Minorities Play a Critical Role in Organ Donation and Transplantation in Greater Los Angeles Area, New Data Confirms

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 11, 2007 – New data unveiled this week from OneLegacy, the non-profit organ and tissue recovery agency serving the greater Los Angeles area, and Donate Life California, the administrators of the statewide organ and tissue donor registry, confirm the critical role that minorities play in the fabric of organ donation and transplantation in the Southland. Latinos account for almost half of the donors (47%) in the area, while people of color account for about two-thirds of deceased organ donors and transplant recipients.

The Southland’s Latino, African American and Asian communities benefit directly from the generosity of their own, with people of color accounting for almost 80% of kidney recipients. Kidneys represent the organ of greatest need across all ethnicities. Interestingly, the percentage of multicultural kidney transplant recipients is virtually identical to the percentage on the waiting list, which demonstrates the fairness of organ allocation rules.

OneLegacy Sets National Record in 2006 with 433 Organ Donors; More Than 1,300 Lives Saved

LOS ANGELES, CA, January 22, 2007 – OneLegacy, the non-profit, federally designated organ and tissue recovery organization serving seven counties in the greater Los Angeles area, announced its seventh consecutive record-breaking year and national records in donors and lives saved by a single organ recovery organization.

Working in concert with more than 200 hospital partners, OneLegacy coordinated 433 organ donors and the transplantation of 1,338 recovered organs. Both marks set new national records, with a 16% increase in donors and a 9% increased in recovered organs transplanted over the previous year. Since 2000, the number of organ donors and recovered organs transplanted coordinated by OneLegacy has increased 51% and 47%, respectively. Organ donation consent rates – the percentage of families who agree to donation at the time they are approached – increased by 10% year-over-year, from 56% to 62%.

“We are proud to serve Southern California’s multicultural communities with our life-saving mission,” said OneLegacy CEO Tom Mone. “We are privileged to facilitate individuals’ and families’ decisions to donate life, which exemplify our capacity to help one another, even at times of overwhelming personal loss.

“There are many contributors to OneLegacy’s record performance, starting with donors and their families who are so generous at such a difficult time. They are guided by OneLegacy’s staff of healthcare professionals, including family care coordinators who are specially trained to guide families sensitively through the donation process, including requesting consent for donation.”

OneLegacy’s performance is remarkable given the closure of three local kidney and liver transplant programs in 2006. In California and nationwide, approximately 75% of those on the waiting list seek kidney transplants. Despite these challenges, the number of recovered kidneys and livers transplanted increased 15% and 12%, respectively.

OneLegacy also recovers donated tissue throughout its seven-county service area as an FDA-certified tissue bank. A single tissue donor can give corneas, bone and skin that can enhance the lives of up to 50 people. In 2006, OneLegacy recovered tissue from 889 tissue donors, compared with 397 in 2005, with the increase due primarily to an expansion of tissue recovery responsibilities in partnership with Tissue Banks International.

OneLegacy is supported by more than 200 hospital partners, 23 of which were recognized last October by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for meeting the national initiative’s goal of a 75% organ donation rate.

In addition, state legislation made it much more accessible for Californians to register their wishes to be organ and tissue donors. By checking ‘YES’ on driver’s license and I.D. card application and renewal forms at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, approximately 5,000 Californians per day are signing up on the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry.

OneLegacy’s hundreds of volunteer “Ambassadors” also played a significant role in inspiring the community to donate life by sharing their stories with the media, organizing community events, participating in April’s annual Donate Life Run/Walk at Cal State Fullerton, and decorating the Donate Life Rose Parade Float in Pasadena, which sends a positive message to a worldwide viewing audience each New Year’s Day.

As a result of the high performance of OneLegacy and California’s three sister agencies, the number of patients listed in California for extra-renal organs remained stable, and in some cases declined slightly. The number of kidney transplant candidates continues to climb, however, and now number more than 15,000 in the state and nearly 70,000 nationwide.

“While we are seeing real progress, the need for donated organs and tissues remains as great as ever,” said Mone. “We will continue to expand our capabilities to ensure that donor families and transplant recipients, their families and communities benefit from the gift of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.”

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Honors 23 Southland Hospitals for Achieving Area's Highest Organ Donation Rates; Area Organ Donation Up 18% Through September

LOS ANGELES, CA, October 19, 2006 – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) honored a record 23 area hospitals for excellence in organ donation at the National Learning Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana, today. The HHS Medal of Honor is awarded to hospitals with at least eight eligible organ donors and which have achieved donation rate of at least 75% for any consecutive 12-month period between May 2004 and June 2006.

