New York Organ Donor Network is “A Donate Life Organization”

It is hoped that a new brand identity will help raise awareness about organ and tissue donation in the New York metropolitan area.

New York, NY, March 2, 2004: In an historic and far-reaching effort to firmly put organ and tissue donation on the radar screen across the United States, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and the Coalition on Donation have announced an agreement whereby all 59 federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organizations, including the New York Organ Donor Network , will be associated under a single brand identifier, “A Donate Life Organization.” ‘Donate Life' is the tagline already utilized by the Coalition on Donation. The timing of the announcement coincides with the 50 th anniversary this year of the first organ transplant. The first successful kidney transplant took place in Boston in December 1954.

The New York Organ Donor Network coordinates all organ and tissue donation for transplantation in the Greater New York metropolitan area. The Donor Network, which serves a population of 13 million, is the second largest organ procurement organization in the nation.

Elaine Berg , president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network, says: “The New York City region has a 41% consent rate for organ donation, well below the national average of around 50%. While organ procurement organizations will continue to retain their individual names under the new agreement, it's hoped that a common brand will increase the awareness of the organizations' lifesaving mission among the general public, health care professionals and government. In our case, we envisage that consistent use of our new brand identifier will make New Yorkers more familiar with our message which will then translate into a higher consent rate and more organ donors.”

In a letter last December to its members, AOPO's president, Helen Leslie wrote that in less than a year, the idea of having a single brand identifier was proposed, voted upon and accepted. “The organ procurement organization community strongly supported the idea and work began through the Ad Hoc Committee on Branding under the leadership of Elaine Berg and Larry Cochran [formerly executive director of Tennessee Donor Services].”

Ms. Leslie also thanked Bryan Stewart , director of communications at OneLegacy in Los Angeles , and Melissa Honohan , AOPO's policy manager, for their contribution to this ground-breaking initiative.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ¨ Contact: Martin Woolf (212) 870-3960; mwoolf@nyodn.org