Press Releases: National
February 13, 2002
Kaiser Permanente to address critical lack of donor organs
OAKLAND, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente has launched a multi-year National Donor Awareness Campaign to promote organ and tissue donation to all Kaiser Permanente physicians, employees and members. As part of this effort, Kaiser Permanente will participate in National Donor Day on February 14, by sponsoring events in California, Georgia and Maryland that inform employees about the importance of becoming a donor and to encourage organ and tissue donations.
"The key issue in transplant care today is the lack of donor organs available for the thousands of critically ill people who are awaiting an organ match," said Jed Weissberg, MD, Associate Executive Director for Quality for the Permanente Federation. Despite continuing advances in medicine and technology, the demand for organs drastically outstrips the number of life-saving transplants by a rate of nearly 3:1. "The need to increase the number of available organs is a vital public health issue; Kaiser Permanente can make a difference in helping save a life," said Weissberg.
"As part of National Donor Day, Kaiser Permanente will display literature about organ donation awareness and donor pledge cards, and provide Kaiser Permanente representatives who can answer questions from would-be employee donors," said Christy Edwards, Director, Kaiser Permanente’s National Transplant Network.
Key Facts
- On average, 114 people are added to the nation's organ transplant waiting list each day — one every 13 minutes.
- On average, 16 patients die every day waiting for an organ — one person every 91 minutes.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
