2008 First Place Student Essay
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2008 First Place Student Essay
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How can we address the shortage of organs for transplant patients? I feel there are several ways to remedy the shortage of organs for transplant patients, but educating society tops my list. Personally, I mistakenly thought the only requirement was my signature on the back of my driver’s license indicating “THIS IS A LEGAL DOCUMENT UNDER THE UNIFORM ANATOMICAL GIFT ACT OR SIMILAR LAWS. I hereby make an anatomical gift, effective upon my death.” I naively thought that once I passed away, my organs would be donated without complication as long as I indicated this desire on my driver’s license. It was not until I conducted research for a presentation in my career development class, did I learn the true requirements for organ donation. A new law went in to effect after January 1, 2006 called the Illinois First Person Consent Registry. Under this law, no one has the right to overrule another person’s right to donate. Prior to the inception of this law, a person could sign up to become a donor, but their family could overrule their decision to donate. Unfortunately, many families did so and still do. If I had not chosen to research the job description of an Organ Transplant Coordinator, I probably would not be familiar with the new law to this day. This brings me to question how many other people are not aware of the new law. How many families have overruled their loved ones’ wishes to donate organs? The biggest question at hand is how can we address the shortage of organs for transplant patients? Education is the answer. Educating the public about organ donation is no different than educating the public about breast, prostate, colon, or melanoma cancer or any other disease. The new public service announcement which came out in April is a great start for education; however, my concern is for elderly or low income citizens who may not have access to the Internet. These people cannot log on to the www.lifegoeson.com website. Therefore, I believe a telephone number should be made available and a staff should be designated to meet with those who wish to learn more about organ donation and assist them with the appropriate paperwork to become an organ donor and register under the Illinois First Person Consent Registry. Statistics and facts are as follows: § Nationwide 98,000 are waiting for an organ transplant (4,700 in Illinois and 900 in Indiana) § Every thirteen minutes a new person is added to the national waiting list § The average wait is 7 years § Nationwide more than 6,000 people passed away waiting for organ transplants in 2007 § The need for organs exceeds availability § Every day, 18 people waiting for transplanted organs pass away § In Illinois 3 people pass away every day waiting for a transplant § There are currently 12 million people in the Gift of Hope service area of the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. Of this figure, 25% are registered for organ donation and 75% are not registered for organ donation, a very large percentage of missed opportunities (giftofhope.org).
The vital key to remedying this crisis is education. I believe the following suggestions should be considered when addressing the shortage of organs for transplant patients:
1. Capture every opportunity to staff hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities with Organ Donation Coordinators
2. Capture every opportunity to schedule organ donation presentations in high schools, businesses, clubs, and organizations
3. Write to the U.S. Congress requesting that organ donation becomes a subject studied in high school health or physical education classes and also college classes
4. Provide hospitals with comprehensive donor identification education. This enforcement will help prevent the negative consequences of missed opportunities
5. Encourage Illinois state residents to sign consent registry
6. Encourage friends and family members to agree to donate organs of their loved ones when possible
7. Consider the financial incentive, i.e.….tax deduction. The following states offer state tax deductions and *Donor Leave Laws: Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin. *Law allows living organ donors to deduct as much as $10,000 on their state income taxes for travel, lodging and lost wages related to the donation. The law applies to donations of a liver, pancreas, kidney, intestine, or bone marrow from living donors only (transplantliving.org).
8. Emphasize public awareness through an educational task force for the Hispanic population. There is currently an African American Task Force, so why not an African American/Hispanic task force? The organ list contains 60% of the Hispanic and African American population. The kidney is an organ of demand because of the diabetes and hypertension which affects these cultures.
The most memorable fact gleaned from researching organ donation is that life does not end at death – it is just beginning for recipients of donated organs. Work Cited United Network for Organ Sharing Transplant Living your prescription for transplant Information, United Network for Organ Sharing 22 April 2008 < http://transplantliving.org/livingdonation/finacialaspects/legislation.aspx> Gammon Group Gift of Hope Gammon Group, 22 April 2008 Lori Lawson 1222 Koufax Drive Chatham, IL 62629 217-341-4970 Robert Morris College Springfield Campus |
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