ and tissue donation. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the hospital’s main entrance.
The ceremony aims to bring attention to the ongoing need for organ and tissue donors, as nearly 5,000 Illinois residents are currently waiting for an organ transplant, according to Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, which serves Illinois and northwest Indiana.
“April is National Donate Life Month,” said Amber Vest, director of the intensive care unit at DMH. “We hold the flag-raising ceremony each year as a way to honor organ and tissue donors for giving the gift of life to others.”
So far in 2026, Decatur Memorial Hospital has had 12 organ donors. In 2025, there were 33 tissue donors at DMH, resulting in the recovery of 533 tissues including heart valves, bone or tendons, veins and skin used for burn victims. Over the past decade at DMH, there have been a total of 293 tissue donors with more than 4,300 tissues recovered.
Officials from Memorial Health, Gift of Hope and Eversight will deliver remarks during the event. The public is invited to attend. Staff will also be available in the hospital lobby to register new donors.
Similar ceremonies are planned at four other Memorial Health hospitals in central Illinois.
