TDOS & Donate Life Tennessee Announce “Show Us Your Heart Tennessee”

Wednesday, June 03, 2009 | 01:53am

Driver License Donor Designation Information Booths Planned Statewide

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) will host over 25 Donor Designation booths this month designed to educate the public on organ and tissue donation in driver license service centers across Tennessee.
 
“We are proud of our partnership with Donate Life Tennessee and “Show Us Your Heart Tennessee”, said Department of Safety Deputy Commissioner Greta Dajani. “We are truly making a difference in the lives of Tennesseans waiting for a life saving transplant.”
 
Tennesseans can register to be an organ donor by simply Checking YES when applying for, or renewing your driver’s license. A small red heart is placed on your driver license and signifies you as an organ donor.
 
“As a result of our partnership with the Department of Safety, more Tennesseans than ever will be able to register on the Donate Life Tennessee Registry,” says Lisa Clark of Donate Life Tennessee.
 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has set a goal of reaching 100 million registered donors nationwide by July 1, 2011. That’s roughly 50% of all eligible adults. To reach the goal, over one million more Tennesseans are needed to sign up to save lives. As of May 26, 2009, the actual number of Tennessee registrants is 1,249,698, which is 28% of the 4,387,883 Tennesseans with a driver’s license or state ID.
  • As of May 15, 2009, 102,247 people are on the waiting list in the United States, including 2,185 in Tennessee.
  • 658 transplants were performed in Tennessee in 2008.
  • 6,229 patients in the U.S. and 96 patients in Tennessee died waiting for a transplant in 2008.
For more information on organ and tissue donation, visit any Tennessee Department of Safety Driver Service Center or via the internet at www.tndonorregistry.org.  (A list of donor designation booths is provided on page 2 of this release.)
 
Donate Life Tennessee is a non-profit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry, administered by the state’s two organ procurement organizations (OPO), responsible for facilitating the donation process in Tennessee: Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation. The Donate Life Registry assures that all personal information is kept confidential and stored in a secure database, accessible only to authorized OPO personnel.
 
For further information contact: 
Lisa Clark                                                        Randa Lipman
Senior Public Education Coordinator                   Manager, Outreach Community Services
Tennessee Donor Services                                Mid-South Transplant Foundation, Inc.
(865) 588-1031                                                (901) 328-GIFT
(865) 250-1950 (Mobile)                                   (901) 328-4438
lclark@dcids.org                                               rlipman@midsouthdonor.org 
 
Driver Service Center Donor Designation Information Booths
DATE     LOCATION                     ADDRESS                             CITY
June 1   Anderson County              704 North Charles G. Seviers Blvd.  Clinton, Tenn.
June 2   Washington County            4717 Lake Park Dr.                  Johnson City
June 3   Knox County (West)           207 Center Park Dr., Suite 2127     Knoxville
June 4   Rutherford County            1035 Samsonite Blvd.                Murfreesboro
         Carter County                206 Cherokee Dr., Suite 3           Elizabethton
June 8   Wilson County                725 Elkins Dr.                      Lebanon
June 9   Greene County                1210 Hal Henard Rd.                 Greeneville
June 10  Sevier County                1220 Graduate Dr.                   Sevierville
         Obion County                 1604 B West Reelfoot Ave.           Union City
         Davidson County              624 Hart Lane                       Nashville
June 11  Williamson County            3830 Carothers Parkway              Franklin
June 12  Knox County (West)           207 Center Park Dr., Suite 2127     Knoxville
June 15  Shelby County (5 Locations)
June 16  Sumner County                855 N. Bluejay Way                  Gallatin
June 17  Maury County                 1701 Hampshire Pike                 Columbia
June 18  Knox County (West)           207 Center Park Dr., Suite 2127     Franklin
         Carter County                206 Cherokee Dr., Suite 3           Elizabethton
June 19  Knox County (Straw Plains)   7320 Region Lane                    Knoxville
June 22  Hamilton County (Bonny Oaks) 6502 Bonny Oaks Dr.                 Chattanooga
         Tipton County                220 Highway 51-North, Suite 1       Covington
         Haywood County Clerk         1 North Washington Ave.             Brownsville
         Washington County            4717 Lake Park Dr.                  Johnson City
June 23  Coffee County                307 Industrial Blvd.                Tullahoma
June 25  Bradley County               301 James Asbury Drive NW           Cleveland
         Sullivan County              3769 Highway 11-W                   Blountville
June 26  Fayette County               7027 Highway 64 West                Oakland
         McMinn County                150 Plaza Circle                    Athens
June 30  Lake County Clerk            116 S. Court Street                 Tiptonville
         Obion County                 1604 B West Reelfoot Ave.           Union City
         Hamilton County (Bonny Oaks) 6502 Bonny Oaks Dr.                 Chattanooga
July 1   Shelby County (Summer)       6340 Summer Ave.                    Memphis
         (Millington)                 5019 W. Union Rd.                   Millington

The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.TN.Gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.

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