Help Us Register 20 million in 2012
20 Million in 2012 Campaign – How You Can Help
Recently the donation and transplantation community celebrated the achievement of 100 million registered organ, eye and tissue donors. However, as long as the need for donated organs surpasses the supply and patients die awaiting a lifesaving transplant, more must be done.
To address this critical need, Donate Life America has launched the 20 Million in 2012 campaign. Local, state and national events like Donate Life Flaunt Your Blue and Green, Donate Life Linking Hands, Donate Life Champions and Fan for Life, and Donate Life Flash Mobs will help to draw attention to the need but reaching the goal will require the involvement and action of Everyone who has been touched by donation and transplantation. This means you!
Here’s how you can help:
- Register to be a donor at donatelifeamerica.org
- Prepare your “elevator speech” to make sure it includes the request of someone to register as a donor.
- Share your donation/transplantation story with friends in person, in writing, by email or phone (ask them to register with their state donor registry or at donatelifeamerica.org).
- Share your story with the Donate Life community by visiting Facebook and write on the wall
- Volunteer with your local recovery agency
- Use the Hope card
- Order and use promotional items; order at http://store.donatelife.net/
- Use 20 Million in 2012 Web banners and Facebook button
On behalf of Donate Life America and the many people who will be touched by your efforts, thank you for your commitment. Check back often for updates on the 20 Million in 2012 campaign.
Donate Life America Launches 20 Million in 2012 Campaign
Donate Life America Launches Campaign to Register 20 Million New Organ Donors in 2012
RICHMOND, Va. – Jan. 4, 2012 – Today is Jessica Melore’s 30th birthday, a milestone birthday she did not always think she was going to have. At only 16 years old Jessica received a sudden and lifesaving heart transplant. Today, Jessica’s story of hope helps to launch Donate Life America’s bold new initiative, “20 Million in 2012.”
Donate Life America, the national organization promoting organ, eye and tissue donation in the United States, is launching this bold new initiative, “20 Million in 2012.” The initiative focuses on radically increasing the number of people registered on state donor registries. This official launch of the campaign comes on the heels of its announcement during the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA, where every year since 2004 it has sponsored the Donate Life float. This year’s float again featured inspirational stories of organ donors and their families, a tradition that the “20 million in 2012” campaign will continue throughout 2012 as it features powerful stories of those affected by organ, eye and tissue donation.
“I am so proud to be part of Donate Life America’s “20 Million in 2012” campaign, as part of the I am HOPE storytelling project,” says Melore. “New Jersey is the first state to promote the 2012 stories of hope. Real life stories like mine can inspire people to sign up to be organ, eye and tissue donors. These commitments to donation provide hope to the more than 112,000 men, women and children on the organ transplant waiting list, along with the hundreds of thousands more in need of cornea and tissue transplants.”
Additionally, the “20 Million in 2012” campaign will feature four national Donate Life events during 2012: the Donate Life Flash Mob on March 24th, Donate Life Blue and Green Virtual Fashion Show on April 20th, Donate Life Champions in Fall 2012 and Donate Life Linking Hands for Life all year long.
“In 2012 we are making a bold statement about our commitment to save more lives,” says David Fleming, President and CEO of Donate Life America. “With the majority of individuals in the United States wishing to be organ, eye and tissue donors, the biggest challenge to meeting our goal of 20 million will be getting people to take action and register today as an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeAmerica.org.”
For more information about the “20 Million in 2012” campaign or to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and join in this lifesaving work, visit www.DonateLifeAmerica.org. For a written version of Jessica’s story visit http://www.sharenj.org/events/feature-events/2012/melore.htm.
Donate Life America Announces 100 Millionth Organ, Eye and Tissue Donor Registered in the U.S.
Donate Life America Announces Significant Milestone Achieved with 100 Millionth Organ, Eye and Tissue Donor Registered in the U.S.
New national goal set to register 20 million more by the end of 2012
RICHMOND, October, 11 – Donate Life America (DLA) announced today that a key goal set by the donation and transplant community in 2006 was achieved this month. The United States can now boast that 100 million Americans — roughly 42 percent of the adult population –are registered as organ, eye and tissue donors in state donor registries.
Growth in the number of registered donors is vital because the need for transplants continues to rise. More than 112,000 people are currently waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. Thousands more await tissue transplants to resume their normal lives. Last year, more than 28,000 people received organ transplants, more than 40,000 received corneal transplants and hundreds of thousands received tissue transplants, yet 6,590 died awaiting organ transplants. A surge in the number of donors is necessary to save more lives. Therefore, as the donation and transplant community celebrates the accomplishment of registering 100 million people, work has already begun to reach the new national goal of registering 20 million new donors by the end of 2012. Twenty million additional donors would result in saving thousands more lives each year. The public is encouraged to register by visiting www.donatelife.net.
