September is DMV Appreciation Month, and we encourage you to thank DMV employees for the lifesaving role they play in the lives of more than 7,000 Pennsylvanians waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. They are, quite literally, the key to registering organ and tissue donors in Pennsylvania. Our DMV partners at PennDOT are the people on the front lines of service who have helped register nearly 50%, or almost 5 million, Pennsylvanians as donors.

During the covid-19 pandemic, the critical role DMVs play in registering Pennsylvanians to be donors has never been clearer. This year, due to the pandemic, fewer people have visited the DMV and registered as organ donors. We have a lot of work to do to catch up.

While PennDOT centers have reopened, not all Pennsylvanians are ready to visit the DMV in person. The good news is that you can complete many DMV tasks online, and if you are not a registered organ and tissue donor, you can register online at donatelifepa.org — it takes less than 5 seconds.

During what has been a challenging and unprecedented year, we all have an opportunity to unite around the critical public health issue and help save and heal lives through donation. Nearly all Pennsylvanians say they support donation, but less than half of them are registered. If you are not an organ and tissue donor, we urge you to register today, and if you are registered, thank you and please encourage others to do the same.

Susan A. Stuart

O’Hara

Howard M. Nathan

Philadelphia

Susan Stuart is president and CEO of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education. Howard Nathan is president and CEO of the Gift of Life Donor Program.

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