In response to the study, The Links, Incorporated and Roche pharmaceutical company will distribute thousands of conversation starter guides at organ donor awareness church events nationwide on National Donor Sabbath, November 13.
"The need in the African American community is especially great since 27 percent of the people on the organ transplant waiting list are black; more than double their representation in the general population," said Dr. Devon John, assistant professor in transplant surgery, New York University Medical Center. "Marking your driver's license is not enough in most states; family members are routinely consulted about donating a loved one's organs after that person dies."
The group also will launch a nationwide public service announcement campaign highlighting this crucial step to becoming a donor.
"If everyone who wanted to be a donor shared that wish with his or her family, we could save thousands more people every year through organ donation," says Victoria Dent, Linkages to Life program chair for The Links, Inc. and director of community relations, Upstate New York Transplant Services. "Misconceptions about organ donation still prevail, so we are working with Roche to empower our community with facts and tools to make a difference."
