The Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) will join with Donate Life Tennessee to designate the month of February Show Us Your Heart! month. Over the course of the month, select driver license service centers will be giving out chocolate hearts to customers who check “Yes” to join the state’s organ and tissue donor registry.
“We are pleased to join Donate Life Tennessee in the Show Us Your Heart! campaign,” Michael Hogan, Director of Driver Services and Homeland Security said. “As thousands of Tennesseans wait for a lifesaving transplant, we hope people will take notice and take action to sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.”
Currently only 35% of Tennessee’s licensed drivers have said “yes” to organ and tissue donation, and documented their decision on the Tennessee Donor Registry. Donate Life America and each state is striving for a national average of 50% of licensed drivers to be listed on state organ and tissue registries.
“Our ongoing partnership with TDOS is a key in saving more lives through transplantation,” Lisa Clark, TDOS liaison with Donate Life Tennessee said. “The driver license process is the easiest and best opportunity for residents to legally document their decision to be a donor on the Tennessee Donor Registry.”
Over 117,000 people are currently on the national waiting list for a lifesaving transplant. Out of that number, more than 2,500 live in Tennessee. In an effort to educate the public and call attention to the great need for donors, Donate Life Tennessee representatives and volunteers will be located in various driver license service centers throughout the state during February providing information to customers.
Tennesseans can register to be an organ donor by checking "yes" when applying for or renewing their driver’s license or state ID. A red heart is placed on the driver license and ID, signifying them as an organ donor.
For more information on organ and tissue donation visit www.DonateLifeTn.org or call toll free 877 552-5050.
Donate Life Tennessee is a non-profit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry, administered by the state’s two organ procurement organizations (OPO), responsible for facilitating the donation process in Tennessee: Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation. The Donate Life Registry assures that all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized OPO personnel.