New York, NY, March 13, 2009 – The New York Organ Donor Network is launching a “Save Lives New York” campaign in time for National Donate Life Month in April designed to motivate New Yorkers to enroll in the state’s donor registry.

The Donor Network will roll out its campaign on April 1, with much of the program centering on special events across the region supported by a Web-based grassroots effort to get New Yorkers to sign the New York State Donate Life Registry.

The Save Lives New York campaign will have a significant Web-based presence including a Web microsite—SaveLivesNewYork.org—that will quickly answer the most important questions New Yorkers have about donation. It will allow them to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry.

“Those who enroll will be urged to e-mail eight others so as to emphasize the little known fact that one organ donor has the potential of saving eight lives,” said Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network. “As a community, New Yorkers must get the word out that lives are being lost because of the donor shortage.”

While there was a record number of eye, skin and bone donors in the greater New York metropolitan area in 2008, a drop in the number of kidney, heart and other organ donors and the low number of New Yorkers enrolled in the donor registry are a major cause for concern.

On any given day, approximately 7,500 patients await organ transplants in the region, yet in 2008 there were only 251 deceased organ donors in the greater New York metropolitan area, compared with the 322 donors in 2007. As a result of the fall-off in the number of organ donors last year, 596 patients received life-saving organ transplants, compared with the 722 lives saved in 2007.

While there were complex reasons for the drop in the number of organ donors in 2008, including fewer medically suitable organ donors, the bottom line is that not enough people are signing up to become donors. Of those who are potential donors, too few pre-authorize donation, thereby allowing next of kin to make the decision for them.

“The need for a turnaround in the number of donors and registrants couldn’t be more urgent,” Ms. Berg said. “We know that New Yorkers are proud of living in the greatest region of the United States, probably the world. So we appeal to each New Yorker over the age of 18 to come together and to make our campaign during April have great impact. That will put New York where we belong: high up on the nation’s list of enrollees and donors. Let’s make New York proud and save hundreds and hundreds of lives.”

To enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry, log on to: www.SaveLivesNewYork.org

National Donate Life Month
April is designated nationally as a time to promote organ, tissue, blood and bone marrow donation awareness. This special month was established by the United States Division of Transplantation. Throughout these four weeks, organ, eye and tissue procurement agencies across the United States schedule special events. In the greater New York metropolitan area, the New York Organ Donor Network works side-by-side with hospitals, businesses and organizations to reach as many people as possible to increase understanding about donation and enrollments in the New York State Donate Life Registry.

New York Organ Donor Network
Of the 58 nonprofit federally designated organ procurement organizations in the United States; the Donor Network is the second largest. It coordinates all organ, eye and tissue donation in the greater New York metropolitan area, and is responsible for public and professional education about donation.

The New York State Donate Life Registry
The registry is a confidential database administered by the New York State Department of Health. By enrolling in the registry, New Yorkers document their legal consent to become donors. Once they have enrolled in the registry, New Yorkers are given the opportunity to be specific in terms of what organs and tissues they wish to donate, and they can also elect to donate organs to research.”

MEDIA: For more information, contact Martin Woolf at 646-291-4460
or mwoolf@nyodn.org

IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH:
Contact Karen Cummings at 646-291-4454 or kcumming@nyodn.org