St. Francis Hosted LOPA Heroes

Flag Raising Ceremony and Butterfly Release

The Louisiana Organ

Procurement Agency (LOPA) and St. Francis Medical Center hosted families of recent LOPA heroes with a luncheon on April 18th, which featured guest speaker Patricia Cameron, author of Grief Unwrapped Following the luncheon, attendees and hospital team members were asked to pause while the LOPA Donate Life flag was raised near the front entrance of the hospital and butterflies were released in Anna Gray Noe Park.

Local, state, and national events like St. Francis Medical Center’s flag raising ceremony and butterfly release help to draw awareness for donation and encourage people to become registered donors. Hospitals throughout the state of Louisiana celebrated during April - National Donate Life Monthto help raise awareness about the critical need for individuals to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors by participating in flag raising ceremonies, donor drives, and educational outreach programs.

There are over 100,000 people on the national transplant for lifesaving organ transplants and hundreds of thousands more are in need of corneal and tissue transplants. On average, 20 people die each day because the organs they need are not donated in time. Fortunately, one donor can save or heal the lives of more than 75 people. Learn more and register today at donatelifela.org.

About LOPA

LOPA is the only federally-designated organ procurement agency for the state of Louisiana. The agency plays a vital role in educating the medical community and the general public about organ and tissue donation matters, working with families through the donation process, recovering donated organs and tissues and placing the organ and tissues for transplant.

About St. Francis Medical Center

St. Francis Medical Center is a not-forprofit, 328-bed medical center in Monroe, Louisiana, with more than 1,800 team members committed to caring for those we serve. With an acute-care hospital, freestanding outpatient center, 19 outpatient clinics and nearly 350 physician partners, St. Francis Medical Center provides comprehensive healthcare services for a variety of medical and surgical specialties. St. Francis offers Northeast Louisiana’s only Level III NICU, Level III OB, and Level II PICU services. St. Francis Medical Center leads the region in heart and vascular services, critical care, and complex and minimally invasive surgical procedures. The hospital offers a designated Level III Trauma Program, Graduate Medical Education Program, Accredited Chest Pain Center and Centers of Excellence in the areas of obstetrics, bariatric surgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive gynecology, and breast health.