PennDOT Encourages Taking a Simple Step Today to Save Lives Through Organ Donation

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With April marking National Donate Life Month, PennDOT today reminded driver's license and identification card holders that they can easily help another person live a fuller, longer life by registering online as an organ donor. 

"Potential donors considering adding the organ donor designation to their driver's license or identification card do not have to wait for their renewal notices to take action," PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said.  "There are steps that you can take today to become an organ donor and potentially save a life."

To add the organ donor designation to an existing driver's license or identification card today, visit www.dmv.state.pa.us and select the "Donate Life Pennsylvania" icon at the bottom of the page. Once the designation is added, individuals will receive a designation card that they will have to carry with them to affirm organ donor status until they renew or replace their driver's license or identification card. There is no charge for adding the designation to your driver's license or identification card.

Nearly 46 percent of driver's license and identification card holders are registered organ donors – that's more than 4.4 million Pennsylvanians. More than 8,300 Pennsylvanians currently await organ transplants.

Driver's license and identification card holders, as well as registered vehicle owners, can also support organ donation programs by donating $1 to the Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund at the time of application and/or renewal. Proceeds from the fund are used to educate and promote awareness of the organ donor program through non-profit organizations like the Center for Organ Recovery and Education and the Gift of Life Donor Program. Pennsylvanians have generously donated more than $10 million to the fund to date.

As part of an ongoing effort to increase awareness of organ and tissue donation, video monitors featuring educational content were recently installed at 20 PennDOT driver's license centers.

More information on organ and tissue donation in Pennsylvania can be found at www.donatelife-pa.org.  

Media contact: Jan McKnight, 717-787-0485

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

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