PHOENIX, AZ (June 11, 2007)—Orange County has more than 115,000 registered organ donors, according to Bryan Stewart at OneLegacy, the organ procurement organization for the county. California registers an estimated two million donors per year and continues to grow since their partnership with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The number of whole-body donations in the Southern California counties has also been steadily increasing. “There is an increased awareness for the need of human tissue to advance medical education and research, which has spurred an increase in registrations for whole-body donation,” said Donna Goyette, Director of Community Relations for Science Care, the first nationwide whole-body donation program to be accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks.

What is the difference between registering to be an organ donor or a whole-body donor? Organ donors provide the opportunity for their organs to be used at the time of death for a transplant into a patient waiting for a life-saving surgery. Although organ donation for transplant takes priority over whole body donation due to its direct life saving nature, organs and tissue may also be donated to an accredited non-transplant tissue bank for use in medical research and education. “These donated tissues enable physicians, researchers and others in the scientific community to make great strides in medicine which ultimately benefit all humankind,” said Mark Kartub, MD, Medical Director of Science Care, an AATB accredited non-transplant tissue bank. These are not exclusive programs, an individual can choose to be both an organ donor and a whole-body donor; however, separate registration is required.

Organ donor registration in California has been made easier with the recent partnership with the DMV which allows residents to place their donor status on their license. To register to be a whole-body donor, a call to an accredited non-transplant tissue bank, such as Science Care will allow you to be recognized as a donor and receive an official donor card. While there are restrictions when it comes to any type of organ or tissue donation, the goal is to save lives. Almost everyone can donate their body regardless of age or illness. “Restrictions for whole-body donors at Science care include HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, active tuberculosis or syphilis to protect the safety of the researchers,” Kartub explains.

Answering questions regarding your medical history is important in whole-body donation to best match tissue with the appropriate research or education program. Science Care’s donation program contributes to a wide-range of essential and innovative medical developments including advanced physician training, surgical device development and neurological research, seeking cures for diseases and new prescription drug discovery.

A key factor to both organ and whole-body donation is to share the important decision with loved ones. Although you may register to donate your organs or tissue, if your family is not aware of the decision, your wishes may not be able to be carried out.

For more information about whole-body donation, call 1-800-417-3747 or visit www.sciencecare.com.