2019 Most Successful Year Ever Recorded for Organ & Tissue Donation in Wyoming

DENVER, Jan. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Donor Alliance, the federally designated non-profit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming, recorded the most successful year the region has ever seen in 2019, helping to save a record number of lives.

The generosity of the donors and their families in the region helped to shatter several records, including:

• A record 63% of Wyomingites said Yes to donation and signed up on the organ and tissue donor registry at Driver Services, a 2.45% increase over the previous high set last year.
• 191 organ donors saved the lives of 596 people through organ donation and transplantation.
• 2,118 tissue donors provided bone and skin grafts to heal and potentially save the lives of tens of thousands of recipients in need.
• An 86% increase in organ donors – Wyoming saw an increase of 86% in organ donors in 2019.

In 2019, Donor Alliance facilitated more transplants than ever by 19%, exceeding the previous high set in 2018, and a 29% increase since 2013. In addition, the organization reported a 21% increase in tissue donors over the previous record with 2,118 tissue donors, including 1,950 skin donors and 127 heart valve donors. Through procedures like skin grafting and reconstructive surgeries, these lifesaving and healing donations will help thousands of people regain mobility and lead active lives after disease or trauma.

"Each day, our staff works tirelessly to save the 2,000 lives in our region waiting for a lifesaving transplant while also supporting the families of donors that lean on us to honor their loved one's heroic decision to become a donor," said Sue Dunn, Donor Alliance president and CEO. "Achieving our simple, yet powerful mission is made possible by the incredible generosity of the Colorado and Wyoming residents that have signed up to join the organ and tissue donor registry. This support, combined with our strong hospital partnerships and mission-driven culture, helped to save and heal more lives in our region than ever before."

More than eighty thousand Wyoming residents signed up to become donors in 2019, with 88,922 names added to the Wyoming organ, eye and tissue donor registry, showing the spirit of Wyomingites and their desire to help their neighbors. Wyoming continues to maintain one of the highest donor designation rates, or percentage of individuals joining the state donor registry, in the country. Wyoming set another record this year at 63%, the highest rate ever for the state. Wyoming's rate far surpasses the national average of 49%, according to Donate Life America.

In addition to the incredible local support for donation, the progress made this year is also a result of a number of process improvements made through the organization's decade-long performance excellence journey, which culminated with a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2018. These advancements included better processes to identify and refer potential organ donors after cardiac death and streamlined communications with hospital partners to improve the timely notification of potential organ and tissue donors. As medical advances help expand eligibility criteria, medical professionals are also able to maximize organ and tissue donation more than ever before, allowing more people to give the gift of life.   

Despite the year's incredible achievements for donation and transplantation across Donor Alliance's two-state region, nearly 150 people in Wyoming continue to wait for a lifesaving organ transplant. With these patients in mind, Donor Alliance continues to tirelessly educate the public on the need for donation and collaborate closely with the 24 Wyoming acute care hospitals, Wyoming Department of Transportation Driver Services and other partners throughout the state.

For more information about donation, or to sign up as an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeWyoming.org.

Organ and Tissue Donation by the Numbers in Donor Alliance's Service Area (CO & WY)

About Donor Alliance
Donor Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ procurement organization and accredited tissue bank for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 5.8 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. The organization adheres to medical, regulatory and ethical standards: respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the lifesaving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state's donor registry. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation.

Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States, and is also an American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) accredited tissue bank. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages.

SOURCE Donor Alliance