The University Hospital Celebrates Organ Donation and Transplantation During Black History Month

Contact: Pat Samson (513) 585-7200
02/10/2003

The University Hospital is celebrating and promoting organ donation and transplantation within the African-American community with a special celebration and program for University Hospital and Health Alliance employees and the community on Thursday, Feb. 27, 3:30-5 p.m., in the hospital cafeteria. Highlights of the event will include a raffle for University of Cincinnati men's basketball tickets and Kenwood Towne Centre and Kroger gift certificates. There will also be a short program that will be emceed by Channel 5 reporter Jesse Jones and will feature keynote speaker Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr., University Hospital board member. Two kidney transplant recipients and a donor family member will also speak and share their experiences. Although nearly one-third of the patients waiting for an organ transplant at The University Hospital are African-American, the donation rates among the African-American community are significantly lower than the donation rates of Caucasians. Greater Cincinnati has an African-American population of approximately 12 percent, yet 26 percent of all patients waiting for an organ transplant in Cincinnati are African-American. And 47 percent of all patients waiting for a kidney transplant in Cincinnati are African-American. It is important that African-American families strongly consider organ donation because successful transplantation is enhanced by matching organs between members of the same racial group. "There is a great need for organ donations, as more than 80,000 people nationwide are in need of an organ transplant," said Edward Zavala, Health Alliance transplant administrator. "This event is a grass-roots effort to educate our employees and neighbors about the importance of organ donation and the success of organ transplantation." The University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.