The North Bay Regional Health Centre can claim something no other hospital in Ontario can.
The hospital has the highest registration rate for organ donors across the province.
Ronnie Gavsie, who is the head of the Trillium Gift of Life Network, says the hospital has an organ donor registration rate of 56 percent compared to the provincial average of 33 percent.
Gavsie believes the rate is higher in North Bay because people each other very well.
“People are very cognizant and emotionally attached to stories about their health experiences and would be very aware that they’ve been touched by donations and transplants,” she said.
Gavsie says the network is continually working at getting more people to become organ donors across Ontario.
She says that even though studies show a large number of people believe in the idea of donating their organs “they don’t act on it” and don’t register to become an organ donor.
Gavsie says the network continually educates the public on the value of the program because their organs can save someone’s life.