The awards, which are presented in concert with OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ and tissue recovery agency serving the seven-county greater Los Angeles area, reflect the success of the National Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative, an HHS initiative launched in 2003 to save and enhance thousands of lives annually by spreading best organ donation practices to the nation's largest hospitals. The national initiative provides hospitals and organ procurement organizations with the tools and processes needed to dramatically increase organ and tissue donation rates. In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, organ donation is up 34% from September 2003, when the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative first began.

“One of the nation’s most pressing public health issues is the widening gap between the number of organs donated for transplant and the number of patients on the national organ transplant waiting list,” said Tom Mone, chief executive officer of OneLegacy. “Currently, 93,000 people across the country and nearly 20,000 in California are waiting for an organ transplant.”

Because of the Organ Donation & Transplantation Breakthrough Collaborative and efforts to improve organ donation rates throughout Southern California and across the country, the following area hospitals achieved Medal of Honor status:

• Antelope Valley Hospital, Lancaster
• Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton
• California Hospital Medical Center, Los Angeles
• Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange
• Citrus Valley Medical Center, West Covina
• Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Valencia
• Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach
• Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center
• Memorial Hospital of Gardena
• Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo
• Northridge Hospital Medical Center - Roscoe
• Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona
• Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, Whittier
• Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills
• Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank
• Riverside Community Hospital
• Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley
• Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
• UCI Medical Center, Orange
• UCLA Medical Center
• USC University Hospital, Los Angeles
• Western Medical Center Santa Ana

“We’re proud of the number of hospitals in our service area that earned this award, and of how our collaborative effort has such a meaningful impact on the lives of donor families and recipients alike,” said Mr. Mone. “We will continue to focus our effort on hospitals, transplant centers and the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry as we work toward our ultimate goal of ending the wait for all people awaiting organ transplants.”

Throughout the seven-county area, deceased donation has increased 18% in the first nine months this year, and OneLegacy is headed for its seventh consecutive year of all-time highs in organ donors and organs recovered for life-saving transplant.

Organ Donations Continue to Rise Across Southern California; OneLegacy Records 21% Increase Through First Six Months

LOS ANGELES, CA, August 1, 2006 – As thousands of those waiting for organs applaud the news that Southern California continues to break regional and national records for organ donation, one of the contributors to those uplifting statistics will be honoring the birthday of a son whose untimely death nine months ago provided life-saving organs for three people.

Born on August 1, Anthony Balles died at the age of 17 of a gunshot wound to the head. His mother, Jessica Arizmendez, and other family members near Bakersfield soon learned that he would not recover. At that point, Carla Goldis, family care coordinator for OneLegacy, the organ recovery agency serving the seven-county greater Los Angeles area, introduced the opportunity for the family to donate Anthony’s organs. Jessica was familiar with organ donation because her young nephew had died three years earlier in Los Angeles. His organ and tissue donations had saved and enhanced the lives of more than 20 people.

“I hadn’t thought about organ donation for my own family,” Jessica admitted, “but Carla was the one who opened our eyes that other people could live. I kept thinking: What if it was Anthony on the other side? What if an organ donation were needed to save him? I’m happy other people are alive today because we made the decision. Since then, four of us in our family have decided to become donors.”

Decisions like Jessica’s and her family are the reason that consent rates – the percentage of potential organ donors who actually donate – reached 62% for the first six months of 2006, up 16% over the same period last year. OneLegacy reported that the number of donors increased 21% for the period, while recovered organs transplanted increased 14%.

Since becoming the first organ procurement organization to recover 400 donors over a 12-month period last February – and meeting this threshold each of the six months since – OneLegacy recorded 414 donors – a national record – for the most recent 12 months ended July 31. The agency attributed the steady rise in donations to a combination of factors, including ongoing collaboration between Southern California hospitals and OneLegacy and the growing generosity of local communities and families.

“We thank the family of Anthony Balles and hundreds of others who have made the decision to provide life-saving organs available to those in need,” stated Tom Mone, chief executive officer of OneLegacy. “It is gratifying to see our services help people see the value of the decision to donate organs and tissues to those in need. One important way to make the commitment to donate known is by registering on the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Registry, which is accessible online or when renewing a driver license or I.D. card with the DMV. By signing up on the registry, Californians wishing to donate can ensure their wishes are honored and ultimately relieve family members of this decision at a difficult time.”

Human contact is an important factor in the growing generosity of Southern California’s donor families; it is OneLegacy’s family care coordinators who are directly responsible for working with family members before, during and after the donation process. Family care coordinators typically bring a combination of medical and family counseling training to their profession.

“We work with the families to help them first accept that their loved one is gone,” said Carla Goldis, who helped the Arizmendez and Balles families. “Frequently, we have to help families work through existing family dynamics to focus on the here and now. We explain the procedures to the family, answer their questions, and provide emotional support. We also work with the family to help give them as much time as possible to make their decisions, and to help them say their proper goodbyes.”

That contact can continue long after the donation process is completed. Carla and Jessica have stayed in touch, and OneLegacy’s Family Services department provides Jessica with newsletters and other materials to assist her through her loss. Carla will be thinking about Anthony tomorrow as the family gathers at the cemetery to celebrate his life.

“There are days when I wake up and just want to be with him,” Jessica said. “Anthony loved everybody. He saw something special in everyone.”

Now there are at least three people who see something very special in him.

A Tree of Life Grows in Riverside; Families Remember Organ and Tissue Donors at June 23 Memorial

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 21, 2006 – Twelve years ago, Riverside County Regional Medical Center (RCRMC) unveiled a unique memorial: a wood and bronze “Arbor Vitae” – Tree of Life – to honor organ and tissue donors. On Friday, June 23, at 4:00 p.m., the Tree will sprout 33 new bronze leaves to recognize organ and tissue donors from RCRMC in the past five years whose gifts have saved dozens of lives.

Nearly 150 donor family members will join together for the dedication, which will take place in RCRMC’s Medical Mall. The event will be co-hosted by OneLegacy, the organ recovery agency for the seven counties in Southern California, including Riverside County. Participants in the afternoon program include Douglas Hegstad, M.D.; Loyal Ward, chaplain; and Luis Orozco, assistant administrator, RCRMC.

“Riverside County Regional Medical Center is privileged to partner with OneLegacy in honoring donor families for their giving and saving of lives of patients on the organ transplant waiting list who otherwise might not have a chance to live,” said Douglas Bagley, RCRMC chief executive officer. “This is a privilege for RCRMC because the true heroes in this partnership are our donor families who, in the wake of personal tragedy, have made a choice to share a ray of happiness and hope of life with others.”

One such donor who will be honored on June 23 is Tyson Clark, who was 13 years old when he donated four organs in 2002. His mother, Debbie Dormack of Moreno Valley, noted that “Tyson would have graduated from high school this year. His death was the hardest thing I’ve had to go through. It’s nice to know that there is something with his name where he will be honored and that will still be remembered.”

Another remembrance will go to Antonio Serrano, who was only three years old when his mother made the decision to donate his tissue. Donated tissue can be used to increase burn survival, to replace or strengthen damaged joint tissue, or prevent amputation.

“I always believed in donation for myself, but never thought I would have to make the decision for my child,” said Kenia Serrano of Hemet. “I am honored that people will remember my son, and I’m happy that he was able to do something extraordinary: help others.”

That desire to help in a way no one else can is inherent in the donation decision.

“OneLegacy will always be grateful to these donors and their families for their courageous and generous decision to donate,” said Jeff Fleming, OneLegacy director of family services. “It is our privilege to support donor families and continue to find ways like RCRMC’s Arbor Vitae to honor donors and their families for their extraordinary gifts, and to support hospitals for their compassionate care.”

When the June 23 dedication concludes, RCRMC's unique Arbor Vitae will boast a total of 80 leaves. The monument will serve as an inspiration to those in a position to help the 92,000 people nationwide currently awaiting a life-saving organ transplant and the hundreds of thousands that need donated tissue each year.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Honors 28 Southland Hospitals for Achieving Area's Highest Organ Donation Rates; Hospitals with Highest Rates Triple; Area Organ Donation Up 30% Through April

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 5, 2006 – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding honors to 28 area hospitals for achieving outstanding organ donation rates over a 12-month period. The awards, which are presented in concert with OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ and tissue recovery agency serving the seven-county greater Los Angeles area, reflect the success of the National Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative, an HHS initiative launched in 2003 to save and enhance thousands of lives annually by spreading best practices to the nation's largest hospitals.

George Mack, vice president, member relations of the Healthcare Association of Southern California (HASC), will present awards June 8 at the Glendale Hilton at 3:00 p.m. to recognize those Southland hospitals that achieved donation conversion rates of 65% or higher during the 12 months ending April 30, 2006. Donation conversion rates represent the percentage of actual donors out of all eligible donors.

