Volunteering to be a
living organ donor is a generous act. Living kidney donors are preferred because of the improved
success rate of transplantation. Living kidney donors may either be related
or unrelated to the recipient. The option for a donor swap increases the
likelihood of obtaining a living donor transplant and reduces the waiting
time for a suitable donor. This is often the only option for a transplant
prior to starting dialysis.
Donating a kidney is a major decision, and no one should feel pressured
into acting as a living donor. Potential donors should be sure to carefully
consider their decision.
You can sign up to be a deceased organ donor when you receive or renew
your driver’s license. One donor can save the lives of up to nine people.
Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) is a local, federally designated
organ procurement organization responsible for facilitating organ donors
in Louisiana. Their educational and outreach programs have led to increased
organ awareness.
Tulane Transplant Institute has been selected by the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in the
Increasing Organ Transplant Access Model which aims to increase access to life-saving transplants for patients living
with end-stage renal disease and reduce Medicare expenditures. This model
focuses on providing incentives to transplant hospitals to increase transplantation.
What's your legacy? It could be helping to safe a life by registerting
to be an organ donor at
Donate Life America. More than 100,000 people are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Transplants
rely on the generosity of organ donors, and there are not enough donors
to meet the need.
