More than 6,000 Pennsylvanians await organ transplants
Harrisburg, PA – In support of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to public health, officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Department of Health (DOH), the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE), and Gift of Life Donor Program joined together today to highlight the importance of registering as an organ donor as part of National Donate Life Month in April.
“Choosing to become an organ donor could help save a life or help to enhance the quality of life for those awaiting a transplant,” said PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services Kara Templeton. “And you don’t have to wait until you renew your driver’s license or ID card - you can add the designation any time.”
Today also marks National Donate Life Blue & Green Day. During this special celebration, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green – the recognized colors of organ donation organizations – to share the Donate Life message and promote the importance of registering as an organ, cornea, and tissue donor.
Nearly 48.5 percent of current driver’s license and identification card holders are registered as organ donors, about five million Pennsylvanians. Currently, more than 6,000 Pennsylvanians await organ transplants.
“The gift of life from just one individual organ and tissue donor can save the lives of up to eight people and you can be a part of this exponential impact by joining me in becoming a registered organ donor today,” said Cindy Findley, Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
To add the organ donor designation to an existing driver’s license or identification card, visit the Organ and Tissue Donation page on the Driver and Vehicle Services website. Once the designation is added, individuals will receive a designation card that they must carry with them until they renew or replace their driver’s license or identification card. There is no charge for adding the designation.
“In Pennsylvania, one man, woman, or child dies every 18 hours due to lack of organ donors. April is National Donate Life Month. Please consider becoming an organ and tissue donor. Your gift will bring hope to families. Donors create a legacy of life not only for the people they help, but also for themselves. Organ donation truly is a quiet act of heroism,” said Dr. Lisa Battat, a cornea transplant surgeon and Chairperson of Pennsylvania’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee. “This is why the Departments of Health and Transportation, CORE, and Gift of Life ask Pennsylvanians to learn about organ donation and consider registering today.”
Driver’s license and identification card holders, as well as registered vehicle owners, can also support organ donation programs by donating $3 to the Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund at the time of application and/or renewal. Proceeds from the fund are used to educate and promote awareness of the organ donor program through non-profit organizations like CORE and the Gift of Life Donor Program.
For more information on organ and tissue donation in Pennsylvania or to sign up to become an organ donor, please visit www.donatelifepa.org, www.core.org or www.donors1.org. It only takes 30 seconds to save a life.
Traveling by domestic aircraft on or after May 7, 2025? You will need a REAL ID-compliant product or other federally-accepted form of identification if you do. Visit pa.gov/REALID for information on how you can get a REAL-ID compliant driver’s license or identification card today.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Follow PennDOT on X and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Aimee Inama, PennDOT, ainama@pa.gov
Mark O’Neill, DOH, markoneill@pa.gov
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