WINDSOR, ONT. -- We’re nearing the end of Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, and Windsor Regional Hospital is encouraging the public to register and be a donor.
“It’s so easy to register,” says Steve Erwin, manager of corporate communications.
“Something we told people is it’s a lockdown. You’re going to be home more often. This takes two minutes on your phone or laptop.”
Erwin says the numbers are up locally, despite the pandemic.
Windsor has a 32 per cent registration rate, up from 20 per cent in 2014.
From April 2019 to March 2020, there was a total of 11 donors who helped save 19 lives.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, 14 donors saved 37 lives.
“Just go to be beadonor.ca. All you need is your health card and two minutes of your time,” says Erwin.
Despite the improved numbers, Windsor is still below the provincial average.
According to Trillium Gift of Life Network, the city ranks 152nd out of 179 Ontario communities for registration rates, while Essex County ranks 71st.
