National Minority Donor Awareness Month

Observed nationwide every August, National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM) provides an opportunity to:

• Create a positive culture around organ donation and transplantation among racially and ethnically minoritized populations
• Bring awareness to the donation- and transplantation-related disparities that exist among these communities

Organ Donation and Transplantation Across Race and Ethnicity

The need for organ transplants affects all communities but disproportionately affects minoritized communities. More than 60% of the 100,000+ people waiting for an organ, eye, or tissue transplant in the United States are racial and ethnic minorities, including Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander Americans.¹

This disparity may be due in part to decades of systemic racism, which have resulted in poorer health outcomes, including higher rates across several health conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease), increasing the need for lifesaving transplants.² For example, the prevalence of end-stage renal disease is 4x higher among Black Americans and 2x higher among Hispanic and Native Americans, compared to White Americans.³  

"As a black woman I am aware of most racial disparities. However, to learn that minorities are at a disadvantage of receiving lifesaving organ transplant is very disheartening. My journey for bi-lateral lung transplant consisted of 5 years, 3 different hospitals, and 2 waiting list. Those years were very hard, scary, and long. Doctors advised me to prepare for death without transplant. I would hate to think my journey was as long because of the color of my skin when everyone deserves an equal chance at living a healthy life. Since transplant I am thriving. I am able to live my life as I never thought I would ever be capable of living again." - Tiffiany Mullings, lung transplant recipient

Importance of a Diverse Donor Registry  

While most Americans support organ donation, only 50% are registered donors.⁴ Further, minority populations continue to be underrepresented in the donor pool, with White people comprising nearly 70% of donors in 2023.⁵ While shared ethnicity is not required for matching donors with recipients, shared genetic backgrounds can help increase long-term survival when matching a donor and a recipient.⁶

Empowerment, Education, and Donation

The founding purposes of NMDAM are to:

• Educate minoritized populations about organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation
• Encourage conversations about diversifying donation and donor registration
• Promote healthy living and disease prevention among these communities

Several resources to support NMDAM’s mission include:

• Understand Donation, including the types of donations and the organs and tissues needed for transplants
• Patient Resources (English and Spanish available) on the donation and transplantation process
• Read and Share Stories of Hope from successful donors and donor recipients
• Sign Up to Be an Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donor to provide lifesaving organs to those who need them.

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to live a full, healthy life. To achieve this most basic measure of fairness, the organ transplantation process must make reforms. More education and information sharing about organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation across all communities is needed.

References

¹ Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN). (n.d.). National data. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Accessed August 5, 2024. 
² National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). (n.d.). NCHS Data Query System. Coronary heart disease. HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Accessed August 7, 2024. ; NCHS. (n.d.). National Health Interview Survey, summary health statistics for adults 2019-2023. HHS, CDC.    
³ National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (n.d.). Incidence, prevalence, patient characteristics, and treatment modalities highlights. HHS, National Institutes of Health, United States Renal Data System database.
⁴ Healthcare Bureau. (2019, February). 2019 National Survey of Organ Donation Attitudes and Practices: Report of findings. HHS, HRSA. , pp. 23–24.
⁵ OPTN. (n.d.). Accessed August 5, 2024. 
⁶ OPTN. (2024, March). Organ donor statistics. HHS, HRSA.