UW Health hopes a new initiative to educate the public about living organ donations will have more people saying yes to becoming a living organ donor.
The Living Donor Initiative specifically wants to increase the number of living kidney and liver donors at the UW Health Transplant Center.
Last year, the transplant center served 100 living liver and kidney donors, and has a goal of increasing that total by 20% over the next two years.
“Living donation is the gift of a lifetime because a kidney from a living donor often lasts longer than a kidney from a deceased donor,” Dr. Dixon Kaufman, UW Health Transplant Center director, said in a statement. “We see the urgent need for more donors every day, which motivated us to launch this initiative.”
Over 90,000 people are waiting to receive a kidney transplant nationwide. And 11 people die each day waiting for a kidney. There are about 9,000 kids and adults on a nationwide liver transplant waiting list.
The Living Donor Initiative will expand community outreach and education efforts through educational materials to increase awareness and understanding of living donation. The team will also visit health departments, wellness fairs and other community events in Wisconsin and northern Illinois to provide education on living organ donations.
“The impact of a face-to-face conversation is priceless,” Melissa Roberts, senior director of the UW Health Transplant Center, said in a statement. “When people talk with someone who truly understands living donation, they’re more likely to see themselves as potential donors.”
The UW Health Transplant Center has served more than 4,000 living donors since 1967. It is the only transplant center in Wisconsin that performs living liver transplant surgeries in adults.
