New organ donation campaign

The North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) recently launched an Organ and Tissue Donation Workplace Campaign in conjunction with its one-year anniversary of the hospital’s first kidney transplant.
The hospital’s first kidney transplant was performed under the medical guidance of Ernesto Molmenti, M.D., the program’s surgical doctor, and Madhu Bhaskaran, M.D., the center’s medical doctor.
With nearly 8,000 New Yorkers waiting for an organ transplant, the campaign’s aim is to educate the public about the shortage of organ and tissue transplantation in New York.
“Many will die while waiting for a match, which is the reason why North Shore University Hospital has joined with New York Organ Donor Network in this very special initiative to increase awareness about organ and tissue donation,” said NSUH’s executive director Susan Somerville.
She stressed the importance of the campaign.
“By joining together and educating others about the benefits of organ donation,” Somerville said, “we can give our patients, a loved one, a neighbor, or even a friend a second chance at life.”
LIJ Medical Center is the next hospital in line to take part in this campaign.
Since October, North Shore-LIJ hospitals have received some 56 organs from 22 donors. Last year, the health system received 74 organs from 38 donors.
On a national level, there are more than 100,000 men, women and children waiting to receive lifesaving organ transplants.