December 2001

ACA and HHS Enter Partnership
To Encourage Organ, Blood Donations

Washington, D.C. - The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has signed on as a partner and charter member of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson’s Workplace Partnership for Life, a nationwide network to increase the number of organ, tissue, marrow and blood donors in the United States.

As a charter member of Workplace Partnership for Life, the ACA will help educate doctors on how they and their patients can become organ donors and will publish important information educating the public on the “myths and facts” of the program. ACA also hopes to build interest among chiropractic state associations in developing a state model for a chiropractic public relations campaign.

In addition, two doctors of chiropractic who have received life-saving organs from living donors have agreed to serve as spokespersons for ACA on the topic of organ donation.

Thompson announced the National Gift of Life Donation Initiative at a press conference in Washington, D.C., in early 2001. When he served as the governor of Wisconsin, Thompson was a staunch and accomplished advocate for donation. He said he brought that passion for donation with him to Washington and has every intention of creating a “donation-friendly America.”

At the launch of his initiative, Thompson introduced representatives from 18 major corporations, including General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Barr Laboratories and Verizon, that had signed on as charter members of the Workplace Partnership for Life. The goal of the Workplace Partnership is to involve businesses, organizations, national associations, and other places of employment or volunteerism in educating their employees or members about the critical need for organs, tissue, marrow and blood. All organizations that signed on by the end of 2001 will be considered charter partners.

Thompson’s initiative also will result in guidelines for automated registries of organ and tissue donors; organ and tissue donation curricula for use in drivers’ education programs and other high school classes; a “Gift of Life Donor” medal to acknowledge America’s donors; and a model organ and tissue donor card.

The donor card is available from HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) by calling 888-ASK-HRSA or by downloading it from the federal government’s donation website at www.organdonor.gov

As of August 2001, the national waiting list for organs contained nearly 78,000 patients. And, another patient is listed every 13 minutes. Fifteen wait-listed patients die each day because a donor organ didn’t become available in time. Thousands more need tissues and marrow. Blood that can make possible these and other vital medical procedures also is in critically short supply.

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