Nevada Donor Network is proud to be a part of history! The United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) announced earlier this month that the United States Organ Donation System has surpassed 1 million organ transplants. This historic milestone is possible due to the collaboration between UNOS, organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant centers working together to make life possible through organ donation. Innovation and passion continue to be the driving forces behind this record accomplishment. In honor of this momentous occasion, UNOS created a campaign entitled, “Living It Forward.” This is a national initiative that aims to accelerate the rate of donation while commemorating the lives saved, legacies left behind and hope restored for those who are waiting.
2021 was a record-breaking year in transplantation in the United States, making it the 11th consecutive record-setting year for organ donation and transplantation in the United States. There were more than 41,000 transplants performed nationwide, which doubled the number of transplants from 25 years ago. To this point, of the one million organ transplants performed in the United States, more than half have occurred since 2007. What does this demonstrate? A sustained trend of system-wide improvements such as strengthening the organ allocation process, an increasing focus on non-traditional heroic donors, collaborative efforts to increase donation, the continuous evolution of organ preservation techniques and other scientific breakthroughs.
An additional aspect of organ transplantation that continues to improve is greater equity in access to transplants, especially when it comes to kidney allocation, which accounts for more than 60% of total organ transplants. As of 2021, 58% of all kidney recipients were people of color, a 25% increase from 1988 that is fueled by numerous policy and performance improvements including the elimination of race-based calculations relative to kidney function.
Nevada Donor Network is proud to be a part of the reason this milestone has been met. Our team works tirelessly to serve Nevadans who make the gift of life possible through organ donation. Learn more about how you can join us at: www.wearenevadans.org