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19 Oct

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News Press Release

Donate Life California Celebrates Successful Passage of AB 1268, Signed by Governor Newsom

New Legislation to Transform Organ Donation and Save Lives

SACRAMENTO, CA, October 16, 2023 – AB 1268, a landmark legislation that promises to significantly impact organ and tissue donation in the state, was signed by Governor Newsom. AB 1268, championed by Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), represents a crucial step forward in streamlining the organ donor registration process. This legislation makes organ and tissue donor registration more accessible and efficient for Californians. By including a checkbox on the state income tax return, individuals can now opt to become donors with ease, contributing to the growth of the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.

Assemblywoman Irwin shares, “With this new law, Californians will have the chance to help save more lives through this important program. Ensuring we have a strong organ donation registry is critical for Californians and by forging this new partnership between the Franchise Tax Board and Donate Life California we hope to potentially save more lives every year by connecting more patients in need with donors.”

Key Highlights of AB 1268:

  • Efficient Information Transfer: The Franchise Tax Board will be responsible for annually sending this information to the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry for individuals who have chosen to become organ donors. This streamlined process will enhance the accuracy and efficiency of organ donor registrations.
  • Simplified Organ Donor Registration: AB 1268 will require the Franchise Tax Board to revise the California resident income tax return to include a checkbox for individual taxpayers who self-prepare their returns to elect to be an organ donor with the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.

“Since the creation of the Donate Life California registry, Californians have taken even greater strides to help save the lives of thousands,” stated Jim Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Donate Life California. Donate Life California feels that every Californian has the power to make a difference when they sign up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor, and AB 1268 will help to create more opportunities for donation while giving hope to over 20,000 Californians who are waiting for a life-saving organ.

Facts about donation

  • Over 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for an organ transplant, more than 20,000 live in California. An organ transplant is their only remaining medical option.
  • Sadly, an average of 18 patients die every day while waiting, simply because the organ they needed was not donated in time.
  • 2022 was a groundbreaking year as more than 42,800 organ transplants were performed, and the US surpassed its 1 millionth transplant.

About Donate Life California:

Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry. As a 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 at the time of an actual donation opportunity. The registry is administered by Donate Life California and California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organizations: Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services. For more information about Donate Life California, please visit www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or in Spanish at www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.

Please visit Donate Life California’s Stories of Hope web page to read inspiring stories about organ and tissue donors and recipients from around the state.

27 Sep

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News Press Release

Governor Newsom Signs AB 1374 to Improve DMV Organ Registration Language, Increasing Donors

New Law Strengthens California Department of Motor Vehicles and Donate Life California Partnership

SACRAMENTO, CA, September 22, 2021 – AB 1374 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Sponsored by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-22), AB 1374 is a critical step in the effort to increase the number of registered organ donors in California. The new law creates a pathway to amend the language of the DMV donor registration, in the hopes of encouraging more Californians to say “yes” to organ, eye and tissue donation.
California has the longest transplant waiting list in the country, with more than 20,000 patients currently in need of a lifesaving organ. The partnership between the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Donate Life California is key to saving lives. Since 2005, the DMV has accounted for more than 95% of the 17.5 million registrations to the Donate Life California organ and tissue registry. Leaders from both organizations hailed the new law as an important turning point.
“We have long enjoyed our partnership with Donate Life California. Our joint efforts have saved many lives,” said Kathleen Webb, DMV Chief Deputy Director. “We look forward to more success registering organ, eye and tissue donors with this new agreement in place.”
“Since the creation of the Donate Life California registry, Californians have taken even greater strides to help save the lives of thousands,” stated Jim Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Donate Life California. “Every Californian has the power to make a difference when they sign up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor, and we hope our simplified partnership with the DMV helps Californians to understand the importance of that decision.”
“OPOs are proud of their work with Donate Life California and the DMV to pass AB 1374 and increase organ donation,” said Tom Mone, Chair of Donate Life California’s Board of Directors and CEO of OneLegacy, Southern California’s OPO or Organ Procurement Organization. “Our work as OPOs starts with collaboration with all 334 California hospitals who refer potential donors, then by supporting families and donors who choose to leave a life-saving legacy, medically assessing and treating every donor to maximize the number of lives saved and making sure that life-saving organs get to the patients with the greatest need. This cannot happen without advocating for these patients by supporting legislation like AB 1374 and educating communities on the importance of registration, as well as investing in science that improves transplantation, all to fulfill our commitment to advance solutions that save more lives.”
Facts about donation
• In 2020, organ and tissue donors in California saved more than 4,500 lives and improved the quality of life for hundreds of thousands more.
• 18 people across the country die each day awaiting lifesaving organ transplants.
• Approximately 20,000 people in California need a lifesaving organ transplant — approximately 19% of the national transplant waiting list.
About Donate Life California:
Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry. As a 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 at the time of an actual donation opportunity. The registry is administered by Donate Life California and California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ recovery organizations: Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services. For more information about Donate Life California, please visit www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or in Spanish at www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.
Please visit Donate Life California’s Stories of Hope web page to read inspiring stories about organ and tissue donors and recipients from around the state.