Fourteen hospitals achieved conversion rates of 75% or more, a threefold increase over comparable levels last year:

• Childrens Hospital of Orange County, Orange (100%)
• Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center (78%)
• Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center (75%)
• Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center (85%)
• Los Alamitos Medical Center (75%)
• Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo (90%)
• Northridge Hospital Medical Center - Roscoe (78%)
• Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona (85%)
• Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, Whittier (83%)
• Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills (93%)
• Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank (100%)
• Riverside Community Hospital (75%)
• UCLA Medical Center (76%)
• USC University Hospital, Los Angeles (75%)

Those hospitals that achieved approximately 65% conversion rates include::

• Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, Memorial Campus, Inglewood (71%)
• Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs (65%)
• Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield (68%)
• Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley (64%)
• Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (69%)
• UCI Medical Center, Orange (68%)
• Western Medical Center Santa Ana (61%)

Some of these hospitals are among the 16 Southland medical centers that will receive HHS Medals of Honor in October for achieving organ donation rates of 75% or higher in 12 consecutive months for an earlier accounting period from June 2004 through December 2005. These hospitals plus the 21 listed above form the full 28 local hospitals being recognized for outstanding achievement. A complete list of hospitals in each category is attached.

“Throughout the seven-county area, deceased donation has increased 30% in the first four months this year to allow many more lives to be saved through transplantation,” stated Tom Mone, chief executive officer of OneLegacy. “Thanks in large part to local hospital participation in the federal Collaborative initiative, OneLegacy is headed for its seventh consecutive year of all-time highs in organ donors and organs recovered for life-saving transplant.”

More than 28,000 people in the U.S. received a life-saving organ transplant in 2005, a new national record. In Southern California, area hospitals demonstrated their commitment to the goals of the Collaborative by partnering with OneLegacy to help coordinate 1,223 life-saving organs for transplant from 373 donors.

In addition, OneLegacy will recognize 16 area hospitals with the greatest number of tissue donors in 2005, providing life-saving and life-enhancing gifts of tissue donation to the community.

“OneLegacy is proud to honor these hospitals for their exemplary leadership and commitment to tissue donation, through which each donor can improve the lives of up to 50 people,” said Esther Marie-Carmichael, OneLegacy hospital services director. “Corneal replacements prevent blindness and restore vision. Donated skin can increase burn survival up to 75 percent. Heart valves are the best hope for repairing damaged hearts in pediatric patients. Vascular and bone grafts can prevent limb amputation, while connective tissue helps replace or strengthen damaged joints.”

Thousands of Southlanders to Join Forces April 29 at Fourth Annual Donate Life Run/Walk at Cal State Fullerton

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 21, 2006 – National Donate Life Month has special meaning for Southern California residents this year as they join together Saturday morning, April 29, on the grounds of Cal State Fullerton to inspire Californians to donate life through organ, tissue, and blood donation. The Donate Life Run/Walk & Family Festival, now in its fourth year, has grown dramatically to include mayors from surrounding communities, a “Circle of Life Garden” honoring organ and tissue donors, and a dozen teams – some with hundreds of members – organized by individual organ donors and recipients in honor of loved ones who gave the gift of life.

The special teams include the event’s first African American team, organized by heart transplant recipient Vincent Rankin, former news assignment editor at KCAL-9. Rankin has attracted Olympic track-and-field medalist Maurice Green to the team, among other area athletes.

Teams also include Yorba Linda teenager Raegan Pratt, who last year spoke fervently about her need for a kidney. This year, Pratt is walking with a new kidney, and her team includes her kidney donor and youth pastor, Tony Huy. Other teams include one honoring donor Christina Bueno of Norwalk and Orange’s “Team Ted,” organized by lung recipient Ted Askier. Various Asian-American teams have also been organized from across Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

In addition, 10 hospitals from around the region are sending teams, including Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Kern Medical Center, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, St. Francis Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, and Western Medical Center Santa Ana.

“It’s gratifying to see how this event has grown from a local program to a full-blown festival that attracts people of all ages and ethnicities from across a seven-county area,” stated Kathleen Hostert, event founder and Fullerton mother of two who donated her kidney to save the life of her husband, Craig. “This year, nearly a thousand donor family members will be walking with t-shirts bearing the photos of their loved ones. And a large group will be represented by Sav-on Drug Stores, which lost a beloved manager while he waited for a lung transplant. The event has even made it possible for one donor family to meet two recipients of their loved one’s organs, and they will walk together for the first time.

OneLegacy's 43% Rise in 2006 Organ Donors Makes National Donate Life Month a True Celebration

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 3, 2006 – Southern Californians are saying “YES!” to organ and tissue donation in dramatically increasing numbers, with about 43% more organ donors for the first three months of this year versus the same period a year ago, reported OneLegacy, the non-profit, federally designated organ recovery agency for the greater Los Angeles area. With nearly 400 organs transplanted from Southland donors this year, hundreds of people who had been awaiting a life-saving transplant have a special reason to celebrate National Donate Life Month this year.

