2004 Press Releases

Saint Barnabas Medical Center Raises Awareness About Organ Donation

Livingston, N.J.—Each day about 68 people receive an organ transplant, but another 18 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available. More than 53,000 people in this country are waiting for kidney transplants, while less than 5,000 individuals per year donate. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated April as National Donate Life Month to help raise public awareness of the critical need for organ, tissue, and marrow donation.

"The month of April is a time to welcome spring and nature’s renewal,” says Shamkant Mulgaonkar, M.D., Chief of the Division of Transplantation of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Renal Transplant Centers. "Now, each April, Americans will be reminded of their own ability to renew life. We hope that many people will consider saying yes to organ and tissue donation by checking the box on the back of their driver’s license and discussing their decision with their family.”

In 2002, 22,741 organ transplants and more than 46,000 corneal transplants were performed in the United States, and an average of 173 transplants were facilitated each month by the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The need, however, is still enormous. More than 80,000 individuals are on the waiting list for organ transplants, and thousands need tissue and corneal transplants each year.

The Saint Barnabas Health Care System Renal Transplant Centers offer the following information about organ donation:

Who can become a donor?
All individuals can indicate their intent to donate (persons under 18 years of age must have parent's or guardian's consent).

Are there age limits for donors?
There are no age limitations on who can donate. The deciding factor on whether a person can donate is the person’s physical condition, not the person’s age. Newborns as well as senior citizens have been organ donors.

How do I express my wishes to become an organ and tissue donor?
1. Indicate your intent to be an organ and tissue donor on your driver’s license.
2. Carry an organ donor card.
3. Most important, discuss your decision with family members and loved ones.

If I sign a donor card or indicate my donation preferences on my driver’s license, will my wishes be carried out?
Even if you sign a donor card it is essential that your family know your wishes. Your family may be asked to sign a consent form in order for your donation to occur.

What can be donated?
• Organs: heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines
• Tissue: cornea, skin, bone marrow, heart valves, and connective tissue
• Bone marrow

If I sign a donor card, will it affect the quality of medical care I receive at the hospital?
No! Every effort is made to save your life before donation is considered.

Why should minorities be particularly concerned about organ donation?
Some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders and Hispanics are three times more likely to suffer from end-stage renal disease than Whites.

The Saint Barnabas Health Care System Renal Transplant Centers perform over 250 kidney transplants annually, more than any other facility in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. For more information or an appointment, please call 1-888-409-4707 or (973) 322-5938.

Date: March 26, 2004

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