New York, NY (September 12, 2007) – The New York Organ Donor Network will mark Hispanic Heritage Month 2007 from September 15 through October 15 by appealing to people of Latino descent to sign up as organ, eye and tissue donors.

Hispanic Heritage Month takes place at a time when nearly 97,000 people are waiting for organ transplants in the United States. Of these, 16,000 or 16 percent are of Hispanic heritage. Thousands more need eye and tissue transplants.

Of the approximately 11,000 people who received organ transplants from deceased donors in the U.S. in 2006, 1,410 recipients or 13 percent were Hispanic.

The Donor Network's appeal to New York's Hispanic community is part of a nationwide campaign coordinated by Donate Life America to increase the number of state donor registry enrollments to 100 million by next April. Each state operates a separate organ and tissue donor registry.

New York's Donor Registry is a confidential database administered by New York State's Department of Health. Out of a total population of more than 19 million, only 1.3 million have enrolled since its launch in 2000.

When an individual is a potential donor, Donor Network staff members can confirm they enrolled by accessing the registry which, in turn, makes it easier for families to authorize donation.

The Donor Network points out that although the Hispanic population has traditionally been one of the most supportive of all ethnic groups in New York, there is still much work that needs to be done. On average each year, there are only 600 medically suitable deceased organ donors in the greater New York metropolitan area. The consent rate, which has grown over past few years, is still under 60 percent.

"That means just less than half of New Yorkers in our region are still saying no to organ donation," says Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network. "As one organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and tissue donors can come to the rescue of as many as 50 people, each yes is a big yes. Sadly, the converse is also true, when people refuse to give the gifts of life."

"That is why during these special four weeks, we appeal to our Hispanic population to lead the way and sign up on the registry in their thousands. After enrolling in the donor registry, it is equally important to notify next of kin about the decision to save lives."

TO ENROLL ONLINE IN THE NEW YORK STATE ORGAN AND TISSUE DONOR REGISTRY: Log onto the Web site of the New York Organ Donor Network at www.donatelifeny.org. There is also an informative Spanish section on the Web site.

For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month and to find out how individuals and organizations can participate, contact Miriam Perez at the New York Organ Donor Network, 646-291-4455 or at via e-mail: mperez@nyodn.org.