WHEREAS, Commonwealth law enables residents to donate their
organs and tissues by selecting this option to become a donor
when applying for or renewing their drivers' licenses or State
identification cards and also allows relatives to consent to the
donation of organs and tissues of a deceased family member; and
WHEREAS, A vital component of the continuation and
advancement of organ transplantation is the recovery of donor
organs and tissues; and
WHEREAS, The lifesaving work of transplant team medical
professionals and researchers of improving surgical techniques
and antirejection drugs has resulted in significantly increased
success rates for organ transplantation; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth is a national and international
leader in the field of donation and transplantation, but the
number of people in need of transplants far exceeds the number
of organs and the amount of tissue available; and
WHEREAS, Despite the progress made in this Commonwealth's
organ and tissue donor awareness program through the efforts of
the Department of Health and Department of Transportation and
the Commonwealth's two organ procurement organizations, the
Center for Organ Recovery and Education and Gift of Life Donor
Program and their partnering hospitals and exceptional health
care workers, the growing demand for donated organs and tissues
for transplantations represents a public health issue that
merits action; and
WHEREAS, In order for this Commonwealth to remain a leader in
organ donation and transplantation, it is necessary that the
pronouncements and public policies of State government both
encourage and promote organ and tissue donation; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of April 2016
20160SR0337PN1696 - 2 -
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