Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Organ Donation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hartford mayor, health officials urge residents to register as organ donors at City Hall event
Summary
City officials, New England Donor Services, Hartford Hospital and transplant survivors gathered at Hartford City Hall to promote organ-donor registration, present a proclamation and encourage residents to add the donor heart to their driver’s license.
Hartford officials and organ donation advocates called on residents Wednesday at Hartford City Hall to register as organ donors and to display the donor heart on their driver’s licenses.
Matt Bogaer, representing New England Donor Services, opened the event and described his nonprofit as “the federally designated organ procurement organization.” He said organ-donation registration is an important way to support the community and cited national numbers, saying “18 people die nationally waiting for that organ” and that only about 3% of deaths have the potential to become an organ donor.
The Mayor presented a proclamation commending New England Donor Services and endorsed efforts to increase registrations, saying he is “one of those people who’s got a heart on my driver’s license.” The Mayor urged partnership between the city, hospitals and the DMV to reach a goal of increasing the share of licensed drivers who opt in as donors.
A DMV commissioner at the event described the agency’s role in asking about donation during license transactions and pledged continued support for the campaign. Dr. Morgan, chief of transplant surgery at Hartford Hospital, stressed the importance of family conversations about donation and the difference living donors can make, urging people to “share your decision.”
Speakers described operational details and privacy protections: Bogaer said New England Donor Services staffs about 300 people across New England and operates a call center year-round; he added that registration data is shared only with the organ procurement organization and not with hospitals. Bogaer highlighted the partnership with the DMV and multilingual outreach materials in four languages and provided a registration option online at registerme.org.
The event included testimony from Dennis, a 16-year heart transplant survivor, who thanked donors and said he spends time in the community encouraging others to register. Organizers presented commemorative pins to the Mayor and DMV staff and concluded the remarks with a group photo.
The event focused on outreach and education; no formal policy or legislative action was taken during the gathering.
