PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- MedCure, one of only seven U.S. whole body donation programs accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks, can now call itself the fastest-growing non-transplant tissue bank in the nation. Today, MedCure reported solid year-over-year growth of 30 percent. States leading in whole body donations include Texas, California and Ohio, while Louisiana, Wyoming and West Virginia have seen the highest rates of growth (at 149 percent, 133 percent and 116 percent, respectively). With only 18,000 people donating their bodies to science each year nationwide, MedCure's continued growth is a testament to the continuing normalization of whole body donation as an end-of-life option for U.S. residents. Many Americans today long to leave behind an enduring legacy, and whole body donation allows ordinary men and women to help advance medical science for future generations.
"Physicians and other medical professionals rely almost exclusively on whole body donations to provide sufficient numbers of cadavers, but demand consistently outpaces supply," said Heidi Kayser, director of donor education and outreach at MedCure. "We are setting out to remove the stigma from whole body donation in order to help advance medical science and provide a no-cost solution to families."
As families come together for the holidays, now is the ideal time to open up communication between the generations, even when it comes to more difficult topics, such as end-of-life and after-life wishes. Subjects related to after-life planning that merit discussion include:
- Organ donation
- Burial, cremation, body donation, or alternative arrangements
- Funeral/memorial services
- Digital identity
Kayser reminds families, "People sign up as an organ donor when they are young, but don't realize health issues as they age may make them ineligible; these individuals may still donate their bodies to science when organ donation is not an option. We hope to encourage more family members to list organ donation as a first-choice and whole body donation as their second choice in their after-life wishes."
To learn more about MedCure and whole body donation, visit http://www.medcure.org.
About MedCure
MedCure helps those who choose to leave a lasting legacy at the end of their lives. With compassion, respect, a commitment to the highest ethical standards and the utmost regard for safety, MedCure facilitates whole body donations for medical research and education. An AATB-accredited, non-transplant tissue bank, MedCure provides state of the art lab and training facilities, and supplies anatomical specimens to medical and scientific professionals, enabling the hands-on experience necessary to advance healthcare and ensure patient safety.
SOURCE MedCure
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