“Ever since the Department of Health and Human Services designated National Donate Life Month, April has been a time to focus on the power we all have to save lives,” said Tom Mone, chief executive officer of OneLegacy. “But we’ve never entered this period with such a tremendous increase in organ donors, organs transplanted, and tissue donation. For the first time, we are also seeing the percentage of families consenting to donation rise to the 60% range. This means that Southern Californians of all ethnicities and ages are recognizing that organ and tissue donation saves lives, and we’re doing a better job of making each donation count.”

OneLegacy is also accelerating its outreach this month with more than 60 community events that include dozens of area schools, hospitals, community organizations, and businesses. Scores of cities and counties are issuing proclamations to recognize National Donate Life Month, including ceremonies Tues., April 4, by the Los Angeles City Council and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

Record Numbers of Organ/Tissue Donor Family Members Expected at OneLegacy's "Fields of Gold" Donor Ceremonies in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Loma Linda, Bakersfield; ‘Don’t Rule Yourself Out’ Is the Message for Lifesaving Organ and Tissue Donors

LOS ANGELES, CA, February 27, 2006 – Think you’re too old or unhealthy to give the gift of life? Think again, says OneLegacy, the non-profit, federally designated organ recovery agency for seven counties in Southern California.

“Don’t rule yourself out” is an important message in OneLegacy’s upcoming “Fields of Gold” Donor Remembrance Ceremonies in March that bring together families and friends of those who donated organs and tissues. Among those speaking are the wives and sister of organ donors aged 48, 51, and 60.

According to Tom Mone, chief executive officer of OneLegacy, “Last year, more than 1,200 lives were saved through donation just in our region, and 30% of organ donors were 50 years of age or older. In addition, nearly 70% of tissue donors are age 50 and older. Many potential donors do not make the commitment to donate because they believe they are too old or infirmed. Donors and recipients can be in their seventies, and even those who have had cancer or hepatitis may still qualify for donation.

“The big message here is don’t rule yourself out. Sign up online to be a donor, tell your loved ones, and let the medical professionals make the final determination at the time of donation. Every donor has the potential to save eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of 50 others through tissue donation.”

With organ and tissue donation reaching record numbers in the Southland this year, more than 1,000 family members are expected to attend the four programs hosted by OneLegacy in collaboration with UCLA Healthcare’s transplant program and Loma Linda University Medical Center Transplantation Institute. The programs are highlighted by donor parents and authors Eleanor Vincent (Mar. 4 and 5), whose book Swimming with Maya: A Mother’s Story chronicles the life and death of her daughter; and Reg Green (Mar. 12 and 19), author of The Nicholas Effect that describes the death of his young son in a botched robbery in Italy and whose organ donations spurred global interest.

Each ceremony includes testimonials by donor family members and transplant recipients, live musical performances, an emotional visual tribute to donors and a concluding dramatic release of doves.

“There is no one more deserving of our gratitude and recognition than those whose gifts have saved lives,” said Jeff Fleming, manager of OneLegacy’s Family Services department.

This year’s “Fields of Gold” ceremonies, which are invitation-only, will take place as follows:

“Nationally last year, there were more than 7,100 deceased donors, up from about 6,000 in previous years, an 11% increase,” states Tom Mone, chief executive officer of OneLegacy. “Locally, OneLegacy has seen an increase of 10% year-to-date, resulting in a many more lives saved through transplantation. At current rates, OneLegacy is headed for our its sixth consecutive year of all-time highs in organ donors and organs recovered for life-saving transplantation.”

Nearly 27,000 people in the U.S. received a life-saving organ transplant in 2004, a new national record. In Southern California, area hospitals demonstrated their commitment to the goals of the collaborative by partnering with OneLegacy to help coordinate 1,114 life-saving organs for transplant from 346 donors.

Flick will also recognize eight hospitals that received HHS Medals of Honor awarded in late May at the First Annual Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative National Learning Congress in Pittsburgh, which were conferred to hospitals for achieving life-saving organ donation rates of 75% or higher for a 12-month period. Only three percent of hospitals across the country received this award, including:

“OneLegacy is proud to join CMS and HHS in honoring these hospitals for their exemplary leadership and commitment to organ donors and donor families in our community and the nearly 90,000 patients on the national transplant waiting list,” said Mone.

Organ, Tissue Donor Registry Going Strong, Reaches 60,000 Mark; State Senate Unanimously Approves SB 689 to Partner Donor Registration with DMV

SACRAMENTO, OAKLAND, LOS ANGELES, AND SAN DIEGO, CA, June 2, 2005 – Californians continue to step up to the plate with more than 60,000 committing to be organ and/or tissue donors via the new Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, the state’s first online donor database launched April 4.

