Jennifer Moe
Director of Communications/PR
Donor Alliance
303-329-4747

NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH EFFORTS FOCUS ON STATE REGISTRIES

National Efforts Aim to Increase Number of Registered Organ and Tissue Donors in Colorado and Wyoming

Denver—April 9, 2007—Designated in 2003 by President George W. Bush as National Donate Life Month, April has been set aside for increased national focus on the critical need for organ, tissue, marrow and blood donors.

With an estimated 60 million Americans who have registered to be organ and tissue donors, national efforts aim to increase that number to 100 million by April 2008. In Colorado, 60 percent of people who obtained or renewed their driver’s license in 2006 said yes to donation. Colorado aims to increase that number to 75 percent in one year.

“Organ and tissue donation saves lives as is seen in the more than 300,000 Americans who are given the gift of life each year through donation,” said Sue Dunn, president and CEO of Donor Alliance, the non-profit organ procurement organization serving Colorado and most of Wyoming. “But 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.”

According to Dunn, close to 100,000 Americans currently await a lifesaving organ transplant with 18 people dying each day due to the shortage of donated organs. “In Colorado and Wyoming, more than 1,700 people are waiting for an organ transplant,” she went on to explain.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), organs that can be donated include the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas and small intestine. Tissues that can be donated include bones, tendons, ligaments, corneas, heart valves and skin.

“Just one organ and tissue donor can save the lives of eight people and enhance the lives of up to 100,” explained Dunn. “With such a tremendous need for transplants in our country, we are committed to national efforts aimed to end the wait for so many people.”

Throughout the month of April, Coloradans can register to become organ and tissue donors by picking up a donor registry form at their local Safeway pharmacy. Other ways to register include:
* Sign-up online through the Colorado or Wyoming Donor Registries:
ColoradoDonorRegistry.org or WyomingDonorRegistry.org.
* Call (888) 256-4386 to request a registry form.
* Say “yes” when obtaining or renewing your driver’s license at the Department of
Motor Vehicles.

For more information about organ and tissue donation, please visit DonorAlliance.org.

We are pleased to announce the creation of Colorado’s new specialty Donate Life license plate. CLICK HERE.

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