fbpx

National Minority Donor Awareness month highlights need, provides information on organ, tissue donation

nmdam-2020_instagramad_registerme

Ann Arbor, MI – More than half the men, women and children waiting for a life-saving organ transplant are people of color, yet people in multi-cultural communities sometimes are more reluctant to sign up as organ donors.August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month

Gift of Life Michigan, along with Detroit Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), Donate Life America and several other organizations hope to change that. August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month, a collaborative effort by the National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Multicultural Action Group to save and improve the quality of life of diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye, and tissue donation. Established as a week-long recognition in 1996, it has been extended this year with the goal of bringing heightened awareness to donation and transplantation in minority communities and encourage people to lead healthier lives.

“These are important conversations to have,” said Dorrie Dils, CEO of Gift of Life Michigan. “The need for organ, eye and tissue donations within the multicultural communities is great and we, as an organization, are dedicated to reaching out to provide education, hope and healing.”

The move to a virtual recognition was created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also highlighted some of the health disparities and challenges faced by ethnic minorities. Like health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, the coronavirus is more likely to affect minority populations.

“If the corona virus has taught us anything, it’s that we are all in this together,” said Remonia Chapman, community outreach manager at Gift of Life Michigan and director of Detroit MOTTEP. “It is important for us to speak in one voice, with one vision, to save and improve lives.”

The are more than 100,000 people on the national waiting list and, of those, more than 60 percent represent racial and ethnic minorities. In Michigan, there are nearly 900 African American patients on the waiting list, as well as 88 people of Latinx descent and 62 Arab Americans as of July 1, 2020. Minorities tend to face a longer period of time on the waiting list because, while transplants can be successful regardless of ethnicity of the donor and recipient, the chance of long-term survival may be greater if the genetic background of the donor and recipient are closely matched.

During National Minority Donor Awareness Month, national organ donation organizations will highlight the need for more organ, eye, and tissue donors within multicultural communities, provide donation education, encourage donor registration, and promote healthy living and disease prevention to decrease the need for transplantation. Gift of Life Michigan will host Facebook live talks, share stories of recipients and donors alike and foster education on social media feeds.

“We’re trying to reach people where they are at, to engage them in this conversation,” said Chapman.

For more information, visit golm.org/lets-talk, or visit the Gift of Life Facebook page.

National Minority Donor Awareness Month infographicNational Minority Donor Awareness Month infographic, page 2

Read More Posts

More than 100 staff at Munson Medical Center gathered to celebrate their upcoming Hospital of the Year Award - many of them came in on their day off to join the celebration.

Munson Medical Center Named Hospital of the Year by Gift of Life Michigan

Munson’s John Stanifer, MD and ICU Manager, Eric Jean also to be recognized. Gift of…

Read More
children holding hands

Can a Living Person Donate a Liver?

The liver is an important organ. It filters toxins out of your blood. You can’t…

Read More

Can You Donate Your Placenta?

The placenta is a one-of-a-kind organ that plays a significant role in pregnancy. It assists…

Read More
A happy family

What Tissue can be Donated?

There are several tissues that one can donate to save lives. This includes cornea, tendons,…

Read More
Dr. Bedi, Rachel Kuntzsch and Sarah Scantamburlo are new Gift of Life Governing Board members

Gift of Life Michigan announces new board members

New board members will bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the table Gift of Life…

Read More
2023 was a record year for Gift of Life Michigan with 578 organ donors and 1,858 tissue donors

Gift of Life Michigan smashes record for organ donors in 2023

More than 213,000 people join Donor Registry Gift of Life Michigan helped a record 578…

Read More
Scroll to Top