State senators made their own commitment clear by voting 39-0 to approve SB 689 (Speier) that calls on the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to collect organ and tissue donor designation information on its applications and renewals for drivers licenses and identification cards.

“We appreciate the continued momentum of the Donate Life California Registry and the many comments from people across the state,” stated Tracy Bryan, president of Donate Life California, the not-for-profit organization that administers the organ and tissue donor registry. “We’ve only been operating for 60 days, yet we already have 60,000 registrations from those committed to donating life. This surpasses our highest expectations.”

Bryan added, “We are equally appreciative of our state senators who voted in a completely nonpartisan way to optimize donation by enabling the DMV to collect organ and tissue designation information on applications and renewals of drivers licenses and ID cards. The bill now goes to the State Assembly, where we are hopeful that these elected officials will also affirm life by passing this legislation.”

According to David Heneghan, public affairs manager for the California Transplant Donor Network that serves central and northern California, “Partnering with the DMV is critical to saving lives. In fact, it makes the difference between saving thousands versus hundreds of lives.”

In the Assembly, the principal coauthor of SB 689 is Assembly Member Sally Lieber, with co-authors Assembly Members John Benoit, Dave Jones, Mark Leno, Bill Maze, Fran Pavley and Sharon Runner. Should the bill pass, the program is slated to go into effect in July 2006. Californians are encouraged to write their local representatives to show support for this legislation.

“It’s amazing how many people believe they have registered because they obtained pink dots on their drivers licenses,” noted Tom Mone, secretary/treasurer for Donate Life California and chief executive officer of OneLegacy, the federally designated organ procurement organization that serves Southern California. “A pink dot is not legally binding by itself. Your commitment does not count until you register online and state your specific requests on this highly secure site. The site also allows registrants to share their commitment, if desired, with family members and friends. Loved ones then know your wishes and can honor them.”

Californians with email addresses can sign up to be organ and tissue donors at any computer with Internet capability. Each registrant’s personal donation decision is stored in a secure database free of charge, and the information is accessible as “read-only” solely to authorized, non-hospital organ and tissue recovery personnel. At the time of registration, registrants will have the option of sending an email notification to friends and family as well. The Donate Life California Registry also offers current data and information about donation, personal stories that reinforce the life-enhancing result of organ and tissue gifts, and links to local resources.

There are currently more than 18,500 people waiting for life-saving organs in California, of which 13,600 are waiting for kidneys. Of the nearly 90,000 people on the national organ transplant waiting list, 17 people die each day waiting. Many hundreds of thousands more require donated tissues to prevent or cure blindness, heal burns, or prevent amputation. An individual donor can save the lives of eight people through organ donation and enhance the lives of 50 others through tissue donation.

California Launches First Online State Organ, Tissue Donor Registry April 4; Donate Life California Registry Represents Major Resource to Optimize Donation; 18,000 Californians Now Wait for Life-Saving Transplants

Southern California Mayors Join Thousands at the Third Annual Donate Life 5K/1K Run/Walk

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 1, 2005 – Thousands of Southern California residents will try to outrace their city mayors at the third annual Donate Life Run/Walk on Saturday, April 23 at Cal State Fullerton. The 5K/1K Run/Walk will raise awareness about the critical need for organ and tissue donation and will benefit Donate Life California Registry, the state’s new online organ and tissue donor registry which launches April 4.

A challenge has been issued to all of the mayors in Orange County to participate in a “Mayor-athon” at the event. Supported by Rotary International of Orange County, whose District 5320 includes 49 clubs and 2,500 members, the Mayor-athon will pit mayor against mayor for bragging rights as fastest civic leader. Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona is serving as Honorary Chair for the event.

“Through this challenge, I encourage all 34 cities in Orange County to donate life,” said Shawn Nelson, Mayor of Fullerton and co-sponsor of the Mayor-athon challenge. “We invite mayors from across the Southland to send a representative of their city to the Donate Life Run/Walk.”

The Donate Life Run/Walk is the largest of several April events which will introduce the communities of Southern California to the Donate Life California Registry as part of National Donate Life Month. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. run and walk, followed by a Family Health Festival and Expo with area food vendors, free health screenings, live entertainment, special activities for children and an opportunity drawing with a grand prize of two round-trip passes good for travel to any Southwest Airlines destination.

Notable participants include:

The Donate Life Run/Walk was founded by Craig and Kathleen Hostert of Fullerton. Kathleen, an elementary school teacher and mother of two, donated a kidney to her husband Craig six-and-a-half years ago. The Donate Life Run/Walk is produced by OneLegacy, the federally-designated, non-profit transplant donor network serving the seven-county Greater Los Angeles area.

