New York News

New York Makes It Easier To Sign Up To Be An Organ Donor

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published May 27, 2016 at 4:07 AM EDT

A new law in New York state aims to make it easier to sign up to be an organ or tissue donor.

The measure, signed into law on Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, will ask anyone signing up for coverage through the state's health insurance exchange if they'd like to register as a donor.

Currently, only one in four eligible New Yorkers is registered. That's the second lowest participation rate in the nation.

The law's sponsor, Sen. Kemp Hannon, says nearly 10,000 people in the state are on now on a waiting list for available organs or tissue.

# # #

Tags

New York News Organ Donation

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

See stories by Dave Lucas