Donate Life California
Organ & Tissue Donor Registry

Donate Life California is the private, nonprofit, state-authorized organ and tissue donor registry dedicated to saving the lives of thousands of Californians awaiting life-saving transplants. Administered by California’s four nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organizations—each responsible for facilitating the donation process in the state—Donate Life California is dedicated to giving every person awaiting a transplant a second chance at life—and ensuring that every organ and tissue donor’s wishes are respected.

Historically, while signing a donor card and placing a pink “donor dot” on a driver’s license has served as an important symbol of one’s intent to donate organs and/or tissues, it does not record one’s wishes on an actual list or registry. When launched in April 2005, California will join 33 other states in allowing its residents for the first time to officially register their commitments to become organ and/or tissue donors.

 
n Making the Donor Dot Stick

For many years, Californians have indicated their desire to donate organs and/or tissues by signing donor cards and placing a pink “donor dot” on their driver’s licenses. However, contrary to the popular belief that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) maintains a database of donors made up of those who have placed pink dots on their licenses, there is no central registry where a person’s wishes can be ascertained if the license is not available. In lieu of a signed donor card, the responsibility for giving consent for donation falls solely to the donor’s family, who may or may not be aware of their loved ones’ wishes regarding donation.

These problems will be alleviated and Californians will be given a secure, easy way to make their wishes known with the implementation of Donate Life California, an online organ and tissue donor registry authorized by the state of California and administered by the state’s four federally designated organ-procurement organizations (OPOs):

California Transplant Donor Network – Northern and Central California (39 counties)
Golden State Donor Services – Sacramento Metro Area (11 counties)
Lifesharing – San Diego and Imperial counties
OneLegacy – Greater Los Angeles Area (seven counties)

 Donate Life California will make it easier than ever to clearly and succinctly state and share one’s decision about organ and tissue donation. It is a confidential database that records the donation wishes of all state residents who choose to register. Each person who signs up on the Donate Life California registry has the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation and touch up to 50 others through tissue donation. Each registrant’s personal donation decision is stored in a secure database free of charge, so that upon a donor's death, his or her life-saving wishes can be fulfilled.

 n Legislative Background

In 2001, SB 108 (Speier) was signed into law, authorizing an Organ and Tissue Donor Registry in the state of California. However, funding for the registry and its related activities was not allocated by the bill, leaving the registry in limbo. In 2003, SB 112 (Speier) transferred the responsibility for establishing the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry from the California Health and Human Services Agency to a not-for-profit organization to be administered by the state's OPOs. In 2003, California's four OPOs―California Transplant Donor Network, Golden State Donor Services, Lifesharing and OneLegacy―established Donate Life California.

 n How Registration Will Work

Once the website is launched, Californians will be able to register online at www.donatelifecalifornia.org or www.donevidacalifornia.org. The registry will allow Californians who are at least 18 years of age to register their consent to donate specific or all organs and tissues upon their death. Electronic signatures will allow this registration to serve as a legally binding document authorizing organ and/or tissue donation as outlined in the California Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, which specifies that a document of gift not revoked by the donor before death is irreversible and does not require the consent of any other person.

 The registrant’s personal information will be kept secure and confidential, and the information will be accessible as “read only” to authorized organ- and tissue-recovery personnel only. At the time of registration, the registrant will have the option of sending an email notification to friends and family members.

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