Avon Lake BMV State Runner-up for Organ Donation Registration

The (BMV) has earned accolades for helping people register as organ donors.

For the eighth consecutive year, the agency, located at 684 Avon Belden Rd., is the recipient of the Donate Life Ohio Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Front Line Award for having the highest overall percentage of people registering to become organ and tissue donors of any BMV agency in District One, which encompasses the majority of northeast Ohio. 

The agency also finished second in the state out of 203 agencies, missing first place by .9 percent.

During 2010, 72.0 percent of the men and women who visited the license bureau to obtain or renew their driver licenses or state ID agreed to being listed as donors, a 4.7 percent increase over the previous year. Those who agree will have a “heart” on their licenses.

The overall statewide average is 55 percent.

Lifebanc, the organ and tissue recovery agency for northeast Ohio, presented the award on to the agency’s Deputy Registrar, Marcia Fleming and her staff on April 12.

“The BMV has a critical role in saving lives by asking the donation question,” said Gordon Bowen, Lifebanc’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Lifebanc saved and healed more than 25,000 lives last year, and saying yes at the BMV counter to be an organ, eye and tissue donor is the first step in helping to save those lives. The community of Avon Lake supports organ, eye and tissue donation more than ever before; the percentage of registered donors is one of the highest in the state. However, the need is still great and we need more people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.”

Currently, there are more than 110,000 women, men and children on the national waiting list with more than 1,800 living in northeast Ohio. 

“The heart on your license is more than just a symbol; they have taken on the power of advanced directives to be an organ, eye and tissue donor for any Ohioan who proudly chooses to display them,” Bowen said. “The more people who say yes and become registered donors in Ohio, the greater the potential for more lives to be saved.”

The award is coordinated through Donate Life Ohio, a consortium of Ohio organizations, including Lifebanc, involved in the organ and tissue donation and transplant process.

Registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor at the BMV is free and is a way for Ohioans to give legal consent for donation at the time of their death. 

Anytime an individual renews or is issued a new driver’s license or state identification card, he or she is asked if they would like to become a donor.  If the person answers yes, he or she is automatically entered into the registry.  Additionally, the BMV manages the ability for all Ohioans to join the state registry on line, which is accessible through www.lifebanc.org.