New York, NY. October 31, 2008 : The New York Organ Donor Network is calling on all religious communities in the greater New York metropolitan area to add thousands of names to the New York State Donate Life Registry during the 13th Annual National Donor Sabbath in November.
“In 1978, there were less than a thousand people on the national waiting list,” said Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the Donor Network. “The only organs recovered for transplants in New York City in those days were kidneys. Now we are faced with the alarming news that for the very first time, the number of people awaiting organ transplants in the United States exceeds 100,000. To coincide with National Donor Sabbath, it would be a blessed and relevant undertaking for our faith communities to support efforts to increase donor registry enrollments.”
During National Donor Sabbath, which is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, houses of worship throughout the greater New York metropolitan area are asked to spread the message about organ, eye and tissue donation each in their own fashion, from handing out New York State Donate Life Registry brochures to including sermons about donation in their services featuring guest speakers such as recipients of the Gift of Life.
The Donate Life Registry, which was launched in July, records the legally-binding consent of New Yorkers who wish to be organ, eye and tissue donors. Those in New York State’s old registry, which recorded “intent” to donate, will need to re-enroll to be in the new Donate Life Registry.
“As the number of people on the national waiting list for an organ transplant reached 100,000 for the first time, the number of organ donors in New York decreased and is now lower than it was at this time last year,” said Karen Cummings, a Donor Network public and professional education specialist “The challenge is literally to engage the entire community, especially the leadership in our efforts to increase the number of organ, eye and tissue donors in our region. This must be everyone’s concern and every New Yorker can make a difference.”
Reviewing the educational role the Donor Network has played over the years, Ms. Cummings identified a number of faith-based projects and collaborations that were particularly successful:
A federal grant that was awarded to the Donor Network that led to the creation of an African- American clergy project and led to the creation of a resource manual by the late Peggy LeGrande, Ph.D., entitled Beyond the Traditional Boundaries of the Gospel-Extending Life by Setting Trends: Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness. Following the success of this grant, the initiative expanded on a national scale.
An education series about specific religions and donation that was published in the Donor Network’s On the Beat newsletter written by prominent New York religious leaders such as Cardinal Egan, Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Rabbi Dr. Moshe D. Tendler, Sheikh Omar S. Abu-Namous and Uma V. Mysorekar, MD, FACOG, president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America.
The New York Organ Donor Network was among the first organ procurement organizations in the United States to receive an endorsement from its local Catholic Archdiocese.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NATIONAL DONOR SABBATH: Contact Karen Cummings at 646-291-4454 or kcummings@nyodn.org
MEDIA:Contact Martin Woolf at 646-291-4460 or mwoolf@donatelifeny.org
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