Employers Across New York Show Heart

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 10, in celebration of New York's 4^th annual Organ Donor Enrollment Day, launched and led by LiveOnNY, thousands around New York will be given a gift, an extra 15-minute break during their work day. Employers providing the extra time are encouraging employees to use that time to do something important, learn more about the lifesaving power of organ and tissue donation, and consider registering as donors. 

The unusual move by employers is expected to provide an extra spark for the historically successful Organ Donor Enrollment Day. On Enrollment Day, New Yorkers across the state come together to register as many organ donors as possible. Now in its fourth year, Organ Donor Enrollment Day inspires individuals and organizations to spend one day focused solely on educating and enrolling people to save the lives of the 120,000 Americans – nearly 10,000 of whom live in New York – currently waiting for a life-saving transplant.

After setting a New York state record for the most number of organ donor enrollments in one year with 517,000 in 2017, New York is on-pace to deliver 20% more enrollments in 2018 and set a record again. Enrollment Day is expected to not only contribute thousands of enrollments on the day, but to also bring needed attention to the cause that will likely inspire registration for days and months after the big day.  

In addition to the 15-minute break, there will be a variety of activities taking place around the area. For example, both the City of Yonkers and the Town of Ossining will be holding press conferences on Organ Donor Enrollment Day featuring families who have been directly impacted by organ donation. Additionally, many area transplant centers and hospitals will be participating in Organ Donor Enrollment Day.

For many of the hundreds of volunteers who participate, Organ Donor Enrollment Day is deeply personal. For example, recent liver recipient Andy Brattain will be out registering as many New Yorkers as possible so that those currently on the waitlist can have the same second chance at life that he received. While donor mother Carmen Hanchard will be using Organ Donor Enrollment Day to celebrate and honor the legacy of her late son Clarence who donated and saved lives.

"Organ Donor Enrollment Day is about helping New Yorkers, who overwhelmingly support organ donation, take the important step of registering as a lifesaving donor," said Helen Irving, CEO & President of LiveOnNY. "I am happy to see so many of our neighbors coming together for a fourth year in a row to save lives and bring hope to the nearly 10,000 New Yorkers who are waiting for a transplant."

Every 18 hours a New Yorker dies waiting for an organ transplant. A contributing factor to this statistic is that there are not enough residents registered as organ donors.  92% of New Yorkers support organ donation.  However, despite having one of the fastest growing registries in the country, just 32% are registered. Powered by LiveOnNY, Organ Donor Enrollment Day urges New Yorkers to make their support for organ donation known and register as an organ donor.

For more information about Organ Donor Enrollment Day, please visit LongLiveNY.org and follow LiveOnNY on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #DonorDay2018.

About LiveOnNY:
LiveOnNY is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation. The OPO, which was established in 1978, serves a culturally and ethnically diverse population of 13 million residents in New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Working closely with transplant centers and hospitals, LiveOnNY coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation and transplantation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the New York State Donate Life Registry.  LiveOnNY works closely with ten transplant centers, 98 hospitals, and several tissue and eye banks.  LiveOnNY is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the organ transplant waiting list in the U.S. For more information, please visit LiveOnNY.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
LiveOnNY Inquiries:
Ali McSherry, [email protected]

Media Inquiries:
Gabrielle M. Lee, [email protected] | 212-691-2800 
Jason Lee, [email protected]  | 212-691-2800
Alora Sherbert, [email protected] | 212-691-2800

SOURCE LiveOnNY

Related Links

http://www.liveonny.org/