MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Saturday, June 6, is World Transplant Day, a chance to raise awareness about the lifesaving impact that organ and tissue donation can have. 

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, nearly three million people in the state are registered donors.

But recently, both here and nationwide, the number of people taking themselves off of the list is growing.

Over the last 10 months in Wisconsin, more than 4,600 people have removed themselves from the registry -- a concerning trend for Colleen McCarthy, who is the vice president of organ and tissue donation at Versiti Blood Center.

"But what we saw starting last year in Wisconsin, and actually across the country, were people removing themselves from the registries at the highest rate we've ever seen," McCarthy told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. "That tells us that there is a breakdown of trust in donation."

She cited medical mistrust and widespread misinformation as some of the main reasons for the decline.

"People do have a fear that, you know, will the hospital and the nurses do everything they can to save your life?" McCarthy said. "And the answer is yes."

In Milwaukee County, only 36% of first-time drivers are donors. People ages 55 through 59 in the county are most likely to be registered, with 44% of them signed up. 

"Organ donation is another important decision in healthcare as well, so for people that are considering it, I think it's so important to think about the incredible legacy that you can leave for your family," McCarthy said. "Every time someone takes themselves off that registry, or when somebody makes a decision to not be a donor, that means that there's going to be less transplants and more people dying on that national transplant waiting list."

Currently in Wisconsin, nearly 1,500 people are waiting for an organ transplant.

If you want to become a donor or learn more information, click here.