National Minority Donor Awareness Month, NMDAM, is a collaborative action of the National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Multicultural Action Group (NMAG) that aims to create a positive culture for organ, eye, and tissue donation to save and improve the quality of life of diverse communities. National Minority Donor Awareness Month stems from National Minority Donor Awareness Week, founded in 1996 by the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), to bring heightened awareness to health disparities, and organ donation and transplantation’s impact in minority communities with a primary focus on African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American communities.

Our voices are united to address the number one problem in transplantation: the gap between the demand for organ transplants and supply of donated organs. The waiting list currently stands at more than 100,000 with more than 60% representing racial and ethnic minorities. Even though a record number of 42,889 people, including more than 20,000 racial and ethnic minorities, received the gift of life in 2022, the gap remains staggeringly high. Since April 2023, nearly 15,000 people have received transplant. On average, 17 people die every day waiting for a transplant.

The need for donation and transplant is more pronounced in minority communities where disproportionately higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease contribute to organ failure, especially kidney failure. African Americans are three times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.2 On average, African American/Black transplant candidates wait longer than non-Black transplant candidates for kidney, heart and lung transplants.3 These healthcare disparities are part of the need for National Minority Donor Awareness Month education and outreach to help heal and save lives in our communities. With these efforts and approval of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Board of Directors, a new policy has been established to allow more African American/Black candidates to be eligible for transplant.

During National Minority Donor Awareness Month, national organ donation organizations elevate the need for more organ, eye and tissue donors within multicultural communities, provide donation education, encourage donor registration, and promote healthy living and disease prevention to decrease the need for transplantation. National Minority Donor Awareness Month is another important effort to promote the positive messages that are necessary for minority communities to make the decision for organ, eye and tissue donation.

Legacy of Hope is celebrating this month with a gospel celebration infused with personal testimonies connected to organ donation on August 18, 2023 at The Guiding Light Church. We will also share a series of social media posts highlighting donor families, transplant recipients and the impact of organ, eye and tissue on multicultural communities. In Alabama, 68% of those waiting for a kidney transplant are Black Americans. Overall, 67% of those waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in Alabama are from a multicultural community. “The need is great and it

Contact:
LaToya Bishop, PhD, MPH Multicultural Educator
Legacy of Hope
LaToyaRBishop@legacyofhope.org
205-731-9200
LaToyaRBishop@legacyofhope.org

It is important that we recognize the unique qualities of each community,” states LaToya Bishop, PhD, Multicultural Educator, Legacy of Hope.

How do we increase organ, eye and tissue donation in the community? Legacy of Hope encourages people to become educated, to register their decision to donate and to share their decision with their family and friends. “Education and awareness are the key to solving this problem,” states Dr. Bishop.

National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Multicultural Action Group (NMAG) is comprised of the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT), The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), Donate Life America (DLA), Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the Transplant Life Foundation, the American Kidney Fund and The Links, Incorporated. Our goal is to save and improve the quality of life in our racially diverse and ethnic communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye, and tissue donation. The National Minority Donor Awareness Month Toolkit is available for download and public dissemination on June 1, 2023 at nmag1.org and DonateLife.net. Donation infographic handouts, printable flyers, web banners, and general social media graphics are available in both English and Spanish. Please use hashtag #NMDAM when sharing and supporting National Minority Donor Awareness messages and information on social media. You can register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at your local DMV, or in the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org or in your iPhone Health App.

1 Data from Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) data as of May 12, 2023, https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/
2 National Kidney Foundation, as May 12, 2023, kidney.org
3 SRTR Risk Adjustment Model Documentation: Waiting List Models, accessed May 12, 2023,

https://www.srtr.org/reports-tools/waiting-list/

About Legacy of Hope
Legacy of Hope, Alabama’s Organ & Tissue Donation Alliance, is a non-profit organization federally designated to evaluate and procure deceased donor organs. Founded in 1979, Legacy of Hope is a mission-driven organization that builds broad-reaching alliances to educate people about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation, and inspire them to become donors. Visit

LegacyofHope.org.
Follow us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram @legacyofhopeAL.