“At a time when we as a nation have difficulty finding common ground on many important issues, 100 million people have agreed on their desire to save lives by registering as donors. They are hope for all of the men, women and children in need of lifesaving transplants today. For that, we say thank you,” says David Fleming, President and CEO, Donate Life America. “While this achievement speaks volumes about the generosity of human beings, more work needs to be done to motivate Americans to register and save the lives of those in need.”
In 2006, DLA launched the Donor Designation Collaborative (DDC) as a nationwide effort to improve organ, eye and tissue donation rates. A main tactic for achieving the DDC’s goals is ensuring that each state has an effective system for allowing individuals to legally designate themselves as donors. Since the DDC’s launch, there has been a 45 percent increase in the number of designated donors in the United States.
On average, nearly 8 million people join a state donor registry each year; a majority (97 percent) joins through state departments of motor vehicles (DMV’s). Therefore, DLA builds strong relationships with many DMV officials throughout the nation to encourage education and training of their staff to help them better advocate for organ, eye and tissue donation.
“I am proud to witness meeting such a milestone in organ and tissue donor history,” says Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State. “Our ultimate goal is to see that all Americans become registered organ and tissue donors.”
As the DDC works to increase the number of donors, the high percentage of registrations through DMV’s poses a new challenge to overcome. The majority of state donor registries were created nearly a decade ago. Once a registry goes through its first driver’s license/ID card renewal cycle (ranging from every 4 to every 12 years depending on the state), new designated donors come from only three sources – first-time drivers, new residents, and current residents who previously elected not to register. This maturity factor decreases the ability to sustain high donation rates through DMV efforts alone– a fact that necessitates new strategies to promote registrations.
“As we lay the foundation to register an additional 20 million people by the end of 2012, we are developing strategies to overcome the obstacles presented by maturing registries. We are not deterred by the challenges ahead,” says Donate Life America Chairperson, Helen W. Bottenfield. “Our primary goal is to preserve human life and improve the quality of life for those in need of organ, corneal and tissue transplants. We will remain focused and find creative ways to reach, educate and motivate those who have not yet registered as donors.”
As of June 30, 2011, data reported by Donate Life America state teams revealed 42 percent of U.S. adults (age 18 and older) are registered as organ, eye and tissue donors. States with the highest percentage included: Alaska and Montana (78 percent each) and Washington (74 percent).
The public is encouraged to join the 100 million individuals already registered as organ, eye and tissue donors by visiting www.donatelife.net and registering today.
Center for Organ Recovery & Education, University of Pittsburgh and Donate Life America Receive Grant
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), University of Pittsburgh and Donate Life America Receive Grant for ‘Text2DonateLife’ Campaign
– Campaign Designed to Implement an Innovative Call-to-Action Using Text Messaging –
Pittsburgh, October 10, 2011 – The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), a federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and parts of New York, in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and Donate Life America, recently received a federal grant to develop and test the effectiveness of registering potential organ, tissue and cornea donors via text messaging. The grant from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to the University of Pittsburgh will enable the three organizations to implement “Text2DonateLife: An Innovative Call to Action for Large-Scale Campaigns Using Text Messaging” over a two-year period. The campaign will seek to provide a new way for a large number of people to simultaneously register to become organ, tissue and cornea donors using cell phone text messaging.
“This program will develop and test an innovative approach using text messaging to register organ donors,” said Howard B. Degenholtz, Ph.D., principal investigator and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy & Management. “By providing instructions that people can follow to register simply using their cell phones, it becomes possible to provide the means for a large number of people to simultaneously register to become organ, tissue and cornea donors. They don’t have to wait until their driver’s license needs to be renewed.”
“Nothing is more precious than the gift of life. At CORE, we are constantly seeking new ways to convince more people of the importance of becoming a registered donor,” said Susan Stuart, president and CEO of CORE. “We’re pleased to partner with Dr. Degenholtz so that we can explore new ways to spread this message. We look forward to the results of this pilot program.”
The Text2DonateLife campaign will be developed and tested with a series of collegiate athletic events through the duration of the grant period to test and refine best practices. Based on its success, the organizations hope to implement a text messaging call-to-action that could be incorporated into both CORE and Donate Life America’s marketing materials across their donor service areas.
For more information about CORE, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.
Contact:
Jeff Donaldson
412-642-7700
jeff.donaldson@elias-savion.com
About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to coordinate the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation. CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs and placement of corneas. With headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Charleston, West Virginia, CORE oversees a region that encompasses 155 hospitals and almost six million people throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.
