Need for donors is great as nearly 400 people in Hawaii wait for a life-saving organ
By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)- – The Queen’s Medical Center and Legacy of Life Hawai‘i are teaming up to encourage more people in Hawaii to register as organ and tissue donors as part of National Donate Life Month. While there are now 110 million registered donors in the United States – and more than 591,000 registered donors in Hawaii – there is always a need for more registered donors. As part of the partnership, The Queen’s Medical Center is aiming to lead by example and enroll as many of its employees who are not currently registered organ donors. Legacy of Life Hawai‘i will also be present at educational registration booths on the Queen’s campus throughout the month.
“The need for more organ and tissue donors in Hawaii is great, and sadly, there are not enough donations to meet this need,” said Karen Schultz, Vice President of Patient Care at The Queen’s Medical Center. “As the number of people in need of transplants continue to rise, it’s critical that we always strive to increase the number of registered organ, eye and tissue donors in Hawaii to save and heal lives.”
Nationally, there are an estimated 116,000 patients – and nearly 400 people in Hawaii – who are in end-stage organ failure waiting for a life-saving organ. Thousands more are in need of life-restorative tissue. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the need for organs is growing almost twice as fast as the supply. About 18 people die every day waiting for a donated organ because there are not enough organs to meet the need.
Since opening in 2012, the Queen’s Transplant Center – the only place to offer organ transplants in Hawaii – has successfully performed 43 organ transplants. Currently, 393 people are on the waiting list for kidney and liver transplants.
“While we work to increase the number of registered donors daily, we are commemorating National Donate Life Month to underscore the importance of organ donation in building a healthy and caring community,” said Legacy of Life Hawai‘i President and CEO Stephen A. Kula. “We also want to celebrate the generosity of those who have saved and restored lives by becoming organ and tissue donors.”
For more information about organ donation and to register as an organ donor, go to www.legacyoflifehawaii.org. For more information about The Queen’s Medical Center, please visit www.queens.org.