More than 110,000 Americans – including more than 2,800 Virginians – are awaiting an organ transplant, according to LifeNet Health, the agency that coordinates organ and tissue transplants in Virginia.
To commemorate National Donate Life Month and help reduce wait times for transplants, the University of Virginia Health System and LifeNet Health are teaming up from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, for an organ donor registration drive at the UVA Medical Center’s main cafeteria. A LifeNet Health representative will have donor registration forms available for anyone interested in becoming an organ donor. Virginians can also register to become an organ donor by visiting www.donatelifevirginia.org .
The number of organ donors in the United States is declining, says transplant surgeon Kenneth Brayman, MD, PhD, Chief of the Transplant Division at UVA Health System. UVA performs approximately 225 transplant procedures per year for patients needing a new heart, liver, lung, kidney or pancreas. While it’s unclear why organ donations are declining, Brayman says, the impact is clear.
“There’s a huge discrepancy between the number of people who need organs and the number of donors,” he says. “The waiting time for transplants has increased.”
Available for interviews on April 26:
A patient that received an organ transplant at UVA (available from 11 a.m.-noon) Kenneth Brayman, MD, PhD, Chief of the Transplant Division Rob Teaster, RN, MBA, CPTC, Director of Transplant Services Melissa Donovan, Transplant Coordinator
Parking for media:
Free media parking available in the 11 th Street Garage
