Record Number of Ontario Families Saved Lives in 2014/15

Trillium Gift of Life Network reports an increase in organ donors, transplants and registrations

TORONTO, July 7, 2015 /CNW/ - In 2014/15, more Ontario families than ever were provided with the opportunity to save and enhance lives through organ and tissue donation by giving consent for their loved one to be a donor at the end of life. Trillium Gift of Life Network coordinators were involved in over 3,000 end-of-life conversations between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, providing information and support to help the family of potential donors make a lifesaving choice.

Along with generous living donors, in 2014/15 the families of deceased donors made it possible to save the lives of over 1200 transplant recipients in Ontario and enhance the lives of thousands more through tissue donation.

This information is part of new data comprising the complete picture of donation and transplant in the province, available today at www.giftoflife.on.ca/statistics. Highlights include:  

• 271 deceased organ donors helped to save the lives of 960 transplant recipients.
• 278 living organ donors helped to save the lives of a further 213 kidney recipients and 65 liver recipients.
• 1953 tissue donors enhanced the lives of thousands of Ontarians through the gift of eyes, skin, heart valves and bone.
• The provincial registration rate has reached 27 percent of the eligible population, which means 3.2 million Ontarians are now registered donors.
• Hospitals in Ontario achieved a Routine Notification Rate of 94 percent, up from 93 percent in 2013/14. These rates demonstrate that in the vast majority of cases, hospitals notified TGLN of potential donors.
• The average conversion rate, how often potential organ donors go on to save lives through donation, was 55 percent, up from 52 percent in 2013/14.
  

Quotes

"Those who register to be an organ and tissue donor have my greatest respect. I was very pleased to hear more Ontarians than ever before registered this year through www.BeADonor.ca. I am proud of these steps forward but there is still more work to be done. Have the conversation, register your consent, save a life."  
Dr. Eric Hoskins
Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care

"Thanks to the support of our partners, Ontario continues to be a leader in donation and transplant in Canada.  Unfortunately, too many still wait too long. This knowledge fuels us to do more, achieve more and miss no opportunity." 
Ronnie Gavsie
President and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network

Associated Links:

• New donation and transplant statistics in Ontario are available at: http://www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/publicreporting.htm.
• Updated registration rates by community are available at https://beadonor.ca/scoreboard.
• Notification and conversion rates, by hospital are available at: www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/publicreporting.htm
• Trillium Gift of Life Network has made it simple to register consent in two minutes at www.BeADonor.ca, or at a ServiceOntario centre when renewing a driver's licence or Ontario health card.

Trillium Gift of Life Network is a not-for-profit agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for managing 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

Image with caption: "Registered donors in Ontario, 2013, 2014 and 2015 (CNW Group/Trillium Gift of Life Network)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150707_C7782_PHOTO_EN_437225.jpg

Image with caption: "Record Number of Ontario Families Saved Lives in 2014/15 (CNW Group/Trillium Gift of Life Network)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150707_C7782_PHOTO_EN_437227.jpg

Leona Hollingsworth, Senior Media Relations Advisor, Trillium Gift of Life Network, (o) 416-619-2363, (c) 416-689-7711, [email protected]

Related Links

www.giftoflife.on.ca