Organ donation takes focus in April

A number of North Okaloosa Medical Center staffers observed Donate Life Month with an April 14 flag-raising ceremony at the East Redstone Avenue hospital. 
Pictured from left: Jane Stearns, LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services of Florida's senior hospital services coordinator; Samantha Via, NOMC's ICU director; Nina Perez, NOMC's chief nursing officer; LeAnn Holcombe, NOMC's Cardiac Cath Lab director; Darlene Haynes, patient counselor; Teresa Balcerak, NOMC's HR coordinator; Sherrie Scott, lab director; Lesley Lang, Life Net Health of Florida; Jennifer Bray, staff development coordinator; MeLinda Isphording, NOMC's chief quality officer; Andy Jones, NOMC's Bio Medicine division; Gary Davis, NOMC's director of Cardiopulmonary Service; and Tom Schleusner, NOMC's director of Maintenance and Engineering.

CRESTVIEW — North Okaloosa Medical Center's staffers are celebrating National Donate Life Month.

The annual observance — which Donate Life America and partnering organizations established in 2003 — encourages people to register as eye, organ and tissue donors.

 Last year at NOMC, 10 donors' contributions restored sight for up to 12 people, and various bone, tendon and skin grafts helped 400 or more people, according to the hospital's spokesperson.

Lesley Lang, of Life Net Health of Florida, recognized NOMC's "outstanding commitment to tissue donation," during an April 14 Donate Life Month flag-raising ceremony. 

Learn more about organ donation here>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Organ donation takes focus in April