Healthier Communities
When the first organ, a kidney, was successfully transplanted from a deceased donor in 1962, it was viewed as a medical miracle. But transplantation quickly becomes the standard of care for people suffering from organ failure, and the growing need for transplants prompted efforts to promote and coordinate organ donation among the general population. Congress ultimately formalized a system for doing so that carves the United States into 58 distinct areas, each led by a nonprofit organ-procurement organization.
The work requires sensitivity but also speed because the window of opportunity is fleeting. As soon as the death occurs and blood flow ceases, organs begin to deteriorate.
While it’s difficult to precisely gauge the scale of missed opportunity in the New York area, David Goldberg, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, has made some estimates. He said that if the New York area donated organs at a rate similar to the best-performing areas in the country, “there could be 100 to 200 more donors per year.” A single donor can provide transplants to as many as eight people.
