Alberta Health Services (AHS) has launched a new public awareness campaign and revealed a new name for its provincial donation program during National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week, April 21-27.
All the Ways is a series of video and print ads showing creative methods of informing loved ones about your decision to donate organs and tissues. While the campaign’s tone is light-hearted, the goal is to normalize talks about deceased donation. Grieving families faced with the difficult decision to donate often find it easier if they know what their loved one wanted.
The Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Program is now Give Life Alberta. The new name is a call to action for Albertans to register their intent to donate online at GiveLifeAlberta.ca and to tell loved ones about their decision. Albertans can also continue to register to donate at motor vehicle registry offices. Signing the back of your Alberta Health card is still accepted, although not preferred over online registration, and families must be informed in case the card is lost.
“The Government of Alberta is proud to support this life-saving program and campaign,” says Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health. “Increasing donation rates will reduce wait times for transplants and allow seriously ill patients to get back to life.”
One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and a tissue donor can save or dramatically improve lives for up to 75 people. While Alberta marked another record year – with 273 organ and tissue donors in 2023 — there are almost 300 people waiting for life-saving transplants in our province. Last year, nearly 50 people on the wait-list died.
