Friday, April 20, 2012

Northern Ontario communities lead the province in registered organ and tissue donors

New donor registration data shows wide variation across the province

TORONTO, April 19, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - For the first time in Ontario, organ and tissue donor registration rates by community are being made available online.

The new data shows that Northern Ontario has the highest registration rates, with 47 per cent in North Bay and 45 per cent in Timmins.

"Becoming a registered organ and tissue donor takes less than three minutes and can save up to eight lives. I encourage Ontarians, health care organizations, clubs, families and businesses large and small to set up a page for the Gift of 8 Movement and share it through their social networks to encourage more people to register as organ donors and save more lives." Deb Matthews - Ontario Minister of Health and Long -Term Care

To help increase the number of registered donors, Trillium Gift of Life Network is launching the Gift of 8 Movement at www.beadonor.ca/. Through the website, individuals, organizations and community groups can now create personal web profiles to share their stories. The stories will help to inspire neighbours, friends and co-workers to register their consent for organ and tissue donation.

"Making organ and tissue registration information available by community, coupled with personal and inspiring stories of the Gift of 8 champions, will spur communities to increase their local registration rates and help save more lives. People can visit www.beadonor.ca to register consent or check to make sure you are indeed a registered organ and tissue donor. You can now also join the Gift of 8 Movement by creating your own page on beadonor.ca and encouraging others to register their consent to be donors." - Ronnie Gavsie President and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network

One organ and tissue donor can save up to eight lives. With evidence of their loved ones' registered consent, almost all families honour this donation decision. In the absence of registered consent, only 50 per cent of families consent to organ donation.

"Making organ and tissue registration information available by community, coupled with personal and inspiring stories of the Gift of 8 champions, will spur communities to increase their local registration rates and help save more lives. People can visit www.beadonor.ca/ to register consent or check to make sure you are indeed a registered organ and tissue donor. You can now also join the Gift of 8 Movement by creating your own page on beadonor.ca and encouraging others to register their consent to be donors." - Ronnie Gavsie - President and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network

Quick Facts

...April 22-28 is National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week.

...Ontario's overall organ and tissue donor registration rate has risen slightly since this time last year, reaching 21 per cent.

...In April, there were 1,499 Ontarians on the organ donation wait list, 29 of these patients were under the age of 19.

...Last year, 222 deceased organ donors contributed to 985 lives being saved through organ transplantation and over 1,700 tissue donors enhanced lives of thousands of patients.

...Among Ontario communities with a population of more than 20,000, only five have a registration rate over 40 per cent. (Thunder Bay, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins and Owen Sound). Communities with a registration rate less than 10 per cent were all in the Greater Toronto Area (Scarborough, Unionville, the old city of York, Woodbridge and Vaughan).

...You can register consent through your smartphone at beadonor.ca and ServiceOntario's mobile friendly organ donor registry site.

Find your local community's registration rates at www.beadonor.ca/

Trillium Gift of Life Network is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario and is responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating and supporting organ and tissue donation for transplantation across Ontario and improving the system so that more lives can be saved.

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