Organ Donation Basics
There are two basic types of donation, living donor and deceased donor.
Organ Donation and transplantation: How Does it Work? (Animated 4:52)
UNOS - United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the private, non-profit organization that serves as the nation’s organ transplant system—the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)—under contract with and oversight by the federal government.
Health Resources & Services Administration - HRSA - HRSA is a department of HSS (Health and Human Services) and is the Federal Government organization supporting organ donor activities.
Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) are not-for-profit organizations responsible for recovering organs from deceased donors for transplantation in the U.S. There are 57 OPOs, each mandated by federal law to perform this life-saving mission in their assigned donation service area. In Eastern PA, Southern NJ and DE our OPO is: Gift of Life Donor Program
There are numerous organizations that support / advocate for specific organs as well. For example: National Kidney Foundation
Additionally there are hospital and university programs that specialize in one or more specific organs. In Eastern PA, the Lehigh Valley Health Network specializes in kidney and pancreas transplants. Those interested in being a living donor should register with the hospital where their recipient is associated. In the case of Shelby Winder, that would be the program at Lehigh.
