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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Tamar Klaiman, MPH, Department of Public Health, Temple University, 1700 N. Broad St., Rm. 304, Philadelphia, PA 19122, 267-408-6934, tamark@temple.edu

BACKGROUND: As of January 18, 2006, 90,628 people were waiting for organ transplants in the United States. Between January and October 2005 23,511 people received organ transplants and 12,090 people donated their organs. These life saving procedures have saved thousands of lives since their inception in the early 1900's. However, there is a much higher need for organs than the number available, particularly in the African American community because of low minority donation rates and the need for tissue matching for successful transplantation. OBJECTIVE: To analyze donor referrals from the Philadelphia region that did not become organ donations in order to find out where the most potential for organ donation exists, particularly among the African American community. DESIGN/METHODS: 4,871 records from the Philadelphia region which includes Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey between January 2003 and January 2005 were analyzed. Referrals that were not recovered were compared to actual organ donors by county and zip code. This project used MapPoint to map where most potential donors live, with a focus on the African American community in Philadelphia. RESULTS: In Philadelphia, zip codes 19140, 19131, 19138, 19143, and 19124 have the most potential for donation. Regionally, Philadelphia County, New Castle County, DE, Montgomery County, PA, Bucks County, PA and Lancaster County, PA have the most potential for organ donors. CONCLUSION: The findings show where public education efforts could be most effective in the region to increase awareness about organ donation and donation rates.

Learning Objectives:

• •Understand barriers to organ donation that exist in data collection methods
• •Identify how public education efforts may influence organ donation rates in diverse communities
• •Identify gaps in current public education campaigns about organ donation

Keywords: Minorities,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered