April 15, 2009
April is Donate Life Month
This is a national initiative to heighten awareness of organ, eye, and tissue donation and encourage everyone to register their wishes. Everyone can Donate Life by going to the Alaska registry at www.AlaskaDonorRegistry.org.
Currently, more than 100,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list. Approximately 160 of those individuals live right here in Alaska. Unfortunately, 18 people die each day waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. We can all take action now to give more people a second chance at life.
Last year, more than 25,000 lives were saved through donation and transplantation. Even more lives were enhanced through tissue donation. But more needs to be done. YKHC supports our employee's education regarding the importance of making a decision regarding donation and registering your wishes.
There are three ways to register:
- Register online at www.AlaskaDonorRegistry.org
- Call 1-800-719-LIFE and request a brochure to fillout and return.
- Say YES to donation when renewing your driver's license.
The Alaska Donor Registry is a confidential database of donation wishes to be carried out at the time of death. The database is managed by Life Alaska Donor Services and accessed only by donation professionals.
