Gift of Life Michigan is proud of the many Senators and Representatives who work to support organ and tissue donation initiatives.
For nearly twenty years, Congressman Dave Camp has been a champion for organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Washington D.C. Congressman Camp’s staff has worked closely with the Association for Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) offices and the National Kidney Foundation to make sure that the legislation he supports is well written and effective.
On November 9, 2006, Congressman Camp was awarded the Gift of Life Foundation’s Community Service Award. Read his acceptance letter here .
Some of his recent efforts include:
- Congressman Camp was an active supporter of The Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act and he worked within the U.S. House of Representatives to assure the bill’s passage. “Tragically,” he stated, “our nation is suffering from a shortage of organs while the waiting list for an organ transplant continues to grow. This bill will make it easier for prospective donors to give the gift of life.” The law, signed in 2004, provides new resources to increase donation, including financial support of living donors, expanding states’ public education and outreach efforts, and awarding grants to coordinate activities of hospitals and organ procurement organizations.
- The Kidney Care Quality and Improvement Act was sponsored by Congressman Camp in 2005 and the bill would provide education and support of patients entering end stage renal disease.
- The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act was also introduced last year. Transplant recipients, who are neither Medicare aged nor disabled, receive their immunosuppressive drugs under Medicare Part B for only three years post-transplant. Congressman Camp’s bill would extend drug coverage for these patients. “While Medicare will pay for another expensive transplant or costly dialysis, it makes far better sense to extend Medicare coverage for the anti-rejection medication,” he stated during the bill’s introduction. Gift of Life Michigan has actively supported this bill.
Congressman Camp’s Gift of Life Foundation Community Service Award.
Archives of past Spotlight features.
State Representative Joe Hune
State Representative Joe Hune recently received the Gift of Life Foundation Community Service Award. Representative Hune, a Republican who lives in Hamburg Township, sponsored organ and tissue donation legislation and has actively promoted Gift of Life.
Read the full feature.
|
2/21/06 State Sen. Laura M. Toy, 6th District, welcomes WXYZ TV Channel 7 Detroit News Anchor Diana Lewis to the Capitol to discuss the importance of organ donation. |
State Senator Laura Toy
State Senator Laura Toy is a steadfast supporter of organ and tissue donation. She has really taken the message to heart – give so others can live!
In 2004, Senator Toy sponsored legislation to create the Michigan Organ and Tissue Donation Education Fund.
Click here to learn about the fund.
Proceeds from this fund will be distributed by the Chronic Disease Division of the Michigan Department of Community Health to promote the donor registry.
In February of this year, Senator Toy invited Diana Lewis, co-anchor of WXYZ-Detroit’s Channel 7 News, to speak before the Senate. Ms. Lewis featured her Senate presentation on multiple newscasts that day reaching an estimated 800,000 households in the metropolitan Detroit area. Senator Toy met Ms. Lewis at an event the previous fall, where they both received awards from the Donate Life Coalition of Michigan for their work to spread the word about organ and tissue donation.
Read Senator Toy’s press release here.
Thank you, Senator Toy, for your efforts on behalf of the more than 3,000 Michigan residents waiting for a life-saving transplant!
