Our Partners

Together we can save lives in Texas

Donate Life Texas and our partners work together to amplify our message and save more lives. We believe Texans have the right to accurate, factual information about tissue, eye and organ donation to make the decision that’s right for them.

Our partners include the 17 donation agencies in the state of Texas that guide donor families through the donation process and provide clinical services to recover, process and transport donor organs, corneas, and tissues. They’re also active members of the donation community, committed to educating the public about the need for donation and the importance of registering to be a donor. Learn more about them below.

Organ Procurement Organizations

Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) are, by law, the only organizations that can perform the life-saving mission of recovering organs from deceased donors. To meet the needs of Texas communities, the state is served by three regional OPOs: LifeGift, Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA). Each organization has a dedicated service area to serve the people in those designated geographies. All three OPOs collaborate and work together across the state on community education and outreach.

The expert teams at our Texas OPOs are caring and compassionate people who give hope to families facing a devastating loss through the opportunity to donate organs and tissues to patients in need. They work closely with donor families throughout the donation process and provide the clinical services needed to recover, prepare and transport organs to those awaiting a life-saving transplant. One of their key roles in the donation process is to support and guide grieving families who have chosen to honor the legacy of their loved one’s decision to give the gift of life. OPOs and their staff are active champions of donation, inspired and driven by their shared mission to save and heal lives.

OPOs are required to meet rigorous industry requirements and adhere to the highest ethical standards. OPOs are certified by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) following regular performance assessments.

LifeGift

LifeGift

Serves 109 counties in the Houston area, and north and west Texas

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Southwest Transplant Alliance

STA

Serves 89 counties in central and south Texas

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Texas Organ Sharing Alliance

TOSA

Serves 58 counties in northern, central and southern Texas

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Texas OPO services areas

Each organization has a dedicated service area to serve the people in those designated geographies.

Select your county to find your OPO.

LifeGift Service Area

Texas Organ Sharing Alliance Service Area

Southwest Transplant Alliance Service Area

LifeGift Service Area
Texas Organ Sharing Alliance Service Area
Southwest Transplant Alliance Service Area

Tissue and Eye Donation Agencies

There are 14 additional organizations serving Texas that provide tissue and eye recovery services. These organizations are responsible for recovering corneas and tissues for transplantation and often work alongside organ procurement organizations that specialize in the recovery of donated organs.

The teams at these organizations share hope with grieving families by guiding them through the donation process of recovering, preparing and providing donated corneas, bone, skin, tendons, heart valves and other tissues for transplantation. While organs need to be transplanted as soon as possible following recovery, the gifts of tissue and eye donation are able to be transplanted over the course of days, months or years.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates tissue and eye banks. The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) accredits and certifies eye banks. Tissue banks are accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). Specific accreditation and certification status is available directly from each organization.

Shriners Children

Help others during your lifetime

We’re often asked if joining the Donate Life Texas registry includes living donation, blood or bone marrow donation or willed body donation. It doesn’t – donor registration means agreeing to donate your tissues, eyes and organs after death. These opportunities to help others during your lifetime are worthwhile causes, and if you’re interested you can get more information through the links below.

Living organ donation

Some people choose to donate an organ, usually a kidney or part of their liver, while living. You can learn more about living donation and find additional links here.

Bone marrow donation

Bone marrow is a living donation that helps patients with blood cancers and diseases. Learn more through Be The Match, the national organization that manages bone marrow and adult stem cell donation.

Blood donation

Donated blood is needed to help with surgeries and emergency care on an on-going basis. Many organizations manage blood donation in Texas, and you can find more information through America’s Blood Centers.

Veterans

The U.S. Department of Defense established the DoD/USU Brain Tissue Repository to advance traumatic brain injury (TBI) research. Their mission is to better understand the effects of traumatic brain injury and promote overall brain health of the warfighter. Using the best science, they support our service members and their families to help care for our military personnel after a head injury. Find out more at SPARC.

Willed body donation

Willed body donation, or whole body donation, is the gift of a person’s entire body after death to help promote research, science and learning. This is separate from your tissue, eye and organ donor registration with Donate Life Texas.

Willed body donation needs to be pre-arranged directly with the organization accepting donations. In most cases, you can both donate your organs and tissues and then also donate your body to one of these programs. You can find more information about willed body donation from the American Association of Tissue Bank’s non-anatomical gift program.

Life Tree Anatomical

LTA is the only non-university based willed body program approved by the State of Texas’ Anatomical Board.  To learn more, call 512-402-8533; visit www.lifetreeanatomical.com or view their brochure here: Life Tree Anatomical brochure v6.

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