Centralia, IL (May 15, 2025) – April was National Donate Life Month, and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Centralia has a longstanding commitment to supporting organ, tissue, and eye donation. On April 24, 2025, Mid-America Transplant hosted a flag-raising ceremony at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation.
Erica Hinterser, Director of Tissues Procurement and Eye Bank Operations at Mid-America Transplant, shared that in 2024, thanks to the support of donations from St. Mary’s Hospital, over 600 lives were saved through gifts from tissue and cornea donors. Alongside 127 other hospitals in the region, Mid-America Transplant facilitated 891 lifesaving organ transplants and helped 197,000 individuals through tissue donations. “Without the support of hospital partners like you, we truly could not do this work,” said Erica.
Damon Harbison, President of SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, expressed gratitude to the team for their dedication and cooperation with Mid-America Transplant. Tammy Donoho, Jeanne Collier, and Cyndi Renth raised the Donate Life Flag in memory of all those who have passed and their selfless acts of organ donation. The ceremony concluded with a moment of silence and prayer.If you are not registered as an organ donor, Donate Life makes the process easy. Register to be an organ donor.
