Barclay: Organ Donation
Content
A Legislative Column by Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I—Pulaski) Week of ecember !, !"#$
%rgan onation &ncourage' %nline an' (it) *e( +orm
It wasn't too long ago that New York was ranked close to the bottom in terms of organ harvesting and donation rates. In 2010, a little over 2.7 million New Yorkers were registered organ donors. While that ma so!nd like a high n!mber, it was onl abo!t 1" #ercent of #otential donors and is dramaticall lower than the national average. In fact, a recent st!d ranked New York at $"th in the nation in terms of its registered organ donors. With the internet and better o!treach, the state is tr ing to t!rn these statistics aro!nd. In 2012, the %tate &egislat!re #assed a bill to allow the %tate 'e#artment of (otor )ehicles to serve as a #lace where #eo#le wo!ld be enco!raged to sign !# to donate their organs. *he legislation changed driver+s license forms. ,orms to renew and a##l for a new license now incl!de a section that a##licants -m!st fill o!t. b either /oining the organ donor registr or choosing to ski# the 0!estion. 1revio!sl , filling o!t that section on the license a##lication was o#tional. New license and non2driver I' cards are then marked with a heart, to signif the #erson is an organ donor. I was #leased to s!##ort this in the 3ssembl . 1rior to 2012, residents had to re0!est and mail in an organ donation form to the 'e#artment of 4ealth or register in #erson at the '() or the 5oard of 6lections. *hese are still o#tions b!t signing !# has been made easier thro!gh a new service called ( '(). 3n one with internet access and a license or non2driver I' card can register as an organ donor online. 5 visiting htt#s788m .dmv.n .gov, residents are #rom#ted to enter information from the I' cards and to create a !sername and #assword. ,rom there, o! can select the o#tion to register as an organ donor. 3ccording to the '() website and the 'onate for &ife website, more than 10,000 New Yorkers are on waiting lists as the need for organ donations far e9ceeds the s!##l . :ne #erson who donates organs ;hearts, l!ngs, liver, kidne s, #ancreas and intestines< can save !# to eight lives, while a tiss!e donor ;corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, tendons, veins, etc.< can im#rove 12
or more lives b restoring e esight, hel#ing fight infections in b!rn #atients and #reventing the loss of mobilit and disabilit . 4ere are some statistics to consider7 • • • • (ore than ",000 await kidne 3bo!t 1,$00 need livers. (ore than =00 need hearts. In 2012, a total of >1$ #eo#le died in New York %tate while waiting for organ trans#lants. *his means someone died ever 1> ho!rs in the state beca!se of the organ donor shortage. 6ver 2? ho!rs, a #erson's name is added to the New York %tate organ trans#lant waiting list.
•
6nrolling online, however, will N:* res!lt in a new driver license or non2driver identification card with a red heart s mbol and the words :@A3N ':N:@. *his m!st be changed with a fee. 'es#ite this, residents can still be listed as an organ donor on the registr and residents can still sign the back of the I' to indicate the wish to make an Banatomical gift.B 69#ressing these wishes co!ld literall save someone's life. ,or more information, call the New York %tate :rgan and *iss!e 'onor @egistr at 12"CC2NY':N:@ ;12"CC2CD=2CCC7<. If o! have an 0!estions or comments on this or an other state iss!e, or if o! wo!ld like to be added to m mailing list or receive m newsletter, #lease contact m office. ( office can be reached b mail at 200 North %econd %treet, ,!lton, New York 1=0CD, b e2mail at barclawEassembl .state.n .!s or b calling ;=1>< >D"2>1">. Yo! can also friend me, 3ssembl man 5arcla , on ,acebook. FFF
%rgan onation &ncourage' %nline an' (it) *e( +orm
It wasn't too long ago that New York was ranked close to the bottom in terms of organ harvesting and donation rates. In 2010, a little over 2.7 million New Yorkers were registered organ donors. While that ma so!nd like a high n!mber, it was onl abo!t 1" #ercent of #otential donors and is dramaticall lower than the national average. In fact, a recent st!d ranked New York at $"th in the nation in terms of its registered organ donors. With the internet and better o!treach, the state is tr ing to t!rn these statistics aro!nd. In 2012, the %tate &egislat!re #assed a bill to allow the %tate 'e#artment of (otor )ehicles to serve as a #lace where #eo#le wo!ld be enco!raged to sign !# to donate their organs. *he legislation changed driver+s license forms. ,orms to renew and a##l for a new license now incl!de a section that a##licants -m!st fill o!t. b either /oining the organ donor registr or choosing to ski# the 0!estion. 1revio!sl , filling o!t that section on the license a##lication was o#tional. New license and non2driver I' cards are then marked with a heart, to signif the #erson is an organ donor. I was #leased to s!##ort this in the 3ssembl . 1rior to 2012, residents had to re0!est and mail in an organ donation form to the 'e#artment of 4ealth or register in #erson at the '() or the 5oard of 6lections. *hese are still o#tions b!t signing !# has been made easier thro!gh a new service called ( '(). 3n one with internet access and a license or non2driver I' card can register as an organ donor online. 5 visiting htt#s788m .dmv.n .gov, residents are #rom#ted to enter information from the I' cards and to create a !sername and #assword. ,rom there, o! can select the o#tion to register as an organ donor. 3ccording to the '() website and the 'onate for &ife website, more than 10,000 New Yorkers are on waiting lists as the need for organ donations far e9ceeds the s!##l . :ne #erson who donates organs ;hearts, l!ngs, liver, kidne s, #ancreas and intestines< can save !# to eight lives, while a tiss!e donor ;corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, tendons, veins, etc.< can im#rove 12
or more lives b restoring e esight, hel#ing fight infections in b!rn #atients and #reventing the loss of mobilit and disabilit . 4ere are some statistics to consider7 • • • • (ore than ",000 await kidne 3bo!t 1,$00 need livers. (ore than =00 need hearts. In 2012, a total of >1$ #eo#le died in New York %tate while waiting for organ trans#lants. *his means someone died ever 1> ho!rs in the state beca!se of the organ donor shortage. 6ver 2? ho!rs, a #erson's name is added to the New York %tate organ trans#lant waiting list.
•
6nrolling online, however, will N:* res!lt in a new driver license or non2driver identification card with a red heart s mbol and the words :@A3N ':N:@. *his m!st be changed with a fee. 'es#ite this, residents can still be listed as an organ donor on the registr and residents can still sign the back of the I' to indicate the wish to make an Banatomical gift.B 69#ressing these wishes co!ld literall save someone's life. ,or more information, call the New York %tate :rgan and *iss!e 'onor @egistr at 12"CC2NY':N:@ ;12"CC2CD=2CCC7<. If o! have an 0!estions or comments on this or an other state iss!e, or if o! wo!ld like to be added to m mailing list or receive m newsletter, #lease contact m office. ( office can be reached b mail at 200 North %econd %treet, ,!lton, New York 1=0CD, b e2mail at barclawEassembl .state.n .!s or b calling ;=1>< >D"2>1">. Yo! can also friend me, 3ssembl man 5arcla , on ,acebook. FFF
