New England Donor Registry launched by Donate Life

Oct 8 2009

Donate Life New England, a joint project of two federally designated organ procurement organizations that serve New England, today announced that individuals can now – for the first time – enroll online in the New England Donor Registry at www.donatelifenewengland.org. The Donate Life New England Donor Registry is a computer database of individuals who have made the decision to be a donor. With today’s launch, the www.donatelifenewengland.org Registry is designed to now be the fastest and easiest way to officially designate oneself as a donor.

There are currently more than 103,000 men, women and children waiting for a lifesaving transplant in the United States, and each registered donor has the potential to save up to seven lives and benefit over 50 others. More than 3,400 of these individuals in need live in New England, but to date, New England’s registered donor rate of 38% is unfortunately below average for the U.S. Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national waiting list and each day 18 people die while they wait for their transplant. There are also hundreds of thousands of Americans who benefit from tissue donation each year, such as corneal tissue for eye surgery, bone used in back surgery and tendons used in knee repair. “The Donate Life New England Registry will make it easier to sign up to be an organ and tissue donor, especially for those who do not have a driver’s license or are between license renewal periods,” said New England Organ Bank President and CEO Richard S. Luskin. “Each donor has the potential to save up to seven lives through organ donation and benefit over 50 others through tissue donation. In addition to offering a fast and secure way to register, the new website offers answers to many questions individuals have about becoming a donor.”

“The first responsibility of medical professionals is to save lives, and every effort will be made to save a life before donation is even considered,” said Dr. Joren Madsen, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Transplant Center. “Organs and tissues are donated and recovered only after death, and age and health considerations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis at the time of death. There are very few absolute health exclusions to donation so everyone should consider themselves as good candidates for donation and register for donation through the new Donate Life New England Registry if that is their wish. There is no doubt that the Registry will serve as a valuable tool in saving the lives of those in need of a transplant.”

The Donate Life New England Registry is an additional way to become a donor, similar to signing up on a driver’s license. When a hospital reports a death to an organ procurement organization, the OPO will check both the New England Donor Registry as well as donor designation data supplied by state motor vehicle offices in New England. Those interested in being donors may sign up either on their driver’s license, through the New England Donor Registry website or both.

However, the new website will give individuals the option to designate specific organs or tissues they wish to donate through the online enrollment form, which was not previously available through many previous means.