Earlier this month, Crain’s New York Business interviewed Donate Life New York State (DLNYS) Executive Director Aisha Tator about her organization’s important work and plans to grow the New York State Donate Life Registry. Tator has headed the non-profit organization that administers the state’s donor registry for more than a decade.
The Eye-Bank has been a contributing member of the statewide organization since it was founded and works closely with DLNYS on a variety of initiatives including legislative efforts that help to increase opportunities for enrollment in the Donate Life Registry.
Photo of Aisha Tator provided by Donate Life New York State
In her interview, Tator emphasized how important donor registration is to saving the lives of New Yorkers on the organ transplant waiting list; where the progress is headed; and how DLNYS plans to address expanded access to donor registration forms at this year’s upcoming Legislative Education in May. She also explained the specific challenges that New York faces in increasing donor enrollment such as infrequent visits to the DMV, which is the primary source of donor enrollment in New York.
DLNYS is proposing a new bill to state lawmakers this year, which would enable New Yorkers to enroll in our state’s donor registry through electronic health records. Most recently, The Eye-Bank has been working in partnership with DLNYS requesting that area hospitals include the registration form in their electronic patient portals. Because the initiative has been successful at generating enrollments, DLNYS is seeking to expand it state-wide.
Congratulations to Executive Director Aisha Tator, as well as the team at DLNYS, for bringing wider attention to the importance of donor enrollment! Read the article here.