Today we are talking about the obstacles minorities on the donor waiting list may face and why. Sue Witte, social work specialist and the in-house coordinator of the organ donation program at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks more about the donor waiting list:
What obstacles do minorities face when it comes to needing an organ transplant?
Minorities really face the same obstacles as everyone else when it comes to waiting for an organ transplant. However, the waiting times for an organ can be a bit longer than for the Caucasian population because a better match is needed when the donation comes from a particular or a similar race.
Do minorities suffer from organ failure at the same rate as the rest of the population?
Well, some minorities suffer from illnesses such as diabetes or hypertension more than others and that puts them at a greater risk for organ failure.
In general, are minorities less likely to donate the organs of a loved one who has passed?
In the past we have seen that minorities have had a lower consent rate for organ and tissue donation. However, nationally we have been working with HRSA (Human Resources and Services Administration) on a collaborative to increase the organ and tissue donation across the nation, and we’re really beginning to see consent rise in minority populations across the nation.
Are there certain types of illnesses that occur more often in a minority population that cause the need for transplantation?
There are certain populations that are more susceptible, and I had mentioned diabetes and hypertension. Another one is heart disease. The hypertension and diabetes do cause kidney failure and so the African-American population, for instance, is more likely to need a kidney transplant due to those—diabetes and hypertension—being present in their race.
Are there steps minorities can take to become part of the organ donor waiting list?
They should take the same steps as everybody else. And if they would happen to need an organ, their doctor would list them on the United Network for Organ Sharing’s national waiting list.
When it comes to the actual organ donor waiting list, there is not a separate list for minorities. Why do they tend to be on the waiting list longer?
Race is not necessarily an important factor; however, better matches occur when the donation comes from a particular race or ethnicity, and so it is important for everyone to realize the need to help somebody who might be waiting on the list that’s from their ethnicity. It’s not necessarily always a factor, but it can help with the match.
As the coordinator of the donation program for UI Hospitals and Clinics, is every family that could donate asked equally, or does a language barrier sometimes stand in the way of asking families to participate in the organ donor program?
Every family of a person deemed an appropriate candidate based on national criteria and University of Iowa Hospitals’ policy is approached equally, regardless of race. We do have onsite interpreters available or who are on-call to assist if language happens to be a barrier. But we try to approach any person who meets the criteria to be an organ donor to give them that opportunity.
Who makes the decision about who gets a donated organ and where it goes?
Someone who needs an organ transplant is listed by their physician at a transplant center and joins the national United Network for Organ Sharing’s list. This list is accessed by the local organ procurement organization when an organ is available. And that’s based on height, weight, blood type, and some medical criteria. A list is printed out on who is sickest in the nation and who matches that particular donor.
So through the United Network for Organ Sharing and through your local transplant center and organ procurement organization, and it automatically prints out who is sickest in the nation that might be a match.
If anyone is interested in becoming an organ donor when their time comes, what do they need to do now?
I think it’s so important if at the time of your death you would like to help out somebody else, to make sure that your family knows your wishes so that there are no surprises and your family is aware of what you would like to have happen at the end of your life.
Second, we encourage everyone who’s either getting a new license or renewing their license to say “yes” when asked about organ donation so that there’s a “Y” on their license in the event that we need to find that license at the time of their death. However, since licenses sometimes don’t arrive at the hospital, we encourage people to go on the Iowa Donor Registry and register themselves as a donor. You can do that by visiting www.iowadonorregistry.org or call 877-366-6742. Anyone can help somebody by organ or tissue donation by saying “yes.” |
