P.E.I. launches new push for organ donation called Make it Zero

P.E.I. has launched a new campaign to encourage Islanders to become organ donors called Make it Zero, as part of National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness week. 

There are currently 18 people waiting for an organ transplant on P.E.I. and the province wants that number to someday be zero.

"It just helps so many people — it can change someone's life, it can save someone's life," said Angela Carpenter, the province's organ and tissue donation and transplant manager, speaking with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. 

"But then it also affects their families as well, their communities, so it can have a really big impact." 

The recent tragedy in Saskatchewan involving the Humboldt Broncos prompted many Islanders to become donors. Since the crash, registrations have doubled from 400 to 800, Carpenter said. 

Driver's licence method to be phased out

Last spring, the province launched an online donor registration form, making it easier for Islanders to become organ donors. 

Almost 30,000 Islanders documented their wishes using the new form — 78 per cent of those indicated they want to be an organ donor, the province said. 

Now, Islanders can visit makeitzero.ca and watch a video series about the importance of being a donor, then sign up.

Nine out of 10 Canadian provinces including Prince Edward Island now have a web-based intent-to-donate registry. P.E.I.'s registry will be linked to the new provincial health card, while the red heart currently found on the driver's licences will be phased out by the end of 2019.

And if you see public buildings lit up in green or people wearing green ribbons — that's because green is the colour for organ donation and the province is encouraging people to give organ and tissue donation the green light.  

"We would like to have every eligible Islander register to be a donor," said P.E.I. Health and Wellness Minister Robert Mitchell in a written release.  

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