Dallas/Fort Worth, Dec. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Glenda Dawson Donate Life Texas (DLT) donor registry has officially topped 10 million registrants, now surpassing Florida to become the second largest donor registry in the U.S. after California. The DLT registry documents a person’s consent for organ, eye and tissue donation after death.
This milestone is due in large part to the strong, ongoing partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Driver License Division, which provides an opportunity to join the registry while applying for or renewing a state driver license or identification card. The ability to join the donor registry gives each customer the chance to save 75 lives or more through the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation.
Approximately 85 percent of those registered signed up through a transaction at a DPS driver license office” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Over the past five years, no other state registry has grown faster than in Texas and the DPS is proud of our role in that growth, which will impact countless lives for years to come.”
In addition to the Texas DPS, the 16 organ, eye and tissue donation organizations serving Texas support the registry through extensive public education and awareness efforts. These initiatives involve outreach through hospitals, schools, companies, churches, organizations and community activities facilitated by hundreds of committed volunteers and donation advocates statewide.
Registry growth is also thanks to Texas state lawmakers who have supported responsible donation legislation since 2005 when the donor registry was established. These government officials have worked tirelessly to make choosing donation simple, straightforward and convenient, like the ability to check “Yes” to join the registry on Texas DPS driver license and ID application forms.
“At the current pace, 50% of Texas adults will be registered by the end of 2017,” says DLT Executive Director, Suzy Miller. “While registered Texas donors are making more transplants possible than ever before, the donation community and our partners will not rest until the growing need is met.”
Statewide in 2016, 343 registered Texans became organ donors, 2,244 became eye and cornea donors and 1,305 became tissue donors, which is a combined 28% increase from 2015. Together, these donors saved and improved the lives of 1,089 organ transplant patients and approximately 50,000 eye and tissue recipients.
The prevalence of diabetes and heart disease contributes to the ever-increasing demand for organ transplants, leaving nearly 120,000 Americans – including more than 10,000 Texans - waiting for a donated organ to become available. Though living donation is becoming more common, the vast majority of transplants still rely on donors who have passed away. However, most people die in ways that make organ donation impossible, making registration all the more important.
For the small percentage deaths that qualify for organ donation, a Donate Life registration ensures the person’s own decision to give is known to the right people at the right time to save lives.
More information about donation and registration is available at www.DonateLifeTexas.org.
About Donate Life Texas
The Donate Life Texas organ, eye and tissue donor registry started in 2006 and now has more than 10 million registrants, making it the country’s second largest donor registry. The registry is supported by all three Texas organ procurement organizations, LifeGift, Southwest Transplant Alliance and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance as well as the 13 eye and tissue banks serving the state.
Signing up is fast and easy at DonateLifeTexas.org and provides a way for individuals to make their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor known. It also provides legal consent for donation after death, which removes the burden of decision-making from the family during an already difficult time.
Donate Life Texas is part of the Donate Life America not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and local partners across the United States, serving as a national voice and inspiring all people to save and enhance lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.
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Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd8db134-1195-46b2-8a80-6f2cdec7b907