Jennifer Moe
Director of Communications/PR
Donor Alliance
303-329-4747
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
HB 1266 WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ORGAN TRANSPLANTS TAKING PLACE IN COLORADO
Authored by:
Sue Dunn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Donor Alliance
720 South Colorado Boulevard, Suite 800-N
Denver, CO 80246
Phone: (303) 329-4747
Dear Editor:
Organ donation saves lives. Each year, more than 300,000 Americans are saved through the gift of organ and tissue donation.
Yet despite these statistics, one of the nation’s most pressing public health issues is the widening gap between the supply and demand for organ and tissue transplants. Each hour another person dies waiting for an organ transplant in the Unites States. In Colorado, there are currently more than 1,700 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. Nationally, 94,692 people are waiting.
The Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) will bring Colorado law up to date for the first time in almost 40 years, harmonizing the UAGA with federal law, current technology and practice, and advance medical directives. The new legislation will provide for cooperation between procurement organizations, coroners and district attorneys by requiring, for the first time, written agreements and protocols for donors under the jurisdiction of the coroner. It will also reinforce first person consent, where Colorado has been a national leader since 2001.
House Bill 1266, the Revised UAGA, will save lives by improving and adding efficiencies to the current donation system, increasing the number of transplants occurring in Colorado.
Just one donor can save the lives of eight people and enhance the lives of more than 100. HB 1266, which is under consideration in 14 states and anticipated in more than 30 states, will ensure that the wishes of deceased organ donors are fulfilled and that the 1,700 Coloradans waiting for a transplant stand a greater chance of receiving the gift of life.
We are pleased to announce the creation of Colorado’s new specialty Donate Life license plate. CLICK HERE.
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