Thousands Saved and Healed by Registered Organ and Tissue Donors
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 19, 2010 – Donate Life California and the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced the enrollment of six million Californians as organ and tissue donors, making the state’s the highest enrollment of a donor registry in the U.S. Since the Donate Life California Registry was introduced in April 2005, more than 900 lives have been saved through organ donation and up to 30,000 more have been healed through tissue donation from donors who had signed up on the registry.
Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry which records the decision to donate in a secure, confidential database that is searched by authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel at the time of an actual donation opportunity. Approximately 15 percent of organ and tissue donors recovered statewide are now authorized by a document of gift through the Donate Life California Registry.
“The registry’s core promise – to save lives by ensuring individuals’ wishes to donate are honored – is accomplishing its life-saving mission,” said Miryam Mora Barajas, Executive Director of Donate Life California.
As of January 11, more than 16 percent of the state’s residents have registered as organ and/or tissue donors, joining the more than 87 million Americans who have registered nationwide. The Donate Life California Registry continues to grow rapidly, adding 30,000 donors each week through the DMV’s driver license and ID card application and renewal process, which accounts for 98 percent of registrations. This pace of growth is projected to continue through July 2011, when the registry completes its first five-year DMV renewal cycle.
“We know that the generosity of Californians knows no bounds, and over the next 18 months, the DMV will continue to assist customers register as donors for the first time,” said DMV Director George Valverde. “Our future goal is for California to register half of its licensed drivers as donors.”
The percentage of DMV customers that register as donors stands at an all-time high of 26 percent, an increase from 20 percent in the first months of DMV enrollment. Enrollment varies widely from county to county, with Sonoma County’s 26 percent of residents registered nearly double Los Angeles County’s 14 percent.
The registry’s future growth faces obstacles, the most immediate being that many Californians mistakenly believe they are registered as donors if they have an outdated donor sticker on their license. The only way to register and ensure one’s wishes to donate are honored is by signing up through the Donate Life California website or by checking ‘Yes’ on the DMV application form.
While Californians are still growing accustomed to the idea of registering as a donor, it is notable that in 2008, in organ donation cases where the potential donor is not registered, 68 percent of families presented with the opportunity to donate chose to save lives through donation.
“Each of us has the power to save up to eight lives as an organ donor and heal up to 50 others as a tissue donor. I strongly encourage every Californian to sign up with the registry,” said Barajas. “We encourage Californians to check ‘Yes’ to be a donor every time they renew their license.”
Donate Life California is a nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry, administered by California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organizations, each responsible for facilitating the donation process in the state: California Transplant Donor Network, Golden State Donor Services, Lifesharing and OneLegacy.
For more information, please visit http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/donateLife/donateLife.htm, http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/ or in Spanish at http://www.donevidacalifornia.org/.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 19, 2010 – Donate Life California and the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced the enrollment of six million Californians as organ and tissue donors, making the state’s the highest enrollment of a donor registry in the U.S. Since the Donate Life California Registry was introduced in April 2005, more than 900 lives have been saved through organ donation and up to 30,000 more have been healed through tissue donation from donors who had signed up on the registry.
Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry which records the decision to donate in a secure, confidential database that is searched by authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel at the time of an actual donation opportunity. Approximately 15 percent of organ and tissue donors recovered statewide are now authorized by a document of gift through the Donate Life California Registry.
“The registry’s core promise – to save lives by ensuring individuals’ wishes to donate are honored – is accomplishing its life-saving mission,” said Miryam Mora Barajas, Executive Director of Donate Life California.
As of January 11, more than 16 percent of the state’s residents have registered as organ and/or tissue donors, joining the more than 87 million Americans who have registered nationwide. The Donate Life California Registry continues to grow rapidly, adding 30,000 donors each week through the DMV’s driver license and ID card application and renewal process, which accounts for 98 percent of registrations. This pace of growth is projected to continue through July 2011, when the registry completes its first five-year DMV renewal cycle.
“We know that the generosity of Californians knows no bounds, and over the next 18 months, the DMV will continue to assist customers register as donors for the first time,” said DMV Director George Valverde. “Our future goal is for California to register half of its licensed drivers as donors.”
The percentage of DMV customers that register as donors stands at an all-time high of 26 percent, an increase from 20 percent in the first months of DMV enrollment. Enrollment varies widely from county to county, with Sonoma County’s 26 percent of residents registered nearly double Los Angeles County’s 14 percent.
The registry’s future growth faces obstacles, the most immediate being that many Californians mistakenly believe they are registered as donors if they have an outdated donor sticker on their license. The only way to register and ensure one’s wishes to donate are honored is by signing up through the Donate Life California website or by checking ‘Yes’ on the DMV application form.
While Californians are still growing accustomed to the idea of registering as a donor, it is notable that in 2008, in organ donation cases where the potential donor is not registered, 68 percent of families presented with the opportunity to donate chose to save lives through donation.
“Each of us has the power to save up to eight lives as an organ donor and heal up to 50 others as a tissue donor. I strongly encourage every Californian to sign up with the registry,” said Barajas. “We encourage Californians to check ‘Yes’ to be a donor every time they renew their license.”
Donate Life California is a nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry, administered by California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organizations, each responsible for facilitating the donation process in the state: California Transplant Donor Network, Golden State Donor Services, Lifesharing and OneLegacy.
For more information, please visit http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/donateLife/donateLife.htm, http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/ or in Spanish at http://www.donevidacalifornia.org/.
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