Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday April 6 at 11:15 am, Governor Peter Shumlin will join Health Commissioner Harry Chen, DMV Commissioner Robert Ide, a Vermont man who is alive today because of a heart transplant, Donate Life Vermont, and other individuals personally touched by organ donation, to celebrate organ and tissue donation and announce April as Donate Life Month in Vermont, encouraging citizens to register as organ and tissue donors.
What: April as Donate Life Month in Vermont - Lives saved because of organ and tissue donation
- Heart recipient shares his story
- Governor awarded the Donate Life Award
Who: Governor Shumlin
Commissioner Harry Chen – VT Department of Health
Commissioner Robert Ide – VT DMV
Heart recipient
UVM Medical Center
Individuals personal touched by donation – organ recipients & donor families
DMV Staff
Donate Life Vermont
Where: Vermont State House – Governor’s Chambers
When: Wednesday, April 6th at 11:15 AM
In 2015, 719 lives were saved here in New England because of the generosity of individuals who became organ donors. Thousands more lives were enhanced through the gift of tissue donation. With the need for life-saving transplants growing every day - over 121,000 patients are now on the US transplant wait list - it is crucial to educate our communities about taking action to register as donors. The celebration commemorates those who have received or continue to wait for lifesaving transplants as well as the families of individuals who chose to be donors.
The vast majority of individuals in Vermont (95%) register to be an organ and tissue donor at the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). There are now 120 million registered donors in the United States; still, the number of people in need of transplants continues to rise. The solution to this problem is to continue educating the public about the lifesaving effects of donation and transplantation and encouraging them to sign up through their state donor registry.
About Donate Life Vermont: Donate Life Vermont is a joint project of two federally designated organ procurement organizations that serve New England – New England Organ Bank and Center for Donation and Transplant. They have come together to create a fast and easy way for citizens of Vermont and New England to register as organ and tissue donors in a secure and confidential manner. For more information, visit www.DonateLifeVT.org.