JANUARY 10, 2007

Web site makes enrolling to be a donor easy, informative

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land today reminded residents that the state's new organ donation campaign has begun and everyone adding their name to the organ donor registry will receive a heart sticker for their driver's license or state identification card.

The heart sticker is placed on the front of the license or ID card where it is readily visible. It designates the person's wish to be a donor and alerts law enforcement, emergency responders and hospital personnel of the choice. Michigan law supports residents' rights to make their own donation decisions - no further consent is required once they enroll on the registry.

"Organ donation can be a tough subject to talk about, but its benefits are literally lifesaving," Land said. "That is why we're eliminating any barriers to enrolling and making the process as simple as possible. A single donor can save or enhance the lives of up to 50 people, so the decision of one individual can deeply touch many people. We want everyone to say ‘yes' to donation and ‘show us their heart.'"

The Michigan Organ Donor Registry is a confidential database of residents who wish to be organ donors, which is maintained by the Department of State. Anyone wishing to add his or her name may do so online at www.Michigan.gov/sos or at any Secretary of State branch office.

The department has revamped its organ donation Web site, allowing users to enroll on the registry and request a replacement heart sticker if the original one is ever lost. It also provides several resources to help educate visitors about the critical need for donors, including such topics as myths, minority issues, statistics and links to state and federal donor advocates.

Public Acts 140-143 of 2005 authorize the department to place a heart insignia on the front of the driver's license or state identification card of everyone who agrees to be an organ donor. The laws were enacted to enhance the state's efforts at promoting organ donation awareness and increase the number of names on the donor registry.

"The heart sticker campaign would not have been possible without the support of the Legislature and organ donor advocates such as the Gift of Life Michigan and Michigan Eye-Bank," Land said. "I especially commend the primary bill sponsors, Representatives Philip LaJoy and John Gleason and Senator Jud Gilbert, as well as Gift of Life Executive Director Tom Beyersdorf, for their efforts in promoting this worthy cause."

Land explained that it is important for anyone who has added his or her name to the registry in the past to re-enroll. This will ensure that their donor registration is current and that they receive the heart sticker. She added that plans are under way to eventually "brand" donors' driver's licenses and ID cards with a heart logo, dispensing with the need for stickers. This phase of the campaign is awaiting the completion of certain programming components.

Beyersdorf commended the department for its efforts in supporting organ and tissue donation.

"Gift of Life Michigan is grateful to Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for her ongoing leadership to ensure more lives are saved and enhanced through organ and tissue donation," Beyersdorf said. "Placing a heart on the front of the driver's license will ensure that an individual's wish to donate is paramount, making more lifesaving transplants possible. In 2006, more people than ever before were saved through the generosity of Michigan organ donors. Our partnership with the Secretary of State is critical in making every resident aware of the importance of the ‘gift of life.'"

Gift of Life Michigan, the state's authorized organ recovery organization, accesses the donor registry to assist hospitals in the recovery and transplantation of organs and tissues. For more information about donation, visit its Web site at www.giftoflifemichigan.org.

To enroll on the registry or learn more about the department's efforts, visit www.Michigan.gov/sos.