
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 26, 1994                   TAG: 9407300024
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TAKE NOTE

Virginia's Organ Procurement Agency reports that eight to 10 people die in the U.S. every day waiting for a transplant because of the inadequate supply of organs and tissues. In Virginia alone, 651 people are waiting for a transplant and last year 81 people died while waiting. This shortage isn't the result of an unwillingness to donate, but due in part to the neglect of not letting family members know of their decision to be a donor.

The Advertising Council and the Coalition on Donation are alerting the public of the need for organ and tissue donation and helping to promote family discussion. Virginia's Organ Procurement Agency serves hospitals throughout Southwest Virginia and is a member of the Coalition on Donation. The Coalition on Donation is an alliance of voluntary, professional health, science, and transplant patient groups formed to educate the public about organ and tissue donation.

According to James S. Wolf, president of the Coalition on Donation, "Sharing the desision to be an organ and tissue donor with family members is as important as making the choice to donate. Each year thousands of potential donations are never made because family members are unsure or uncomfortable giving approval. Making family members aware of the decision to donate will help them carry it out without hesitation or uncertainty when the time arises."

For a free brochure about organ and tissue donation, call (800) 355-7427 (SHARE), or call Virginia's Organ Procurement Agency, 1-800-233-8672.

by CNB