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14 Oct

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California Peace Officer Heroes to be Honored on the Donate Life Float in the 2016 Rose Parade

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 9, 2015 – Families of fallen California law enforcement officers were honored today during a special Donate Life Rose Dedication Ceremony at the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento, hosted by Donate Life California, the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation and the California Highway Patrol. The families were presented with certificates and roses in honor of their loved ones’ service and sacrifice, and were invited to write dedications that will be placed with roses on the Donate Life Float in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade® held in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.

“This ceremony recognizes the tremendous role law enforcement officers have in our communities – not just in their protection of our lives and property, but through organ, eye and tissue donation as well,” said Charlene Zettel, Donate Life California CEO. “All officers who have dedicated their lives to ensure our safety are heroes for their service and sacrifice. Many also become donor heroes when they become organ, eye and tissue donors.”

CHP Officer Kenyon Youngstrom was killed in the line of duty in September 2012. He saved four lives as an organ donor and healed dozens more through his gifts of tissue.

“Kenyon believed in helping people, it’s why he wanted to work in law enforcement,” said Karen Youngstrom Simmons, Officer Youngstrom’s widow. “When he died, I knew he wanted to be an organ and tissue donor. He was a servant and felt that if his body could be of use to others when it was no longer useful to him, then he would be happy to serve. While the pain of losing him is still very real, knowing he is still helping other people is healing.”

“Every day, our officers deal with life and death matters,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said.  “It is so heartwarming to participate in this ceremony that recognizes how an officer’s ultimate sacrifice can continue to give life.”

Organ donation saved the youngest son of former Antioch police sergeant, Kelly Ouimet. Battling for his life, Matthew received a liver and a kidney transplant at just two years of age and is now an active four-year-old.

“Our lives have been greatly impacted by law enforcement and organ donation – both have defined us as individuals and as a family,” said Kristi Ouimet, Matthew’s mother. “Law enforcement officers are dedicated and compassionate people who serve their communities with integrity and sacrifice. Organ, eye and tissue donors are generous and selfless people who give others a second chance at life. I can’t think of more honorable ways to serve others.”

“Losing an officer in the line of duty is a tragedy and one that isn’t forgotten,” said Wayne Quint, Executive Director of the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation. “Organ, eye and tissue donations by peace officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice are a final act of selflessness and heroism, ensuring their legacy lives on.”

The families of the following fallen officers, in order of End-of-Watch (EOW) date, were in attendance at today’s ceremony:

Officer Stephan Gray, Merced Police Department, EOW 4/15/04
Officer John P. Miller, CHP – Dublin, EOW 11/16/07
Officer Kenyon Youngstrom, CHP – Contra Costa, EOW 9/5/12
Officer Kevin A. Tonn, Galt Police Department, EOW 1/15/13
Detective Sergeant Thomas A. Smith, Jr. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department, EOW 1/21/14
Officer Juan Gonzalez, CHP – Fresno, EOW 2/17/14
Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, EOW 3/19/14
Officer Jordan J. Corder, Covina Police Department, EOW 9/30/14

The names and biographies of all California peace officers who have died in the line of duty can be found at www.camemorial.org under the “Honor Roll” tab.

About the Donate Life Float in the 2016 Rose Parade®:

The 2016 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, “Treasure Life’s Journey,” represents the journey of new life, health and adventure that begins with every donation of organs, eyes and tissue. In their passing, deceased donors open up a world of health to grateful recipients and empower them to contribute to their families, communities and future generations. Donor families find comfort by helping life go on in a remarkable act of love and caring for people they never knew. And Living Donors heroically give of themselves to help friends, family and even strangers. Through its endless power to save, heal and enhance lives, donation is truly the journey of a lifetime. Now in its 13th year, the Donate Life Float is the world’s most visible campaign to inspire organ, eye and tissue donation.

Fast Facts from Donate Life California:

  • 22 people across the country die each day awaiting life-saving organ transplants.
  • One in five on the U.S. organ transplant waiting list lives in California.
  • All major religions support or permit organ, eye and tissue donation.
  • You’re never too old or sick to be a registered organ, eye and tissue donor.

About Donate Life California

Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Individuals can add their name to the registry by checking “YES!” every time they renew/apply for their driver license or ID card at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This ensures their desire to donate life will be carried out. A pink “DONOR” dot is added to their driver license or ID as a symbol of their decision. Individuals can also sign up online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org. As a public service, the registry ensures 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 procurement organizations (OPOs): Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services.

About the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation

The California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation whose mission is to recognize and honor California’s peace officers who gave their lives ‘In the Line of Duty’ serving the citizens of this great state, and provides support to the family members left behind. For more information, go to www.camemorial.org.

About the California Highway Patrol

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security to the people of California.

Media contact: Brianne Mundy Page, 858-220-8351, brianne@donateLIFEcalifornia.org

01 Sep

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News Press Release

Life-saving Organ Donation Surges in California

Donate Life California logo 200SAN DIEGO, Calif., Sept. 1, 2015 – Donate Life California, the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry, today announced that life-saving organ donation has increased 8 percent in California hospitals in the past 12 months, and the first six months of the year 2015 has seen an impressive 12 percent surge when compared to the past three-year average. All four California organ procurement organizations (OPOs) report increases this year, with OneLegacy (Greater Los Angeles) up 18 percent, Sierra Donor Services (Sacramento) up 14 percent, Lifesharing (San Diego) up 10 percent, and Donor Network West (Northern/Western California) up 6 percent.