Over the last two years, the Donate Life Run/Walk attracted 3,000 registered participants. People from throughout the region—especially those touched by organ and tissue donation and transplantation—are invited to attend the event. Registration fees vary and all participants receiving a T-shirt and goodie bag.

Southern California Hospitals Launch Into Phase II of Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative; Initiative of U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services Spreads Best Practices

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 14, 2004 – Leading Southern California hospitals attended the launch of Phase II of the Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative at a conference in San Diego on September 12th through 15th, 2004.

The Breakthrough Collaborative, initiated in April 2003 by Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy G. Thompson as a hospital-focused component of his Gift of Life Donation Initiative, identifies and spreads best practices in organ donation to the nation's largest hospitals, with the goal of achieving organ donation conversion rates of 75 percent or higher in each of 300 target hospitals.

The Collaborative consists of multidisciplinary teams, including staff from OneLegacy and Southern California hospitals, participating in intensive collaborative learning sessions between September 2003 and May 2005. Teams work together to rapidly learn, adapt, redesign, implement, track and refine their organ donation processes to achieve the 75 percent goal. The San Diego session launches Phase II of the Collaborative in Southern California.

Many of the nation’s largest hospitals are located in Southern California, and several are among the Phase II participants: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Kern Medical Center (Bakersfield), LAC+USC Medical Center, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills), Riverside County Regional Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center and Western Medical Center of Santa Ana. Kern Medical Center, LAC+USC Medical Center and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center also participated in Phase I of the Breakthrough Collaborative.

The purpose of the Breakthrough Collaborative is to dramatically increase donation and save lives. Currently over 86,000 Americans are registered on the National Organ Transplant Waitlist. Tragically, 17 people die each day waiting, including men, women, children and infants.

All Collaborative partners have embraced the opportunity to enhance their processes from initial referral through approaching the potential donor family. As expressed by the Providence Holy Cross team, “It is our collective hope that this work will be used to glorify God, that hurting hearts will be soothed, that lives will be saved, best practices continued, and that all families are honored with the right to decide.”

OneLegacy is part of a nationwide network of non-profit, federally-designated organizations dedicated to “bridging lives” through the life-saving and life-enhancing benefits of organ and tissue donation. Other leading organizations supporting the Breakthrough Collaborative include the American Hospital Association (AHA), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Coalition of Donation, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Society of Critical Care Medicine and others. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, is managing the initiative.

National Minority Donor Awareness Day 2004 Inspires Multicultural Communities to Donate Life

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 26, 2004 – Donors and their families from varied ethnic backgrounds are honored nationwide on August 1, the observance of National Minority Donor Awareness Day (NMDAD). In 2003, more than 1,900 of the nearly 6,500 deceased donors recovered in the U.S. were minorities. In Southern California, 141 Hispanic families made the decision to donate their loved ones organs thereby giving others a renewed chance at life.

On August 1st, we recognize African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander and Native American organ donors for their generosity and gifts of organ and tissue donation.

The national event focuses on fears and obstacles related to minority organ donation. The event’s objective is to promote healthier living and disease prevention, and to increase the number of people who have signed donor cards and informed their families of their wish to donate.

OneLegacy, the federally designated, nonprofit organ procurement organization serving Southern California, recognizes the 8th annual NMDAD with Donor Sabbath events in houses of worship in the African American community as well as interviews with transplant recipients on Spanish language radio stations. “NMDAD is important because it provides another opportunity to reach our minority communities with information about organ and tissue donation,” said Dahiana de Francisco, OneLegacy’s Hispanic Communications Coordinator. “We inspire people to donate life by highlighting stories of giving and triumph.”

Organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donation can save and enhance the lives of people living with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, hepatitis, blood disorders, glaucoma, and other health conditions. These conditions disproportionately impact minorities. Currently, there are over 85,000 people awaiting a transplant. Minorities account for nearly half of those waiting for this life-saving gift. Since patients in need of a transplant are more likely to find a genetically compatible match within their own racial/ethnic group, particularly for kidneys and bone marrow, increasing minority donations is critical.

President Bill Clinton first recognized National Minority Donor Awareness Day in 1996. The Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), based at Howard University in Washington, D.C., originated the idea.

Clive O. Callender, M.D., founder and principal investigator of MOTTEP, says, “It is extremely important that everyone, but especially minorities, become aware of the steps that they can take to decrease their chances of needing an organ transplant.”

