(New York, N.Y.) February 5th, 2007 - Although the organ donation consent rate among African-Americans in the greater New York metropolitan area rose by a record 11 points to 52 percent in 2006, the New York Organ Donor Network is appealing to New Yorkers of African descent to help save even more lives during Black History Month in February.

According to Donor Network data, the overall donation rate in the metropolitan area last year was the most encouraging it has ever been. Of the record-breaking total of 319 deceased organ donors, 92 donors or 29 percent were black. This was a staggering 44 percent increase over the number of black donors in the region in 2005.

Of the 1,484 organ transplants completed in the metropolitan area as of the end of October 2006, 351 patients or 24 percent were black. However, there are still nearly 7,000 people in the metropolitan area currently waiting for life-saving organ transplants. According to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), 2,329 are black. The largest need is for kidney donation: more than 2,000 black patients need kidneys in the greater New York metropolitan area.

“The message is getting through in the African-American community as to the need for organ and tissue donation but we sill have a long way to go,” said Dr. Dale Distant, the director of transplantation at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, and one of only approximately 40 African-American transplant physicians and surgeons in the nation. He is also the chairperson of the Donor Network’s board of directors.

“February is the perfect time to dispel the myths and for each family to get more educated on the facts on organ and tissue donation in our community,” Dr. Distant said. “One of the largest myths is that blacks are more likely to be donors than recipients, which is not accurate. By October 31, 2006, of the more than 24,000 patients who had received organ transplants in the U.S., more than 4,600 were black. That figure constitutes 19 percent of the total number of transplants for the first ten months of the year. This illustrates that the system of organ allocation, as administered by UNOS, is entirely equitable and based on objective factors such as who needs organs the most in order to survive. Therefore, race, ethnicity and financial status are not considered when it comes to saving lives.”

The New York Organ Donor Network invites New Yorkers to learn more about organ and tissue donation by visiting its Web site at www.donatelifeny.org. The site also offers a link to the New York Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, whereby people can enroll in the confidential database administered by the New York State Department of Health.

To participate in Black History Month: Contact Karen Cummings at the New York Organ Donor Network at 646-291-4444, or e-mail her at kcumming@nyodn.org.