Organ Donation is Successful in San Diego
Donation of organs and tissues has rapidly increased over the last 5 years. Here in San Diego we have several hospitals that received awards in 2007 for their success in increasing organ donation rates at their hospitals: Kaiser Permanente, Scripps Mercy Hospital, Sharp Hospital, and Palomar Hospital. That means that San Diego citizens are remembering what a wonderful gift an organ or tissue donation can be.
Almost 100,000 people in this country are awaiting organs. Organs that are in demand are kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, eyes, pancreases, and intestines. Tissues that can be used are bone marrow, skin, tendons, ligaments, heart valves, and connective tissue. Some people think no one would want any of their organs or tissues after they are done with them but the fact is that corneas and other tissues can sometimes be used regardless of your age.
You don't even have to die to be an organ donor. Many people have given family members and even complete strangers a kidney. To donate bone marrow you can register as a bone marrow donor and be put in a national registry. Here in San Diego the entities handling tissue and organ donation are Life Sharing, San Diego Eye Bank, and the San Diego County Medical Examiner.
To donate your organs upon your death, you can register your decision with the DMV. Your drivers license or ID card will have a pink "DONOR" dot printed on it. In addition you should state your wishes about organ donation in your Advance Health Care Directive. There you can specify the purposes for the donation such as for research, transplant, therapy, or education. For estate planning documents including Advance Health Care Directives, contact us at Pinkerton, Doppelt, & Associates for a free consultation. If you have a question about organ donation as it pertains to your estate plan, you can also e mail us.
