Second Annual PA Donor Day to Fill the Gap in Registration Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
HARRISBURG, PA (December 8, 2020) – In advance of Pennsylvania’s second annual PA Donor Day, January 8, 2021, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine urged all Pennsylvanians to participate and register as organ and tissue donors through Donate Life Pennsylvania, the state’s online donation registry.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic forced DMVs around the commonwealth to temporarily shut their doors, fewer people have registered as organ donors in 2020. According to Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, the need for registered organ donors in Pennsylvania, is now greater than ever.
Today, she urged all Pennsylvanians to participate in the second annual PA Donor Day, on January 8, 2021, by registering as organ and tissue donors through Donate Life Pennsylvania, the state’s online donation registry. Online registration is a great alternative to visiting a DMV and takes less than five seconds.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has put our own health and the well-being of our friends and family top of mind,” Dr. Levine said. “While you are in that mindset, I encourage you to learn more and talk about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Nearly all Pennsylvanians say they support donation, but less than half of us are registered. Organ and tissue transplants have become an integral part of health care in the state and across the nation. Registering to be a donor has the potential to save many lives.”
Nearly 7,000 Pennsylvanians are among the more than 100,000 Americans currently awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. The significance of PA Donor Day, January 8 or 1/8, is no coincidence — one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of 75 others through tissue and corneal donation.
“PA Donor Day is a special opportunity to create a unifying moment across our state; a day when we can all work together to do good, to encourage our family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and others to learn more about the life-saving impact of organ and tissue donation and to register,” said Susan Stuart, President and CEO of CORE. “By coming together on this one momentous day, we can help make a difference in the lives of so many Pennsylvanians.”
“More than 36,000 men, women and children are expected to receive a second chance at life this year through the gift of organ donation,” said Howard M. Nathan, President and CEO of Gift of Life Donor Program. “If every potential donor was registered, thousands of more lives would be saved in the U.S. each year. Registered donors make a difference and create positive momentum around this critical public health issue. We are grateful for those employers, organizations and individuals who are already planning to participate in our second annual PA Donor Day and encourage all Pennsylvanians to join us in saving lives.”
Contrary to popular misconceptions, anyone can register as an organ and tissue donor regardless of age or health, and all major religions support donation as the ultimate act of generosity and compassion. To learn more about how to get involved with PA Donor Day and organ and tissue donation, visit https://donatelifepa.org/padonorday/or follow @DonateLifePennsylvania on Facebook and @donatelife_pa on Instagram.
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About Donate Life Pennsylvania
Donate Life Pennsylvania is a collaborative initiative between the Pennsylvania Departments of Health, Education and Transportation, and Pennsylvania’s two organ procurement organizations, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) and Gift of Life Donor Program (GOL). It is funded by residents of Pennsylvania through voluntary contributions included with driver’s license renewals, vehicle registrations and state income tax filings, or through direct check donations to the Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund in care of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Trust Fund contributions are used to educate Pennsylvanians, build awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation, and increase the number of people who register as organ donors on their driver’s license or state identification cards. More information is available at donatelifepa.org, on Facebook at @DonateLifePennsylvania and on Instagram at @donatelife_pa.
About the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (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, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, New York. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. CORE is a winner of the 2019 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, a presidential award that recognizes nonprofits and businesses for their innovation and performance excellence. For more information or to register, please visit core.org.
About Gift of Life Donor Program (GOL)
Gift of Life Donor Program is the non-profit, federally-designated organ procurement organization, working with 128 acute care hospitals and 15 transplant centers to serve 11.2 million people in the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. Thanks to its compassionate community, for the past 12 years, Gift of Life has coordinated the most life-saving organs for transplant in the United States. Its annual donation rate ranks among the highest in the world. Since 1974, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 50,000 life-saving organs for transplant, and approximately 1.5 million tissue transplants have resulted from the generosity of donors and their families. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and a tissue donor can improve the lives of more than 75 others. For more information or to register, visit donors1.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Nate Wardle – 717-787-1783 or ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov
Katelynn Metz – 412-963-3550 or kmetz@core.org
Karen Muldoon Geus –610-864-1840 or kmuldoongeus@donors1.org
