SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A new era for organ and tissue donation in California begins April 4 when the state's first online registry goes into effect. The Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry is a confidential database that allows those who work or live in California to clearly state their commitments to donate life by signing up at http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/ or the Spanish-language site, http://www.donevidacalifornia.org/.
The launch of the Donate Life California Registry in April coincides with the beginning of National Donate Life Month, a program designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help raise public awareness of the critical need for organ, tissue, bone marrow and blood donation.
"I, along with the 18,000 Californians waiting for a transplant, am elated that this day of hope has arrived to our state," said Senator Jackie Speier of San Francisco/San Mateo, who authored the bills that established the Donate Life California Registry. "For hope is what the Donate Life California Registry represents to people like one-year-old Mia Herndon. Mia just wants to grow up, but first needs a new liver and a new kidney. With the launch of the Donate Life California Registry, together we now have the power to save Mia and thousands of other Californians. I urge you: take a few moments today and sign up on the Donate Life California Registry. Those minutes can translate into years of life for someone else -- someone like little Mia Herndon."
The Donate Life California Registry is dedicated to giving every person awaiting a transplant a second chance at life -- and ensuring that every organ and tissue donor's wishes are respected. Each person who signs up on the Donate Life California Registry has the potential to save up to eight lives as an organ donor and enhance up to 50 others through tissue donation.
"Contrary to popular belief, the pink 'donor dot' obtained with drivers license renewals has never been recorded in any central registry that medical professionals could access in time of need," stated Tracy Bryan, president of Donate Life California, the not-for-profit organization that administers the organ and tissue registry.
"With the Donate Life California Registry, that will change. For the first time, Californians will have a resource that takes the guesswork out of the process -- individuals now have an effective tool to ensure their commitments to save lives are carried out. And it will spare family members from having to make decisions about donation during times of intense grief. Californians deserve no less."
Californians can sign up to be organ and tissue donors at any computer with Internet capability. Each registrant's personal donation decision is stored in a secure database free of charge, and the information is accessible as "read-only" to authorized, non-hospital organ and tissue recovery personnel. At the time of registration, registrants will have the option of sending an email notification to friends and family as well. The Donate Life California Registry also offers current data and information about donation, personal stories that reinforce the life-enhancing result of organ and tissue gifts, and links to local resources.
A statewide registry was first authorized in California in 2001 through SB 108 (Speier). Two years later, SB 112 (Speier) amended the law by transferring responsibility for a registry to the state's four federally-designated organ procurement organizations (OPOs): California Transplant Donor Network, serving Northern and Central California; Golden State Donor Services, serving the Sacramento metro area; Lifesharing, serving San Diego and Imperial counties; and OneLegacy, serving the seven counties around Los Angeles. California joins 36 other states in offering this service.
The Donate Life California Registry is expected to gain popularity as people learn about the resource. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will help to promote knowledge of the registry websites by providing information about donation with driver's license renewal materials. Links will also be added to the DMV website.
"Our goal is to maximize outreach during the month of April to build momentum that will continue for months to come," noted Tom Mone, secretary/treasurer of Donate Life California. "If you currently have a pink dot on your drivers license, we encourage you to go to http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/ today and make your decision stick."
A dozen press conferences will be held simultaneously at 10 a.m. on April 4 from Sacramento and San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Diego as elected officials participate in the launch of the registry. Local events will continue throughout the month in various communities ranging from regional challenges between mayors and universities to workplace registration drives, as well as local sites at community organizations and libraries to assist residents without Internet access.
There are currently more than 18,000 people waiting for life-saving organs in California. Of the nearly 90,000 people on the national organ transplant waiting list, 17 people die each day waiting. Many hundreds of thousands more require donated tissues to prevent or cure blindness, heal burns, or prevent amputation.
Information on the Donate Life California Registry can be obtained at http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/ or http://www.donevidacalifornia.org/. Information about local events can be obtained through each of the organ procurement organizations listed among the website's local resources.
Media Contacts: Rivian Bell or Debra Stolberg, JDI Communications, Inc., (213) 612-4927, (888) 477-4319 (24/7), jdicomm@ix.netcom.com or rlb@abmac.com
Donate Life CaliforniaCONTACT: Rivian Bell, rlb@abmac.com, or Debra Stolberg, both of JDICommunications, Inc., +1-213-612-4927, or 24/7, +1-888-477-4319,jdicomm@ix.netcom.com, for Donate Life California
Web site: http://www.onelegacy.org/
Web site: http://www.donevidacalifornia.org/
Web site: http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/