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Minority Statistics

Statistics on Minorities
The need for minority donors is increasing. Be aware of the facts.

Current Statistics

National Transplant Waiting List Report

Pennsylvania State Transplant Waiting List Report

Organ Donation Among African Americans in Pennsylvania

Organ Donation Among Latinos in Pennsylvania

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National Transplant Waiting List Report

	All Organs	Kidney	Liver	Pancreas	Kidney / Pancreas	Heart	Lung	Heart / Lung	Intestine
All Ethnicities	112,850	87,421	16,562	1,515	2,273	2,889	1,875	83	232
White	51,958	33,998	11,581	1,214	1,395	2,033	1,537	54	146
Black	32,763	30,116	1,195	159	496	563	179	10	45
Hispanic	19,086	15,525	2,792	112	275	220	110	16	36
Unknown	3	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0
Asian	6,949	6,003	798	17	45	50	30	1	5
American Indian/Alaska Native	1,037	875	106	9	34	5	7	1	0
Pacific Islander	529	488	20	2	12	3	4	0	0
Multiracial	525	416	68	2	16	14	8	1	0

According to OPTN.org as of October 23, 2009. For updated information, go to
http://www.optn.org/latestData/viewDataReports.asp

Pennsylvania State Transplant Waiting List Report

	All Organs	Kidney	Liver	Pancreas	Kidney / Pancreas	Heart	Lung	Hear t/ Lung	Intestine
All Ethnicities	8,173	5,669	1,417	217	199	198	154	8	101
White	4,631	2,831	1,165	184	153	152	129	4	67
Black	2,696	2,242	152	23	31	36	18	1	22
Hispanic	500	329	73	7	13	6	3	2	10
Asian	299	221	22	3	2	3	2	0	2
American Indian/Alaska Native	15	12	3	0	0	1	0	0	0
Pacific Islander	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Multiracial	34	31	2	0	0	0	2	1	0

According to OPTN.org as of 08.30.06. For updated information, go to http://www.optn.org/latestData/viewDataReports.asp

Organ Donation among African Americans in Pennsylvania

How many are in need?

African Americans make up 11 percent of Pennsylvania’s overall population, but represent nearly 32 percent of Pennsylvanians waiting for organ donor transplants.
Of the more than 2,690 African Americans waiting for transplants in Pennsylvania, nearly 90.6 percent are waiting for kidney transplants.
African Americans represent 17 percent of transplants performed in Pennsylvania from Jan. 1, 1988 through Sept. 30, 2010.
Out of the 2,696 African Americans waiting for transplants, 44.6 percent are between the ages of 50 and 64, and 28.4 percent are between the ages of 35 and 49.

How long do they have to wait?

Sixty-six percent of African Americans in Pennsylvania waiting for an organ transplant have been on the waiting list for more than one year; Nearly eight percent have been waiting for five years or more years.
African Americans represent 52.7 percent of all Pennsylvanians waiting more than five years for a kidney transplant.

Who’s donating?

In Pennsylvania, African Americans represent 11.9 percent of deceased donors and 11.6 percent of living donors from Jan. 1, 1988 through Sept. 30, 2010.

In Pennsylvania

Between September 2009 and September 2010, 1,301,811 Pennsylvanians said “yes” to organ and tissue donation and added the designation to their driver’s license.
The organ transplant waiting list in Pennsylvania includes more than 8,170 people. Still thousands of others wait for a tissue transplant that will greatly enhance the quality of their lives.

More than 6,500 people await transplants in the Gift of Life Donor Program service region, which includes the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.
At the five CORE-affiliated organ transplant hospitals, serving counties in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and a portion of New York, approximately 2,000 people are awaiting organ transplantation.

Pennsylvanians can register as organ donors online anytime at www.donatelife-pa.org or they can sign up as an organ donor when receiving or renewing their driver’s license at any one of Pennsylvania’s driver license and photo centers.

One Donor...

Can donate kidneys to free two people from the dialysis treatments needed to sustain life.
Can save the lives of patients awaiting heart, liver, lung or pancreas transplants.
Can give sight to two people through the donation of corneas.
Can donate bone to help repair injured joints or to help save an arm or leg threatened by cancer or other illness.
Can help burn victims heal more quickly through the donation of skin, and provide healthy heart valves for someone whose life is threatened by malfunctioning or diseased valves.
Can give more than 50 people a second chance at life!

Why is it important for African Americans to donate?

Transplant success rates increase when organs are matched between members of the same ethnic and racial group.

Organ Donation Among Latinos in Pennsylvania

15.2% of all patients awaiting organ transplants in the United States are of Latino heritage.
5.3% (256 patients) Latino patients are awaiting transplants in Gift of Life Donor Program, of the 4,600 total people awaiting transplants in that region.
The majority of Latino patients are waiting for kidney transplants.
Research from focus groups held in Miami, New York and Chicago in 2001 indicated that the majority of the Spanish speaking Latino community is largely uninformed about the process of donation and transplantation.
The same research study indicated that the information known to the Latino community is generally inaccurate and preserves the many myths and barriers to increasing donation.
Latinos, like many other ethnic groups, have a mistrust of the medical system, specifically the process of transplantation, according to the research study.