Database Law Leads to Increase in Organ Donor Registry
The number of California residents listed on the state's organ and tissue donor registry has more than tripled from 280,000 to more than 860,000 since the online database of organ and tissue donors was linked to the Department of Motor Vehicles in July 2006, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The registry, called Donate Life California, hopes to enroll 15 million of the state's 23 million licensed drivers by 2012, according to Tracy Bryan, president of the organization. Bryan said she expects the registry to include one million California residents sometime after Jan. 1.
DMV spokesperson Mike Miller said the agency currently is enrolling about 5,000 people daily.
Under a state law (SB 689) that took effect last summer, DMV collects information on potential donors and links it to the state's central database, which is operated by four regional not-for-profit organ and tissue registries.
About 20% of the 94,000 people nationwide who need an organ transplant live in California (Lin, Sacramento Bee, 12/28/06).