2005 Donate Life Rose Parade® Float Design Joins ‘Many Families’ Touched by ‘One Gift’ of Organ and Tissue Donation; Float to Focus on How the Gift of Life Saves Lives and Strengthens Families

CHICAGO, IL, June 17, 2004 – A nationwide partnership of organizations united to inspire all people to “Donate Life” through organ and tissue donation unveiled its 2005 Rose Parade® float design today at the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) meeting in Chicago. The new float follows the highly successful launch last year of a nationwide effort to raise awareness and support of donation as a participant in America’s New Year Celebration.®

Carrying the theme Many Families, One Gift, the Donate Life Rose Parade float will feature 23 riders—representing living donors, donor family members and transplant recipients—all enjoying a sunny day in the park surrounded by symbols of life: a three-tiered water fountain, a garden bridge, an ornate gazebo, and a sturdy tree. Riders include a special honorary family plus 10 pairs of float riders who, be they directly related or sharing a close bond, illustrate how families are strengthened through the power of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. The riders will hail from communities throughout the nation, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

“Family is the core of the celebration of life, and the gift of organ and tissue donation saves, enhances and strengthens the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals and their loved ones every year,” said Bryan Stewart, chairman of the Donate Life Rose Parade Float organizing committee and director of communications for OneLegacy, the transplant donor network serving Southern California.

The Donate Life float promises to bring a distinct dimension to the Tournament of Roses Parade theme, Celebrate Family. “Donation is a celebration for not only those whose health and families are renewed by organ or tissue transplantation, but also for donor families who honor their loved ones’ legacies of caring and generosity,” said Stewart.

More than 85,000 Americans currently await organ transplants, while every year hundreds of thousands of people need donated tissue to prevent or cure blindness, heal burns or save limbs. In 2004, America celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first successful organ transplant—a miracle of modern medicine that for two generations has paved the way for hundreds of thousands of individuals and their families to enjoy longer, fuller lives together.

“The Rose Parade offers a unique setting to inspire people to make the commitment to donate life, discuss organ and tissue donation with their families, and sign up to be donors in states with donor registries,” said David Fleming, executive director of the Coalition on Donation.

Award-winning float builder Phoenix Decorating Co. designed the new float. “We're delighted to again join this special community as a contributing partner of the Donate Life float,” said Bill Lofthouse, president of Phoenix Decorating. “As a parade participant, the donation and transplantation community brings tremendous energy and meaning to the parade as they share their inspiring stories of courage and compassion in the face of adversity.”

Spearheaded by Coalition on Donation member OneLegacy, Many Families, One Gift is supported by dozens of official partners from across the nation, including organ and tissue recovery organizations, for-profit contributors, transplant centers and transplant recipient organizations.

The 116th Rose Parade, themed Celebrate Family, will take place on Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 8:00am PST featuring spirited marching bands from throughout the nation, majestic floral floats and high-stepping equestrian units.

'A Ride Across America' Kicks Off National Donate Life Month Events Throughout Southland

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 2, 2004 – Southern California is celebrating National Donate Life Month in a big way. Starting April 10 with public fanfare from the Santa Monica Pier, ten organ donors, donor family members, and transplant recipients will tackle the first-ever cross-country trip on four all terrain vehicles (ATVs) with a single purpose: to send a message to millions of Americans that organ donation saves lives.

“A Ride Across America” is the brainchild of living organ donor Kevin M. Monroe and his brother Greg A. Monroe, Lakewood and Chino Hills residents that are paying homage to their brother Elliott, a fan of off-road adventures who succumbed to kidney disease. The start of the trip was selected carefully – it would have been Elliott’s 60th birthday.

“We’ve been planning this experience for the past 18 months,” Kevin explained. “I gave a kidney to my brother, and it gave him more time to be with us. This event is about showing what families can do to support their loved ones, and how important it is for families to talk together about the decision to donate organs. One person’s organs and tissue can benefit more than 50 people – what an incredible gift to give to those individuals, their families, and their communities. Riding across America seems a small price to pay to get out this important message.”

The ATVs have been outfitted and permitted for riding on traditional passenger highways. The vehicles and their entourage are being creatively designed for maximum visibility on America's highways. When the trip is over, these unique ATVs will be auctioned to raise money to continue organ donation education.

The public is invited to join the celebration at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 10, for the launch of the trip from the north parking area at the Santa Monica Pier. Adding to the fun are local blues musicians Andy Coats, Buck Cannon, Nelsen Adelard, and the Melvin Eddy Blues Band with Lady Star, who will perform throughout the morning. The riders depart at 10 a.m. accompanied by supporting motorcyclists for the first segment of the trip. Local events will be held across the country at designated stops until the riders reach their destination at the Chelsea Pier in New York City.