TDOS and Tennessee Donor Services Team Up for Life

Nashville, Tennessee — The Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) and Tennessee Donor Services (TDS) will host Donor Designation booths at driver license service centers during the month of April in recognition of National Donate Life Month. The public awareness campaign is designed to educate the public about organ and tissue donation.

The campaign enlists the expertise of Tennessee Donor Services staff and volunteers who will provide organ donor information at driver license centers in Davidson, Knox, Hamilton and Washington counties.  TDS representatives and driver license examiners will answer questions on how Tennesseans can register to become an organ and tissue donor, as the Tennessee Department of Safety “teams up for life” with Tennessee Donor Services.

Tennesseans can register to be an organ donor by simply CHECKING YES on the application when applying for, or renewing a driver’s license.  Everyone who registers the day of a Donor Designation event will receive a free “Donate Life” back pack from Tennessee Donor Services.

“We are proud that our long-standing partnership with Tennessee Donor Services is making a difference in the lives of hundreds of Tennesseans waiting for life-saving transplants,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell.

Currently, there are 2,000 Tennesseans and nearly 98,000 people nationwide who are the waiting list for a life-saving transplant.   Approximately 23 percent of the state’s licensed drivers have registered as an organ and tissue donor.  Our goal is to reach and maintain over 50 percent of licensed drivers in Tennessee as registered donors by the end of 2008.

“As a result of our partnership with the Department of Safety, we have been able to register more Tennesseans than ever for organ and tissue donation,” said Lisa Clark, Senior Public Education Coordinator for Tennessee Donor Services.  “Through TDOS help we believe we will achieve our goal of having 50 percent of licensed drivers in Tennessee as registered donors.”

Tennesseans can register their consent for donation at any TDOS Driver License Center, or with Donate Life Tennessee at www.tndonorregistry.org.  For those who have previously registered as a donor through TDOS, Donate Life Tennessee will help them fulfill their desire to donate by adding them to the Tennessee Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.   State law requires that every time an applicant renews a driver license, he or she must mark YES on the application to be a registered donor.

Donor Designation booths will provide organ and tissue donor information at the follow locations and times during the month of April.

Knox County

West 40                         207 Center Park Drive        April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29        10 a.m-2 p.m.
Strawberry Plains        7320 Region Lane              April 7, 14, 21, 28            10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Davidson County

Hart Lane                      624 Hart Lane                      April 2, 16                          10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Hamilton County

Bony Oaks                     6502 Bonny Oaks               April 7, 14, 21                   10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Red Bank                       530 Cherokee Blvd.           April 8, 22                          10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Washington County                                            

Johnson City                 4717 Lake Park Dr.            April 7                                 10 a.m.-2p.m.

 

For further information contact: 
Lisa Clark
Senior Public Education Coordinator
Tennessee Donor Services
(865) 588-1031
(865) 250-1950 (Mobile)