National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month

August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, a time to save and improve the quality of life of diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye and tissue donation.

The need for donation is strong among Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American people. To date, 60% of people on the national transplant waitlist represent diverse racial and ethnic communities — and more than 40% of organ transplant recipients are people of color.

Nationally, the vast majority of those waiting for the most commonly transplanted organ, the kidney, are people of color, representing 64% of the waitlist.

We have seen increases in the number of deceased organ donors spanning many races over the last four years, including a 94% increase in the American Indian/Alaska Native population.

With your help, we look forward to enhancing awareness of multiethnic donation in August and throughout the year.