Contact:
Lacey Wood
Donate Life California
(530) 308-7046 (cell) | (916) 678-6006 (office)
lacey@donateLIFEcalifornia.org

30 Apr

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News

Transplant Nurses Week Spotlight: Corinne Reyes Mercado, RN

Corinne Reyes Mercado, a mother of three who could best be described by those who know her best as a caring, funny, and creative soul with a love of crafting. Like many of us she chooses to unwind after a long day at work watching something lighthearted that makes you laugh like The Office or Below Deck. She also enjoys taking some time to be with nature, going on long walks and taking in the beauty of the trees or rivers that are around her.
However, Corinne doesn’t have a regular nine to five career, in fact for the past twenty years she hasn’t had what any of us would call a regular job. Corinne is a Transplant Nurse working with children and adolescents at Stanford Children’s Health – Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Before becoming a transplant nurse Corinne was considering taking time away from nursing and spending more time to be with her family. But after hearing about Stanford Children’s new transplant program, her plans changed. “Something ignited in me, another surge of inspiration. I knew I had to be a part of it,” says Reyes Mercado. “It was scary but learning all this new knowledge and skills to best help our patients really just renewed my core of nursing”.
Any healthcare worker will tell you that their job has its rewarding moments, but for Corinne it’s getting to spend time connecting with the families she works with and seeing her patients get healthier. Hearing the news about her patient receiving a transplant and assisting with their recovery afterwards and then seeing them go home is the most rewarding feeling. What most people don’t think about is the other side to working in transplant, “It’s a double-edged sword, knowing that the higher up the patient gets on the waiting list, also means their health has declined,” says Reyes Mercado. “It’s hard sometimes knowing that someone else had to pass for this organ to be given to our patient. For each of my patients, I take a moment of silence before going into their room and tell myself that my intention is to help and heal. I also thank the person who donated this organ to help another live on.”
When asking Corinne what she wants the public to know about her hospitals transplant program and how organ donation affects it, she responded with “It’s a miracle really! Organ donation helps give patients a second chance at life and at healing. I wish more people would sign up to be donors. Seeing Donate Life’s informative videos just shows how amazing that one person could save so many lives.” When someone is considering registering as an organ donation, she implores people to do their research and look at the resources available to them. “Talk to the experts,” says Reyes Mercado, as a Pre-Pandemic volunteer at Donate Life’s Run Corinne is all too familiar with the organizations support and education regarding the organ donation community. She’s even seen some of her former patients while volunteering!
Before ending our interview, Corinne wished to leave us with this advice:
“I love my job, but I’m afraid for the future of nursing. A nursing shortage is being feared in the next decade, and I want people to know of the wonderful moments and achievements nursing can have. Helping people at their most vulnerable, encompasses my job and its really rewarding to help others at those moments. I hope this pandemic doesn’t deter people away from the profession. Without nurses, hospital structures would crumble without the bedside manner and support they offer.”