NEW YORK ORGAN DONOR NETWORK RAISES AWARENESS OF ORGAN DONOR SHORTAGE DURING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 

(New York , NY ) To coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins on September 15, the New York Organ Donor Network would like to use this opportunity to raise awareness among the Hispanic population about the critical need for more organ donors and the fact that patients are continuing to die while waiting for transplants. Hispanic Heritage Month marks the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries— Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , and Nicaragua . In addition, Mexico declared its independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18

The facts about the shortage of organs for transplantation are stark:

? Of the 86,120 people waiting for organ transplants in the United States , 12,912 or 15% are Hispanic.

? Of the 8,097 people waiting for organ transplants in New York State , 1,291 or 16% are Hispanic.

? Of the 6,819 people waiting for organ transplants in the Greater New York metropolitan area, 1,237 or 18 percent are Hispanic.

The number of Hispanics waiting for organs:

Reacting to the need for more organ donors, Debbie Delgado-Vega, the founder and CEO of the Latino Organization for Liver Awareness (LOLA), a New York Organ Donor Network board member, and a liver recipient, said: “Hispanic Heritage Month is an excellent time for us to consider the critical need for life-saving organs in the New York metro area. As someone who was given a second chance to live, it is a sobering thought to realize that nearly 13,000 people of Hispanic origin are desperately waiting for organ transplants. I urge the Hispanic community to use this special month in our calendar to learn as much about organ

After receiving a liver transplant in 1996 Maria Torres volunteered for LOLA. In 1997, Maria began working for the New York Organ Donor Network as a family counselor, serving the needs of potential donor families as well as offering them the option of organ donation. Her biggest personal accomplishment is completing her first 23.2 mile marathon after the transplant. According to Maria, there should be no reason for an organ or tissue shortage. “I received that second chance. I want the same for everyone on the waiting list. The shortage of organs and tissues can be overcome with an increase of education and more importantly with the utmost care of potential donor families.”

Recently, to spread the word about donation to the wider Hispanic community, the New York Organ Donor Network announced an unprecedented partnership with six leading Latino organizations. The alliance was formed between the New York Organ Donor Network, Hispanic Federation, Inc., Latino Organization for Liver Awareness, Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives, 100 Hispanic Women, Inc., National Association of Hispanic Nurses, NY Chapter, and the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly. These organizations will reach thousands of constituents of health care executives, human resource providers, community civic and corporate leaders through increased education and grassroots programs.

To learn more about organ and tissue donation and to enroll in the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, call 1-800-GIFT-4-NY or visit www.donatelifeny.org .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ¨ Contact: Martin Woolf (212) 870-3960; mwoolf@nyodn.org