AUGUST 2, 2011

28 percent more signups in July than one year ago

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's initiatives aimed at promoting organ donation in Michigan, which for years has been ranked one of the worst states in the nation in terms of organ donor registrations, are paying off, according to the numbers.

For the third consecutive month since Johnson launched her "RESTART the HEART: Same Goal. A Whole New Beat" campaign, registrations have seen a double-digit increase.

July alone saw a 28 percent increase over July 2010 with 37,153 people adding their names to the registry. June saw a 25 percent leap over June 2010 and May saw a 20 percent jump in registrations.

In April, Johnson directed branch employees, time permitting, to ask customers if they would like to sign up on the registry.

"Simply asking the question is making a difference because, given the opportunity, many people support the idea of organ donation and are willing to say yes to the gift of life," said Johnson. "Watching the numbers climb these first few months has been rewarding because we know it will save lives, but Michigan has a long way to go."

Michigan is ranked 44th in the country in terms of registrations with 2.2 million residents registered as donors--less than one-third of the state's adult population. Each organ donor has the potential to save eight lives and enhance the lives of as many as 50 patients.

Lisa Langley, executive director of the Michigan Eye-Bank, a charitable, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of sight, strongly supports the new approach by the Secretary of State.

"This new policy offers a convenient way for residents to make their donation wishes known," Langley said. "Too often, people have expressed confusion on how to join the registry. Secretary Johnson and her staff are making it easy for people to do what they have wanted to do all along--help save or improve the lives of others through organ, tissue and eye donation. Finally, we have a system that works in Michigan!"

Rich Pietroski, chief executive officer for Gift of Life Michigan, the state's organ donor program, said he is very grateful to Secretary Johnson and branch employees for the boost to the donor registry.

"Secretary of State employees deserve to be recognized for their work to help save the lives of the 3,000 Michigan residents who need an organ transplant," Pietroski said. "The rise in donor registrations illustrates the crucial role Secretary of State branch workers play in giving new hope for people needing these precious gifts. And the increase demonstrates the generosity of the citizens of our state."

Other recent efforts by the Secretary of State to increase organ donor registrations include placing reminders on widely used forms and on a checklist for customers at busy branches, providing links to the registry on more of the Department of State's web pages, forming an advisory committee of experts to develop recommendations and encouraging donation via social media.

Johnson said any residents interested in joining the registry may sign up at the Secretary of State website at www.Michigan.gov/sos. Doing so only takes a minute or two. Signing the back of your driver's license does not enroll you in the registry.

For more information about organ donation and the Secretary of State's Office, visit the website above and sign up for the official SOS Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/Michsos, and Facebook updates, www.facebook.com/Michigansos.

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For media questions, please call Tracy Ward at (517) 373-2520.