Personalized Campaigns on www.BeADonor.ca Drive More Than 50,000 Visits to Online Registry
TORONTO, July 24, 2013 /CNW/ - In April 2012, Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) launched an online program to allow Ontarians to share their experience and support for organ and tissue donation. Over the last 15 months, almost 1,000 individual and organizational campaigns have been set up to inspire Ontarians to register their consent. New data available today at www.BeADonor.ca shows that as of June 30, 2013, 2.7 million Ontarians have officially declared their intention to save a life through organ donation, an increase of 304,909 since March 2012.
"Thank you to the 2.7 million Ontarians that have registered their consent for organ and tissue donation and the more than 304,000 who signed up this past year. You are giving hope to the more than 1,400 people who are waiting for their gift of life," says Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. "I hope today's results encourage more Ontarians to join this growing movement to help save more lives across our great province."
Donor registration rates vary widely across Ontario. In the GTA, where rates have traditionally been significantly lower than in the rest of the province, every community has reported an increase over the last three months.
"The increase in donor registrations is encouraging, but we can and must do better," says Ronnie Gavsie, TGLN President and CEO. "At a 23 per cent registration rate, Ontario sits well below the U.S. registration rate of 45 per cent."
Quick Facts:
- As of June 30, 2013, there were 1,468 people in Ontario waiting for the gift of a life saving organ transplant.
- Northern Ontario has the highest rates of registration in the province, with three suburbs of Sudbury (Hanmer, Lively and Garson) reporting donor registration rates of over 50 per cent.
- Woodbridge, Concord and Scarborough are the only communities in Ontario with registration rates below 10 per cent.
- Women and younger Ontarians lead the way in organ and tissue donor registration. The registration rate among women is 25 per cent compared to a registration rate of 21 per cent among men. The registration rate among Ontarians between 20 and 39 years of age is 29 per cent, the highest compared to all other age groups.
- Ontario has made it very simple to register consent to organ and tissue donation: online at www.BeADonor.ca, in person at a ServiceOntario centre or by regular mail, download a copy of the consent form at www.giftoflife.on.ca.
- One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance the lives of up to 75 more through the gift of tissue.
Trillium Gift of Life Network is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating and supporting organ and tissue donation for transplantation across Ontario and improving the system so that more lives can be saved.
SOURCE: Trillium Gift of Life Network
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Leona Hollingsworth
Trillium Gift of Life Network
(o) 416-619-2363
(c) 416-689-7711
[email protected]
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