New Jersey's Willingness to Give Leads to 14 Percent Growth in Number of Donated Organs in 2013

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“National Healthcare Decisions Day is the perfect time to sit with family and begin the conversation,”

New Providence, NJ (PRWEB) April 15, 2014

Today marks National Healthcare Decisions Day, an initiative to provide clear information on healthcare decision-making to the public and health care providers.

NJ Sharing Network utilizes the day to help demystify healthcare decision-making. Advance healthcare decision-making involves much more than discussing living wills; the process should also focus on the life-saving importance of organ and tissue donation.

NJ Sharing Network works tirelessly to spread the important message of the need for organ and tissue donors year-round. And it has had an effect in New Jersey, as NJ Sharing Network was able to coordinate the recovery and placement of 433 donated organs last year, up from 378 organs in 2012.

This 14 percent growth marked one of the most active years for organ recovery for NJ Sharing Network, which is consistently doing its part to reduce the numbers on New Jersey’s waiting list. In New Jersey, nearly 5,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ. Compared with the other 57 OPOs in the U.S., NJ Sharing Network nearly quadrupled its number of transplantable organs in 2013, with the average increase nationwide of only 3.5 percent. The increase resulted in 55 more lives saved last year compared to 2012.

“There is a common misconception that there are plenty of organs available for those who may require them,” said Joseph Roth, president & CEO of NJ Sharing Network. “But the fact is only one-tenth of 1 percent of available organs are deemed medically suitable for transplant. And that is why it is so critically important for more New Jerseyans to take that generous step to register as organ and tissue donors.”

Roth stressed the importance of informing loved ones of your end-of-life wishes, and including your desire to become an organ and tissue donor in that conversation. Roth also notes that individuals can document their wishes to donate by registering as an organ and tissue donor at a local motor vehicle agency or online at http://www.NJSharingNetwork.org.

“National Healthcare Decisions Day is the perfect time to sit with family and begin the conversation,” added Roth. “Events, such as the seventh-annual National Healthcare Decisions Day today, serve as a reminder, as well as inspire and educate the public about the importance of advance health care planning and how it can ultimately save lives.”

To learn more, get involved and register as an organ and tissue donor, visit http://www.NJSharingNetwork.org or call NJ Sharing Network at 1-800-742-7365.

About NJ Sharing Network

NJ Sharing Network is a non-profit, federally designated organization responsible for the recovery and placement of donated organs and tissue for New Jersey residents in need of life-saving transplants. NJ Sharing Network partners with Donate Life America, a not-for-profit national alliance that drives communities to increase their numbers of registered donors. NJ Sharing Network honors those who gave, pays tribute to those who received, offers hope to those who continue to wait, and remembers the lives lost while waiting...for the gift of life.

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