In an initiative to honor organ donors and raise awareness about their impact, Centra Health recently introduced a new display of colored lights at Lynchburg General Hospital (LGH).
The effort was spearheaded by Rhae Newbill, an advanced clinical nurse at Centra, who said the project has not only added a vibrant touch to the hospital’s façade but has become a symbol of hope for families navigating the challenging decision of organ donation.
“Organ donation is something that kind of has my heart and I have a passion for getting awareness out there,” she said. “And so, because I cover the intensive care units, I cover all the patients that end up being donors.”
Her son has a “small obsession” with the Liberty University tower and its lights and always asks why it’s lit up.
“And I thought maybe it would be cool to turn the tower green for organ donation,” she said.
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Initially considering collaborating with Liberty University, Newbill made the decision to focus on LGH.
The result is a display of lights that change colors every month to represent various causes, for example, in October, the lights are pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in November, they were white for Lung Cancer Awareness Month. However, the standout feature is the monthly illumination in green, dedicated to organ donation awareness.
From the moment a patient is recognized as a donor until the organ transplantation process begins, the hospital’s front building is lit up in green.
The initiative serves a dual purpose in bringing attention to the importance of organ donation, but it also provides a visual tribute to the families who have made the courageous decision to donate organs, Newbill said.
“Not only are the families going to be aware that this is an option, that this is something that we do to honor them and their patients or their loved ones, they will be able to come in with this beautiful lit up front building knowing that that’s for them and their family,” she said.
Newbill said Centra’s new office building on Langhorne Road, Southside Community Hospital, Bedford Memorial Hospital and Virginia Baptist’s bell tower are also part of the illumination.
LGH is the sole location for organ donations in the area covering Lynchburg, Farmville, Danville, Gretna the counties of Amherst, Bedford and Campbell and since Oct. 1, the hospital has been lit three times recognizing organ donations.
Centra is the third-highest organ donation site in the state of Virginia and Newbill attributes this to the large coverage area the hospital system serves, adding all critically ill individuals are directed to LGH.
She has a personal connection to organ donation as well which stems from the loss of her brother to a traumatic brain injury in 2005. Despite not being able to donate her brother’s organs due to specific guidelines, the experience fueled her dedication to ensuring other families find solace and recognition through such initiatives.
“My mom is a nurse, so these are conversations that we had at the dinner table. So, him and I had already decided that we wanted to be organ donors,” she said.
The lights serve as a reminder that one person can save nine lives, Newbill said.
“For me, I just put it all back on the patient. And being with families during the donation process and having to make those hard decisions, I just think about how important that would have felt for me and my family to know that a whole organization lit up their building for my brother or for our family. I feel like that’s just really special,” she said.
As she and her team show up at night or when they leave for the day, the lights are a reminder of the care they provide and reminds them why they do the work they do.
“What we really try to tell our staff is if you see the lights green, that’s a time where you can just take a moment of silence because there’s so many people wrapped up in those green lights. It’s the patient themselves, it’s their families, it’s the nurses and doctors and everybody taking care of them,” she said.
She encourages families to have those tough conversations surrounding organ donation.
“Families come in and they’ve never talked about it before, and a lot of times you only hear the negative stories, you don’t hear the positive stories. And so, it’s really difficult to have those conversations and to think about it in a positive way, especially when you’re in the moment and you’re thinking about whatever crisis is going on,” she said. “A lot of times people can’t stop and think about it and take the time to make that decision.”
Rachael Smith, (434) 385-5482