New York Organ Donor Network Raises Awareness for National Minority Donor Awareness Month

( New York , NY ) July 22, 2005--Nearly 90,000 people across the United States are on a waiting list for an organ transplant.  More than 44,237 of them -- nearly half -- are from minority populations.  In the New York metro area alone there are 8,214 people on the transplant waiting list---4,505 of which are minorities.  Because of the dire need for organs, the New York Organ Donor Network has declared the entire month of August as being National Minority Donor Awareness Month.  The special month is an extension of National Minority Donor Awareness Day, which is celebrated on August 1st.

The New York Organ Donor Network, the organ procurement organization that serves the Greater New York metropolitan area, says that there is still a large gap between people who support organ donation and those that actually consent when approached to decide on behalf of their loved ones. 

The Donor Network's data shows that last year in the Greater New York metropolitan area, a total of 308 people consented, via their next-of-kin, becoming organ donors upon their death.  With a consent rate of 47%, it means that less than half of the families approached agreed to donation.  Nationwide, the consent rate is 55 percent.

Of the 308 consents in the New York metro in 2004, Hispanics had the highest consent rate with 52%, followed by whites (50%), blacks (41%), and Asians (29%).  The consent rate measures the number of people within each racial or ethnic group that agrees to organ donation. 

“In a geographic area defined by its diversity, we depend on New Yorkers of all ethnic backgrounds to do their part,” said Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network. “We are encouraged by the consent rates of our Hispanic community and we hope that this will convince other groups to meet and exceed those numbers.”

Ms. Berg added: “With organ and tissue donation, individuals have the unique opportunity to make a decision that will live on long after they have gone.  Every New Yorker can impact the lives of so many people: the person waiting for a transplant and their family, as well as the donor's family.  It doesn't matter who you are or where you live in the Greater New York metropolitan area.  You can change the world by becoming an organ and tissue donor.”

The Donor Network explains that the month-long awareness campaign is designed to reach out to all minority-based racial and ethnic groups.  The objective is to promote healthy living and disease prevention, and to increase the number of people who enroll in the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, sign organ and tissue donor cards, have family discussions and actually become donors.  While the need for organ transplants is widespread throughout all racial and ethnic groups, many of the conditions leading to the need for transplant, such as diabetes, occur with greater frequency in minority populations.  

The need for minority donors is critical. For example:

· African Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but 35 percent of patients awaiting a transplant.

· Hispanic/Latinos represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but 17 percent of patients awaiting a transplant.

In a positive move to bridge the gap, numerous community groups have lent their support to the Donor Network's efforts to reach out to minorities on the topic of organ and tissue donation including: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta, The Links, The Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives, The Hispanic Federation, Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc., Latino Organization for Liver Awareness, 100 Hispanic Women, Inc., National Association for Hispanic Nurses, Tzu Chi Foundation, the Albert Einstein School of Medicine Bronx Faith and Medicine Program.   And New York City borough presidents

As yet another example of the Donor Network's efforts to reach out and educate another ethnic group -- New York 's Chinese community -- the nonprofit agency has formed a consortium together with Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center for a three-year research HRSA grant.  The specific objective is to improve the rate of organ donation in the Chinese communities in New York City .  HRSA's culturally sensitive research project will assess the effectiveness of two types of interventions in the community: a grassroots education program versus mass media campaigns.  Preliminary findings show that the region's Chinese community has a favorable attitude toward organ donation.

National Minority Donor Awareness Day originated with the Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) at Howard University in Washington , D.C.  The public education program was first recognized in 1996 by President Bill Clinton.  

Clive O. Callender, M.D., founder and principal investigator of MOTTEP said, "It is extremely important that everyone, but especially minorities, become aware of the importance of signing up to become a donor and the steps that they can take to decrease their chances of needing an organ transplant."

For more information about organ donation, and to enroll in the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, visit www.donatelifeny.org .

Media Contact: Martin Woolf at 646-291-4460 or mwoolf@nyodn.org .