Campaign urges hospitals to promote organ donation

Nurse

Eight organizations have joined the Workplace Partnership for Life Campaign, a Health Resources and Services Administration federal program that encourages hospitals and health systems nationwide to promote organ donation.

Although hospitals have worked with HRSA for years to increase the number of organs transplanted in their facilities, the new effort focuses on educating and encouraging patients, visitors, members of the community, hospital staff and caregivers about the importance of joining organ and tissue donor registries to save lives.

"If we are going to increase the number of organ and tissue donors, we need partners across the country willing to deliver the message about the importance of donation," HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, RN, PhD, FAAN, said in a news release. "We all have to make strides to increase awareness of the great need for donor organs and tissues."

Although more than 100 million Americans are on registries to become organ and tissue donors, according to HRSA, additional public participation is needed with more than 112,000 on waiting lists for organ transplantation.

The organizations that recently have signed on to the campaign are the American Hospital Association, the American Society of Transplantation, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, Donate Life America, HRSA's Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice and the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance.

Campaign partners sponsor events and activities, and use or customize materials and tools such as email blasts, fact sheets, newsletter articles and Web banners available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to encourage donation in their workplace. HRSA invites public and private organizations to become partners. For more information, visit www.organdonor.gov/howhelp/workplace.html.