Yearly Archives: 2011

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2011 –Donate Life California (DLC), which oversees California’s organ and tissue donor registry, announced today the appointment of Charlene Zettel as the organization’s inaugural chief executive officer, effective Oct. 3, 2011. Zettel served in the California State Assembly from 1998 until 2002 and currently serves on the Board of Regents of the University of California.

“We are excited to welcome Charlene to Donate Life California as our first CEO,” said Lisa Stocks, president of Donate Life California, the non-profit organization created in 2004 to administer the state-authorized donor registry. “As we enter the next phase in our organization’s evolution, it is critical that we effect the kind of strategic outreach that is achievable with the help of a distinguished professional like Charlene.”

Stocks went on to add, “Charlene’s career encompasses not only an impressive record in executive leadership and administration of government, healthcare agencies and private sector businesses, but also years of service with various government and non-profit boards. We believe that Charlene’s passion for our mission and energy are paramount to Donate Life California’s growth as an organization.”

With more than 8.5 million Californians registered as organ and tissue donors through the state’s Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, California, with its high population, currently has more registered donors than any other state. Since the registry was introduced in April 2005, registered donors have saved more than 1,300 lives through organ donation, thereby bringing hope to the more than 21,000 Californians who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. California donors have also helped more than 75,000 people through cornea and tissue donation.

“I look forward to being part of the exceptional team at Donate Life California,” Zettel commented upon accepting the new leadership position. “Although California has more registered donors than any other state, when offered the opportunity to register as donors a relatively low percentage of Californians choose to do so. Of the 26 million licensed drivers and ID holders, only 30 percent have signed up to be organ and tissue donors.”
Zettel went on to say, “Encouraging Californians to sign up as organ and tissue donors is a critical issue for me, given that more than 20 percent of those on national transplant waiting lists are in California.”
Zettel’s career in public service began in 1992 when she was elected to the Poway Unified School District Board of Education. After serving in that office for six years, Zettel was encouraged by her constituents to seek higher office. In 1998, Zettel became the first Republican Latina elected to the state legislature.
Among her responsibilities in the Assembly, Zettel served as chairwoman of the Republican Caucus, vice chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy, and as a member of the Appropriations, Education, Health, Rules, Arts, Entertainment, Tourism & Internet Media, Transportation and Governmental Organization committees among others. Zettel was also appointed to the Select Committee on California – Mexico Affairs as well as the National Federation of Women Legislators, where she worked on the “Shoulder to Shoulder” Campaign to combat “club drugs”.

While a member of the Legislature, Charlene worked with senior citizen advocates, district attorneys and law enforcement to champion laws protecting senior citizens from abuse. She also sought to protect children with the introduction and passage of “Oliver’s Law,” which provided parents with critical information about licensed day care providers, and AB 1789, which increased penalties for child abusers.

In addition to elected state service, Charlene has served as the director of the San Diego Office of Governor Schwarzenegger, a public interest director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs as well as a board member of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Chapter of the American Red Cross and a board member of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
Raised in Los Angeles, Zettel earned a BS degree in dental hygiene from the University of Southern California, School of Dentistry. She and her husband, David, reside in Encinitas, Calif. They have been married 41 years and have two adult sons, Brent and Jeffrey.

Donate Life California administers the nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry with the support of California’s four nonprofit, federally-designated organ recovery agencies: Donor Network West , Golden State Donor Services, Lifesharing and OneLegacy. As a state-authorized public service, the registry assures that all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel.

High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.

94% of all CA donor registrations since 2006 are a direct result of the DMV and Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry partnership

Sacramento, Calif., July 26, 2011 – This month the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Donate Life California (DLC) are celebrating a five-year partnership, which has resulted in more than eight and a half million Californians registering as organ and tissue donors through the state’s Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry. California has more registered donors than any other state, which is in large part due to public education about the importance of organ and tissue donation. In addition, the DMV provides Californians the convenience to sign up as donors at the same time that they apply for or renew driver licenses or I.D. cards at the DMV, which results in nearly 7,000 DMV customers a day checking ‘Yes’ on their DMV forms to register as organ and tissue donors.

In 2008, Donate Life California implemented the Adopt-a-DMV program to increase communication between DLC and DMV employees. The goal of the program was to ensure that DMV employees understood the importance of their role in saving lives and were also able to have their questions about donation answered in an accurate and timely manner. Donate Life Ambassadors, volunteers who are typically organ/tissue recipients or donor family members, visit their respective adopted DMVs quarterly. The Adopt-a-DMV program’s success has been seen in the increased number of Californians signing-up as organ and tissue donors.

