BALLSTON SPA — On March 27, the Saratoga County Clerk’s Office announced that the county’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices are teaming up with the New York Alliance for Donation during Donate Life Month. The goal is to increase enrollment in the New York State Donate Life Registry.
Donate Life Month is a national month-long observance aimed at raising public awareness of the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donation, as nearly 10,000 New Yorkers currently wait for transplants.
During the entire month of April, the three Saratoga County DMV locations in Ballston Spa, Clifton Park and Wilton will be encouraging New Yorkers to learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and the impact it has on thousands of New Yorkers.
New York has the third high- est need for donors in the country, yet the second lowest percentage of registered donors.
Out of approximately 10,000 New Yorkers on the waiting list, over 1,800 have been waiting for transplants for more than 5 years. Each year, an estimated 500 men, women and children in the state die due to the shortage of donors.
In honor of Donate Life Month, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution to support and promote organ and tissue donation awareness. A special Donate Life flag, starting on April 1, will be raised through the month above the Saratoga County Municipal Building at 40 McMaster Street in Ballston Spa.
Saratoga County residents age 16 and older can enroll in any Saratoga County DMV office by signing the organ donor consent certification. This can be found on the forms used to apply or renew a driver license or non-driver identification card.
Additionally, New Yorkers can show their support for organ and tissue donation by purchasing custom license plates from the DMV. They can also show support by making a voluntary $1 contribution to organ transplant research, edu- cation and donation promotion projects by checking off the box on their drivers’ license or non-driver identification application or renewal form.
Saratoga County residents and all New Yorkers can enroll in the Donate Life Registry electronically through the state Department of Health website: www.health.ny.gov.