About the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), founded in 1948 and now one of the top-ranked schools of public health in the United States, conducts research on public health and medical care that improves the lives of millions of people around the world. GSPH is a leader in devising new methods to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, HIV/AIDS, cancer and other important public health issues. For more information about GSPH, visit the school’s Web site at http://www.publichealth.pitt.edu.
About Donate Life America
Donate Life America is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and state teams across the United States committed to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation. Donate Life America manages and promotes the national brand for donation, Donate Life, and assists Donate Life State Teams and national partners in facilitating high-performing donor registries; developing and executing effective multi-media donor education programs; and motivating the American public to register now as organ, eye and tissue donors.
Donate Life America 2011 Annual Update Now Available
Donate Life America is happy to present the 2011 Annual Update.
Number of Registered Organ, Eye & Tissue Donors Continues to Rise
Richmond, VA (April 19, 2011) – The fourth annual National Donor Designation Report Card prepared by Donate Life America shows 94.7 million people were enrolled in state donor registries at the end of 2010. This represents an increase of 36.5 percent since 2007—a triumph for the donation and transplant community.
Still, with more than 110,000 men, women and children on the national patient waiting list for organ transplants, the need for registered donors remains great. The public may designate their decision to donate life by accessing their state donor registry through www.donatelife.net.
Nationwide, 40 percent of people age 18 and older have registered as donors. Alaska and Montana top the list with a reported 76 percent each, followed by Utah and Washington both with 72 percent and Oregon with 71 percent.
Last year, of all recovered donors in the United States, 32.8 percent of organ, 42.2 percent of eye and 37.3 percent of tissue, were in their state donor registry at the time of death. These numbers have continued to rise since Donate Life America launched the Donor Designation Collaborative and began collecting this data.
Along with registering 100 million donors, another goal of Donate Life America is to achieve a 50 percent donor designation rate, the rate at which individuals join their state donor registry as a percentage of all driver’s licenses and ID cards issued within a specific period of time. Currently, 14 states have met or exceeded this goal, led by Alaska (76 percent), Colorado (65.6 percent) and Montana (63.2 percent).
Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia are noted as having effective registries. This recognition is achieved by meeting specific criteria including having passed state legislation that authorizes recovery agencies to honor a donor’s decision to make an anatomical gift with no further requirement for family authorization for organ, eye and tissue donation.
National Donate Life Month
National Donate Life Month (NDLM) was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003 with the support of then Secretary of HHS, Tommy Thompson. Celebrated in April each year, NDLM features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.
An outgrowth of the celebratory month is the Flags Across America initiative that began in 2009. It honors and celebrates the hundreds of thousands of donors and recipients whose lives have been affected by organ, eye and tissue donation. The initiative rallies every donor hospital and transplant center, as well as all recovery agencies, to collectively fly the Donate Life flag during April. Many partnering hospitals choose to fly a Donate Life flag throughout the year every time a donation occurs at their centers. The concept is to make a very visible and unified statement about the importance of donation and thus reflect the dire need for donors and encourage people to register their donation decisions.
We are also joined every year by hundreds of individuals that choose to fly Donate Life flags at their homes or place of business.
Many more choose to “fly” Donate Life web banners for the month of April. Download your banners now.
Not Keeping Pace with Need
According to a new survey by Donate Life America, 45 percent of people are undecided, reluctant or do not wish to have their organs and tissue donated after their deaths. While a majority of U.S. adults reported that they wish to be organ or tissue donors, 55 percent, the continued level of reluctance and indecision illustrates a critical need to continue to increase the level of support for organ and tissue donation to give hope to the more than 110,000 adults and children on the U.S. transplant waiting list, an average 18 of whom die each day waiting, and the hundreds of thousands more in need of tissue and cornea transplants.
“We are encouraged by the continued willingness of a majority of Americans to register as donors,” says Donate Life America Chair Helen Bottenfield. “With the huge and growing need for organs, our hope is to save the greatest possible number of lives.” April is National Donate Life month and Donate Life America is encouraging people to visit www.donatelife.net or www.facebook.com/donatelife to learn more and to register.
The online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults revealed some continuing myths regarding donation. For example, when asked if they believed that doctors may not try as hard to save their lives if their wish to be organ donors is known, 29 percent agreed. Also, 55 percent agreed with the erroneous idea that it is possible for a brain dead person to recover from his or her injuries.
“It’s important for people to know the facts,” says David Fleming, president and CEO, Donate Life America. “For health professionals, the number one priority is always to save the lives of their patients, and only after death is organ and tissue donation considered. While you can recover from comas, brain death is permanent, irreparable.”
For additional survey findings click on the 2011 Research findings.pdf or visit us on Facebook and tell us your opinion about the findings.