“We credit this growth to the collaboration of hospitals, physicians, and their OPOs,” said Tom Mone, CEO of OneLegacy, the organ recovery organization for the seven-county greater Los Angeles area. “We all work together to help families incorporate donation into end-of-life care plans, and the OPOs have stepped up efforts to be on-site to assist hospital staff, doctors and families to Donate Life. The growth of the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry, with nearly 12.5 million registrants, has also been a major factor.”

“These increases are welcome news to the nearly 22,000 people awaiting organ transplants in California,” said Charlene Zettel, CEO of Donate Life California. “We applaud our hospitals and OPOs for their commitment to saving lives. Imagine how many more lives they could save if every Californian signed up to Donate Life.”

2012-2015 Organ Donor Statistics California’s OPOs

Organ donation surge table

Donor 2012-April 2015 Data Source: http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/converge/latestData/viewDataReports.asp; accessed 7/20/15; supplemented with May-June 2015 donor data from each OPO.

The state’s 20 certified transplant centers are currently caring for more than 23,000 patients waiting for organ transplants, which is nearly 18 percent of the U.S. transplant waiting list and well beyond the state’s 12 percent of the nation’s population. At the same time, California has one of the nation’s youngest and healthiest populations with a long life span, so organ donor potential is 21 percent lower than the country as a whole. As a result of these demographic factors, average waiting time for transplants in California is the longest in the country; a challenge that has brought the California Hospital Association (CHA) and the OPOs together to improve national organ allocation rules to reduce these long waits and save more lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Californians can register to be donors by checking “YES!” at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or by signing up at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org.

Fast Facts from Donate Life California:

  • One in five on the national organ transplant waiting list lives in California.
  • More than 29,000 people in the U.S. begin new lives each year thanks to organ transplants (about 81 transplants every day).
  • 22 people die each day because the life-saving organ they needed did not become available in time.

Contacts: Brianne Mundy Page, Donate Life California, 858-220-8351, brianne@donateLIFEcalifornia.org; Tom Mone, OneLegacy, 424-298-0229, tdmone@onelegacy.org.

About Donate Life California:

Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Individuals can add their name to the registry by checking “YES!” every time they renew/apply for their driver license or ID card at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This ensures their desire to donate life will be carried out. A pink “DONOR” dot is added to their driver license or ID as a symbol of their decision. Individuals can also sign up online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org. As a public service, the registry ensures 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 procurement organizations (OPOs): Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services.

04 Aug

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News Press Release

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Recognizes Donate Life California and 112 Hospital Partners for Efforts to Increase Organ Donor Registrations

Let Life Bloom bannerSAN DIEGO, Calif., Aug. 4, 2015 – Donate Life California and 112 California hospitals and transplant centers are among a select group of donation organizations nationwide recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for conducting activities that promote enrollment in state organ donor registries. Donate Life California and these facilities are part of the national Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL) Hospital Campaign, sponsored by HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Donate Life California, in partnership with the California Hospital Association (CHA) and California’s four organ procurement organizations, Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services, recruited hospitals and transplant centers to participate in Phase IV of the HRSA WPFL Hospital Campaign and partnered with them to plan awareness and registry activities focused on increasing the number of organ, eye and tissue donors. A number of activity and event ideas, resources and information were made available through Donate Life California’s Hospital Volunteer Toolkit. Hospitals earned points for each activity implemented between Aug. 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015 and were awarded gold, silver or bronze recognition by HRSA.

In California, 112 hospitals and transplant centers received recognition for their activities and outreach programs that inspired members of their community to join the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry: 44 earned gold recognition, 34 earned silver recognition and 34 earned bronze recognition. The participation of these hospitals represents an 84 percent increase over the 61 California hospitals and transplant centers recognized in last year’s national campaign. See the full list by state of hospitals and transplant centers recognized here.

“Programs like the WPFL Hospital Campaign are critical in raising awareness for the life-saving need for organ donation. Nearly 22,000 people in California alone are waiting for organ transplants,” said Charlene Zettel, Donate Life California CEO. “Awareness activities lead to more people registering to be organ, eye and tissue donors which will help save and heal more lives. We commend our hospitals, organ recovery organizations and CHA for their support and partnership in this instrumental program – together we continue to save lives.”

Of the 1,658 hospitals and transplant centers enrolled in the campaign nationwide, 736 were awarded recognition during this phase of the campaign. These numbers represent a 29 percent increase in enrollment and a 56 percent increase in recognition over Phase III, and, according to HRSA, are “a tribute to the work that so many have dedicated to this effort. Most important, since launching in 2011, the campaign has added more than 350,000 donor enrollments to state registries around the country, far surpassing the original goal of 300,000.”

The Hospital Campaign is a special effort of HRSA’s WPFL designed to mobilize the nation’s hospitals to increase the number of those registered as potential organ, eye and tissue donors. The campaign unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from organ procurement organizations, Donate Life America state teams, and state hospital associations. Working together, teams leverage communications resources and outreach efforts to call attention to the critical need for donors.


Donate Life CaliforniaFast Facts from Donate Life California:

  • One in five on the national organ transplant waiting list lives in California.
  • More than 29,000 people in the U.S. begin new lives each year thanks to organ transplants (about 81 transplants every day).
  • 22 people die each day because the life-saving organ they needed did not become available in time

About Donate Life California:

Donate Life California is the nonprofit, state-authorized organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Individuals can add their name to the registry by checking “YES!” every time they renew/apply for their driver license or ID card at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This ensures their desire to donate life will be carried out. A pink “DONOR” dot is added to their driver license or ID as a symbol of their decision. Individuals can also sign up online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org. As a public service, the registry ensures 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 procurement organizations (OPOs): Donor Network West, Lifesharing, OneLegacy and Sierra Donor Services.

Contact: Brianne Mundy Page, 858-220-8351, brianne@donateLIFEcalifornia.org