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Dr. Lisa Thornton interviewed Gift of Hope Director of Community Affairs Jack Lynch as part of the Walgreens Health Corner Television Series.
Click here to view their inspiring heart-to-heart talk about
organ and tissue donation.
The facts about African-Americans, donation
and transplantation
A talking outline for donor families and transplant recipients
10 easy things you can do to promote donation!
Additional resources
African-Americans are at an increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease—all of which can lead to organ failure and increase the need for organ transplants. In addition, kidney failure occurs more frequently among members of the African-American community than in any other race.
More than 26,000 African-Americans are awaiting kidney transplants—making up 35% of the national kidney transplant waiting list. To increase the likelihood of a successful transplant, a well-matched organ will often come from a donor of the same race. But a shortage of African-American donors makes it difficult to find well-matched kidneys for minority patients.
African-Americans, who make up 13 percent of the population, make up 14 percent of all donors in this country and 19 percent of all those who receive organ transplants.
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Educating the Public: Telling Your Story
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- Have your club or fraternal organization schedule a Gift of Hope guest speaker or display about organ and tissue donation.
- Scan your Rolodex for connections you may have in the community. Corporate partnerships and workplace programs are a great way for us to reach lots of people at once.
- Arrange for your company to place donation inserts in everyone's paycheck.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper encouraging people to become organ and tissue donors and explaining how to join the state organ/tissue donor registry.
- Call your local newspaper, radio and television stations and ask them to use Donate Life America public service announcements.
- Write a letter to the CEO of your local community hospital thanking him/her for the staff’s work with Gift of Hope to facilitate life-giving donation.
- Distribute donor education materials at the local block party, or have a display at a summer health fair.
- Call your local high school principal to request the school’s participation in the “Share Your Life, Share Your Decision” high-school education program.
- Contact your alma mater about distributing education materials to students or setting up a display during National Donate Life Month in April.
- Encourage your church or synagogue to participate in National Donor Sabbath, held each November two weekends before Thanksgiving.
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