Donation Essentials Blog
Local Hospitals, Families and Donors Help Save Record Number of Lives Through Donation in 2019
2019 Most Successful Year Ever Recorded for Organ and Tissue Donation – Colorado and Wyoming
Donor Alliance, the federally designated non-profit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation in Colorado and most of Wyoming, recorded the most successful year the region has ever seen in 2019. In fact, Donor Alliance 2019 was record-breaking!
There were 596 lives saved through organ donation and transplantation and thousands more saved and healed through tissue donation!
Each day, our staff works tirelessly to save the nearly 2,000 lives in our region waiting for a lifesaving transplant while also supporting the families of donors that lean on us to honor their loved one’s heroic decision to become a donor. – Sue Dunn, Donor Alliance President and CEO.
Record-Breaking Year: Organ Donation & Transplantation
Through the generous gifts from organ donors and their families, Donor Alliance facilitated more organ transplants than ever in 2019.
There were 19% more organ donors in 2019 compared to the previous high set in 2018, saving 22% more lives through organ donation and transplantation in 2019 than ever!
- Organ Donors – a record 191 heroic organ donors
- Organs Transplanted – donations saved 596 lives
Annual Snapshot:
| ORGAN Donation | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Local Organ Donors | 148 | 109 | 134 | 139 | 144 | 160 | 191 |
| Kidney Transplants | 241 | 176 | 226 | 233 | 246 | 268 | 325 |
| Liver Transplants | 109 | 72 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 98 | 119 |
| Heart Transplants | 43 | 37 | 54 | 54 | 43 | 59 | 63 |
| Lung Transplants | 45 | 42 | 59 | 44 | 24 | 52 | 72 |
| Pancreas Transplants | 24 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 15 |
| Small Intestine Transplant | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total Local Organs Transplanted | 463 | 337 | 428 | 424 | 407 | 489 | 596 |
The organization also facilitated the import of 18 organs for transplant and 94 flyouts.
| ORGAN Data | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Flyouts | 83 | 83 | 94 | ||
| Imports | 48 | 48 | 18 | ||
| Transplants from Imports | 81 | 80 | 142 | 167 | 130 |
In addition, 151 living donors in our community gave the gift of life..
| ORGAN Data | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Living Donors | 112 | 123 | 160 | 167 | 151 |
Record-Breaking Year: Tissue Donation & Transplantation
In 2019, there were 21% more heroic tissue donors over the highest ever year with 2,118 tissue donors, including 1,950 skin donors and 127 heart valve donors.
Through procedures like skin grafting and reconstructive surgeries, these lifesaving and healing donations will help thousands of people regain mobility and lead active lives after disease or trauma.
- Tissue Donors – an amazing 2,118 heroic tissue donors
- Tissues Transplanted – thousands saved and healed
Annual Snapshot:
| TISSUE Donation | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Local Tissue Donors | 1,177 | 1,590 | 1,674 | 1,710 | 1,752 | 1,684 | 2,118 |
| Bone Donors | 660 | 830 | 911 | 822 | 832 | 902 | 1,109 |
| Skin Donors | 1,076 | 1,386 | 1,401 | 1,320 | 1,503 | 1,512 | 1,950 |
| Heart Valve Donors | 111 | 114 | 117 | 168 | 140 | 95 | 127 |
| Joint Restoration Donors | 106 | 112 | 119 | 89 | 97 | 90 | 121 |
Record-Breaking Year: Wyoming Hits Record High Donor Designation Rate (DDR) & Colorado Remains in Position to Lead the Nation Once Again
Achieving our simple, yet powerful mission is made possible by the incredible generosity of the Colorado and Wyoming residents that have signed up to join the organ and tissue donor registry.
Colorado and Wyoming continue to maintain some of the highest donor designation rates, or percentage of individuals joining the state donor registries, in the country.
Colorado reached number one in the nation in 2018 with a 69% DDR and Wyoming set another record in 2019 at 63%, the highest rate ever for the state – both states far surpass the national average of 49%, according to Donate Life America.
- More than one million residents signed up to become donors in 2019
- There were 1,003,817 names in Colorado and 88,922 names in Wyoming added to the organ and tissue donor registries
- The donor designation rate reached 69% in Colorado
- The donor designation rate reached a record 63% in Wyoming
This support, combined with our strong hospital partnerships and mission-driven culture, helped to save and heal more lives in our region than ever before.
In addition to the incredible local support for donation, the progress made this year is also a result of a number of process improvements made through the organization’s decade-long performance excellence journey, which culminated with a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2018.
These advancements included better processes to identify and refer potential organ donors after cardiac death and streamlined communications with hospital partners to improve the timely notification of potential organ and tissue donors.
As medical advances help eligibility criteria expand, medical professionals are also able to maximize organ and tissue donation more than ever before, allowing more people to give the gift of life.
How You Can Help
Despite the year’s incredible achievements for donation and transplantation across the region, nearly 2,000 people in the area continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant.
With these patients in mind, Donor Alliance continues to tirelessly educate the public on the need for donation and collaborate closely with 115 acute care hospitals, four transplant centers, division of motor vehicles/driver services and other partners throughout the two-state area.
For more information about donation, or to sign up as an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.
