HARRISBURG — In preparation of Pennsylvania’s second annual PA Donor Day on Friday, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine urged all Pennsylvanians to participate and register as organ and tissue donors through Donate Life Pennsylvania, the state’s online donation registry.
“The need for registered donors in Pennsylvania is now greater than ever; fewer people have registered as organ donors in 2020 than in previous years,” Levine said. “Registering to be an organ and tissue donor has the potential to save many lives and can take only a few seconds. Organ and tissue transplants have become an integral part of healthcare in the state and across the nation, so I am encouraging Pennsylvanians to register as an organ donor and learn more about the importance of organ and tissue donation.”
Nearly 7,000 Pennsylvanians are among the more than 100,000 Americans currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. The significance of PA Donor Day, Jan. 8 or 1/8, serves as a reminder that one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of 75 others through tissue and corneal donation.
Donate Life Pennsylvania is a collaborative initiative between the Pennsylvania Departments of Health, Education and Transportation, and Pennsylvania’s two organ procurement organizations, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) and Gift of Life Donor Program (GOL). It is funded by residents of Pennsylvania through voluntary contributions included with driver’s license renewals, vehicle registrations and state income tax filings, or through direct check donations to the Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund in care of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Trust Fund contributions are used to educate Pennsylvanians, build awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation, and increase the number of people who register as organ donors on their driver’s license or state identification cards.
More information is available at donatelifepa.org, on Facebook at @DonateLifePennsylvania and on Instagram at @donatelife_pa.