“Only one in five DMV customers was saying ‘Yes’ to donation in 2006, while today we see nearly one in three registering their decision to give the gift of life,” said Lisa Stocks, president of Donate Life California, the non-profit organization created in 2004 to administer the state-authorized donor registry. “DMV field offices are the single most important avenue to increasing the number of people that register as donors, because it is where Californians are first asked to consider becoming a donor as a part of their application process.”
Stocks went on to say, “That’s why we are so excited that on July 1, 2011, driver license application forms changed to include two check boxes specific to organ donation to further clarify the applicant’s intent: (A) Yes, add my name to the donor registry, or (B), I do not wish to register at this time. This change ensures that every time a DMV customer fills out their DMV form they will have to take a moment to think about organ and tissue donation, which we believe will lead to an increase in registered donors.”

Of the 26 million licensed drivers and ID holders, only 30 percent have signed up to be organ and tissue donors, which means that 70 percent of California drivers have not yet made the decision to designate themselves as donors.

If the number of people saying ‘Yes’ to register as donors increased by just one percent, that would mean that 85,000 additional Californians would be added to the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry.
Since the registry was introduced in April 2005, registered donors have saved more than 1,300 lives through organ donation, thereby bringing hope to the more than 21,000 Californians who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. California donors have also helped more than 75,000 people through cornea and tissue donation.
“Our partnership with Donate Life California has made a difference in thousands of lives, and, within our own DMV family,” said George Valverde, director of the DMV. “We have seen the lives of our own employees personally touched by organ donation – some have donated organs to loved ones, received transplants themselves or are still in need of life-saving donations.”

Every time Californians check ‘Yes’ to register as donors when they apply for or renew their driver license or identification card, they are potentially saving lives. DLC thanks the millions of Californians who have made the decision and commitment to donate by signing-up on the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry.
Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry which records the decision to donate in a secure, confidential database that is searched by authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel at the time of an actual donation opportunity. It is administered by Donate Life California and California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organizations: Donor Network West , Golden State Donor Services, Lifesharing and OneLegacy. As a state-authorized public service, the registry assures that all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized organ and tissue recovery personnel.

High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 4, 2011 – Donate Life California (DLC), which administers the organ and tissue donor registry in California, announced today the launch of its first educational program geared at helping high school students make informed decisions about signing up to become organ and tissue donors when applying for their first driver licenses. The launch coincides with National Donate Life Month, which was established in 2003 to encourage and educate Americans throughout the month of April about the importance of becoming organ and tissue donors.

As with young drivers in other states, California teenagers obtaining their first driver licenses are presented with the question, “Do you wish to register to be an organ and tissue donor?” To ensure students have the knowledge they need to make an informed decision, DLC has produced an 11-minute educational video and accompanying teachers’ guide suitable for use in high school classrooms. The video, titled “Your Decision to Donate,” features California high school students who have either received a transplant, are on the waiting list, or have had a family member become a donor.

“Most of the information that teenagers now receive about organ and tissue donation is from dramatic TV shows that too often advance plotlines at the cost of accuracy,” said Lisa Stocks, president of DLC. “Our educational materials have been developed in an effort to give teenagers accurate information so they can make a confident decision about their opportunity to save lives as registered donors.”

According to DLC data, young drivers (between the ages of 15 and 19) have been less likely to register as organ and tissue donors than those 20 to 49. Clerks at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) report uncertainty or fear about the donation process among teenagers and their parents when it comes to the donation question on the driver license application. In a statewide telephone survey, 84 percent of self-identified organ donors and 63 percent of non-donors supported organ donation instruction in high schools, with 47 percent strongly in support.

In keeping with the goal of preparing students to make informed donation decisions, DLC is sponsoring state Assembly Bill (AB) 1118 (John A. Pérez), which would require 15 minutes of donation education in high school science or health classes. In addition, DLC has entered a partnership with the Driving School Association of California, which will institute the DVD and Educator Resource Guide in all classes conducted by member driving schools.

DLC has developed these educational tools at no cost to the state, and with generous contributions from the Kaiser Foundation, Astellas Pharma US, Inc., the Donate Life Run/Walk Committee, the Donor Network West ’s 2010 NKF U.S. Transplant Game team (Team NorCal) and Employees Community Fund of Boeing. The instructional materials are available to schools at no charge.
California has the largest state donor registry in the country with more than eight million designated donors. But it also has the largest waiting list with more than 21,000 transplant candidates. Californians lag behind most of the nation when offered the opportunity to register. Of the 26 million licensed drivers and ID holders, only 30 percent have signed up to be organ and tissue donors. In 2010, only 27.4 percent of DMV customers checked ‘Yes’ on their forms to register as donors.
Despite the state’s lower donor registration rates, the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry plays an increasingly essential role in saving and healing Californians in need of organ and tissue transplants. In 2010, one in four recovered organ donors and one in four recovered tissue donors were registered donors. Since the registry was founded in April 2005, donors who had registered prior to death have saved more than 1,300 lives through organ donation and healed more than 75,000 through cornea and tissue donation.

High concentration of Azithromycin in infected tissues is also caused by the fact that phagocytes and macrophages transport it to the site of infection and release in the area of inflammation. Azithromycin is prescribed in case of illness or injury at the time.