THE BLACK ORGAN AND TISSUE DONOR SHORTAGE: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

On April 16, 1999, the Department of Health and Human Services and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) announced that the number of organ donors increased 5.6 percent in 1998, the first substantial increase since 1995. Donation increases between 1997 and 1998 were substantial for whites (up 6.6 percent from 4,139 to 4,410 donors) and Hispanics (up 7.8 percent from 552 to 595 donors). However, the number of black donors remained relatively unchanged at 654 donors in 1998, and the number of Asian donors decreased by 8.4 percent from 107 to 98 donors (HRSA, April 16, 1999).