National Donate Life Month: Facts surrounding dire need for organ donations

Mar 30 2010

With Thursday, April 1, 2010, marking the start of "National Donate Life Month," Health Net, Inc. (NYSE: HNT) is working to increase awareness regarding the urgent need for organ donations - particularly among minority populations - and also to dispute some of the misperceptions surrounding organ donation.

“The National Organ Transplant Act (Public Law 95-507) makes it illegal to sell human organs and tissues in the United States. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment.”

There is, however, no disputing the facts surrounding the dire need for donated organs. Consider these statistics from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS):

• More than 100,000 men, women and children currently require life-saving transplants.
• Every 11 minutes, another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.
• One donor can help more than 50 people.
• On average, 18 people die each day due to the lack of organs available for transplant.

The need for transplants is especially high among some ethnic minorities. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the number of Hispanics in need of an organ transplant increased 260 percent over a recent 10-year period; yet, based on current statistics, Hispanics make up only 7 percent of organ donors. The rising need for transplants among Hispanics is attributed to this population's higher incidence of diabetes and other chronic conditions. In fact, Hispanics are three times more likely than Caucasians to suffer from kidney disease.

UNOS authorities point out that transplantation success is enhanced when organ matches are made between members of the same racial and ethnic group. Although it's possible for a candidate to match a donor from another racial or ethnic group, the lack of multi-cultural donors often results in longer waiting periods for transplantation, especially in relation to kidneys which require tissue matching. Approximately 70 percent of Hispanics on the transplant list are waiting for a kidney.

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Separating myth from fact

"Although the public is much better informed about organ donation than was the case years ago, inaccuracies still persist," explains Jonathan Scheff, M.D., chief medical officer for Health Net, Inc.

For example, some wrongly believe that:

• Doctors don't save donors - Some people are hesitant to become organ donors because they fear that, in the event they personally need life-saving medical treatment, doctors won't work as hard as possible to save their life, as physicians would rather save several lives by harvesting the donor's organs.

Scheff says that nothing could be further from the truth. As he points out, "There are strict rules for separation between the doctors taking care of a patient and the transplant team doctors. In fact," he adds, "it's required by law that a declaration of death has to be made by doctors who are in no way connected to the transplant team."

• The rich and famous receive organs first - There are those who contend that celebrities and the wealthy are bumped to the top of the transplant waiting list. Consequently, they oppose becoming organ donors because they believe that the rich and famous are given priority over ordinary Americans.

"In actuality," Scheff explains, "there are very strict rules for the distribution of organs. These rules are established by UNOS, and decisions are based on need, not money or how well-known you are." Scheff notes that a host of other factors also come into play. For example, individuals on the waiting list are matched with donor organs based on: blood and tissue types; medical need; length of time waiting; as well as size and weight of the donors and recipients.

• Organs are sold for profit - Another misperception held by some is that health care providers encourage organ donations because they can then sell the organs and reap financial gain.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, not only is this untrue, but it's absolutely unlawful - "The National Organ Transplant Act (Public Law 95-507) makes it illegal to sell human organs and tissues in the United States. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment."

Steps to being a donor

"While choosing whether or not to become an organ donor is clearly a personal decision, if someone does opt to be a donor, it's important to then take the steps necessary to ensure that this decision is adhered to," says Scheff.

Those steps include:

• Signing a donor card or indicating on your driver's license that you are an organ donor. (To receive a donor card, visit www.donatelife.net.)
• Putting your decision in writing. Since laws differ from state to state, log onto www.donatelife.net to find out what your state's specific requirements are regarding organ donation.
• Informing family members that you want to be an organ donor. Making your loved ones aware of your desire to donate your organs will help ensure that your wishes are respected in the event of your death.

For more information about organ donation, go to:

www.donatelife.net

www.organdonor.gov

www.unos.org

SOURCE Health Net, Inc.

www.healthnet.com