Women's Club Donates To Victims Resource Center

Ann Adams

By BONNIE ADAMS badams@leader.net
 Saturday, January 03, 2004 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





Luzerne County ranks near the bottom among Pennsylvania's counties when it
comes to the percentage of people willing to donate their organs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's not one of the top performers and I'm not sure why that is," said
John Green of the Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gift of Life coordinates organ donations in eastern Pennsylvania, southern
New Jersey and Delaware. The Gift of Life has a waiting list of 4,300 people,
many of whom need kidney transplants. "Their chance at life is through
transplant," Green said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said the best indicator of prospective donors is the number of people
who designate themselves as donors on their driver's license or state
identification card. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The county is 61st out of 67 counties for the percentage of those
designating themselves as prospective donors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As of June, 36.01 percent of Luzerne County residents had done so. That
percentage represents 84,155 of 233,714 drivers, according to Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation records. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Surrounding county percentages include: Lackawanna, 40.15; Wyoming, 42.6;
Carbon County, 39.04; Susquehanna, 44.98 percent; Columbia, 39.39; and
Sullivan, 43.25 percent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Green said some people have misconceptions about being an organ donor. He
said they might think they are too old or that their religion doesn't support
the practice. He said Gift of Life's oldest donor - age 85 - provided a liver
for transplantation. Last year, 25 percent of the organization's donors were
at least age 60. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some people believe that emergency personnel might not do everything
possible to save their lives if they are organ donors, which is not the case.
"We hear that a lot," Green said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said that, overall, people are generous in the tri-state Gift of Life
region. He said Luzerne County hospitals support the program, but the
organization would like to increase its educational efforts for county
residents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Centre County has the highest percentage of people willing to donate organs
- 51.47 percent. Green said that's likely due to the proximity of Penn State
University's main campus and the abundance of young people. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They see the value of becoming a donor and wanting to help other people,"
he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bonnie Adams, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7241. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ON THE NET: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Gift of Life Organ Donor Program Internet Web site is located at
www.donors1.org. The organization may be reached at (800) DONORS-1. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

County Not Organ-donor Friendly 
Residents Need More Information About The Program, Says Official, Who Isn't
Sure Why Area Ranks Near Bottom Of State's Counties.

County Not Organ-donor Friendly Residents Need More Information About The Program, Says Official, Who Isn't Sure Why Area Ranks Near Bottom Of State's Counties.