New York, NY. September 15, 2008 - Coinciding with the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, the New York Organ Donor Network is appealing to Latinos to exercise their right to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and register their wishes on the New York State's Donate Life Registry.
"Unlike the rest of the country, Latinos in the greater New York metropolitan area have demonstrated their support for the Gift of Life as evidenced by their consent rates," said Julia Rivera, director of communications of the New York Organ Donor Network. "In the New York region in 2007, Hispanics had a 66 percent organ donation consent rate, compared with a 55 percent consent rate for Non-Hispanics. This pattern has been consistent over the past six years.
"And, as we celebrate the Latino consent rate, we must acknowledge that many lives were lost last year because consent for donation was declined."
Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network, appealed to Hispanic political, religious and community leaders to encourage Latino communities throughout the metro area to gain a better understanding of the donation process and then to take action by adding their names to the donor registry.
"National Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to celebrate a culture passionate about life and to learn how that life can be shared with others," Ms. Berg said. "We urge Latinos every where, don't wait until a tragedy, enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry today, and give the gift of life."
The New York State Donate Life Registry, which is completely confidential and administered by the New York State Department of Health, is the recommended way of indicating one's decision to be a donor. Because it is legally binding, it means that next of kin cannot overrule those who join the registry.
"This is a level of empowerment that New Yorkers demanded of their legislators," Ms. Rivera said. "Albany listened, and the Donate Life Registry was launched in late July."
SOME FACTS ABOUT DONATION:
Nationwide in 2007, more than 3,000 Hispanics received the organ transplants last year.
While Hispanics make up approximately 14 percent of the total U.S. population, almost 16 percent of the nearly 100,000 persons awaiting organ transplants are Hispanic. Approximately 17,000 people on the waiting for organ transplants in the United States are Hispanics.
Many thousands more await tissue transplants to restore their health, mobility and sight.
Organ and tissue donation can only occur after the death of a patient has been declared by physicians who are not affiliated with the transplant recovery teams.
The organ transplant waiting list is completely blind to wealth or celebrity status.
Individuals should never rule themselves out because of their age. There have been 92-year-olds who donated their livers.
For more information and to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry, visit the New York Organ Donor Network's Web site at www.donatelifeny.org, which also offers a section in Spanish.
Hispanic Heritage Month: In 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon Johnson to proclaim a week in September as National Hispanic Heritage Week. The observance was expanded in 1988 to a month-long celebration (September 15-October 15). According to information from the U.S. Census, during this month, the nation celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.
New York Organ Donor Network: The New York Organ Donor Network is the nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization that serves the Greater New York metropolitan area. Of the 58 organ procurement organizations in the United States, it is the second largest. The Donor Network recovers organs (hearts, livers, kidneys, pancreas, lungs and intestines) for transplantation, and it seeks consent for the donation of tissues (including corneas, skin, bone, tendons and heart valves.)
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