Why Organ Donation is Important in the African American Community
Did you know that every 10 minutes someone in Pennsylvania is told they need a life-saving transplant. With more than 7,000 patients currently on the transplant waiting list, the need for more registered organ and tissue donors is a public health crisis – but it’s one that we have the power to change.
Community Hero Action Group is proud to partner with Donate Life PA (DLPA) for the launch their second-annual PA Donor Day on January 8th, 2021 to help raise awareness and drive organ donor registrations.
Knowing that just one person can save up to eight lives as an organ donor, we encourage you to visit DonateLifePA.org or follow @DonateLifePennsylvania on Facebook and @DonateLife_PA on Instagram to learn more about how you can register.
(The Following Data is from Gift of Life’s Website)
Multicultural Communities in Donation and Transplantation…
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Make up 60% of people currently on the U.S. transplant waiting list
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Make up 46% of people who received organ transplants in 2019
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Make up 32% of deceased and living organ donors in 2019
Organ Donation among African Americans
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29% of people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in the nation are African American.
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In 2019, 15% of the organ donors in Gift of Life’s region were African American.
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In the 25-44 year-old age group, the rate of African Americans who have kidney failure caused by high blood pressure is 20 times higher than Caucasians.
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African Americans are three to four times more likely to progress to end stage renal disease for chronic kidney disease than Caucasians
AFRICAN AMERICANS ON WAIT LIST in our region
Ways to Support Organ Donation
Gift of Life at Power 99’s Powerhouse- Nov 2018