No More Excuses. BeADonor.ca
No more lineups at your local ServiceOntario kiosk. No more downloading forms (only to have them wait patiently by the front door for the mail strike to end, but I digress). At long last, residents of Ontario can now register online as an organ and tissue donor on a new website: BeADonor.ca.
In August 2010, I blogged about the tedious and onerous process of organ donor registration in the province that existed at that time. Adding to the confusion is the widely held belief that carrying a signed organ donor card is tantamount to formal registration. It isn't, and therein lies the glitch; a signed donor card is not recorded in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's database, is often out of date, and is then subject to conflicting family wishes.
There is no cost to register. Online registration is easy, convenient, and secure. 1,500 people in Ontario are waiting for an organ donation right now. Ontario's Health Minister, the Honourable Deb Matthews, issued a challenge on Tuesday when she expressed her hope that 1,500 new people will register by the end of the week. If registering to be an organ/tissue donor has been on your 'to do' list for a while, take a few minutes and cross this one off.
Jennifer Hartman, guest blogger
