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Organ failure is deadly with 16 persons dying each day waiting for a life saving organ transplant, and a new name added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 16 minutes, according to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). UNOS also reports that Hispanics total about 13,441, or more than 16% of the 83,000 persons on the national transplant list. However, for minority cultures the possibility of finding a compatible donor with the necessary minority-specific genetic match is increasingly difficult as physicians have come to realize the myths, spiritual beliefs, distrust and fear of organ donation that exists within various cultures. Hispanics and African Americans combined are more than 50% of the donor waiting list, yet they have the smallest proportion of donors (UNOS, 2003). To address this life-threatening issue, communities and health care systems have formed outreach programs to raise awareness of the dire need for minority organ donors to save lives. Organizations like Latino Organization for Liver Awareness (LOLA) and Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) are two important outreach groups that are trying to educate the public about the genetic and cultural differences in minorities. These differences provide unique challenges as physicians search for a compatible transplant or tissue donation, or provide medical assistance with other life-threatening chronic diseases in minorities such as hypertension or diabetes. Founded in 1994, LOLA is the first national bilingual bicultural organization dedicated to raising awareness of liver disease through informational materials focusing on prevention, community outreach programs, treatment and referral services, support groups, quarterly newsletters, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Bilingual Prison Educational Presentations and HCV Public Education Campaigns. LOLA assists Latino communities as well as other underserved populations who suffer from liver disease in the United States and encourages organ and tissue donation. For more information on LOLA, visit their website www.lola-national.org or call (888) 367-LOLA (5652). National MOTTEP® was originally established to increase the number of minority organ and tissue transplant donors. The mission of National MOTTEP® was later revised to incorporate a preventive focus by addressing the diseases and behaviors which lead to the need for transplantation such as diabetes, hypertension, alcohol and substance abuse, poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Their mission includes: · Educate minority communities on facts about organ and tissue transplantation · Empower minority communities to develop transplant education programs which allow them to become involved in addressing the shortage of donors · Increase minority participation in organ/tissue transplant endeavors including signing organ donor cards · Encourage and increase family discussions related to organ and tissue donation · Increase the number of minorities who donate organs and tissues There is a local MOTTEP of Tennessee office in Nashville. For more information call (615) 876-7529, visit their website at www.nationalmottep.org, or email
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