Organ Donor Awareness Campaign
The Dialysis Research Foundation has generously continued their support of our organ donation awareness partnership with KSL News Radio 1160 AM. Public Service Announcements included the well known KSL radio voices of Amanda Dickson, Doug Wright, and Senator Jake Garn. Additional donor advocate promotional spots have been made by former NBA Utah Jazz star and kidney donor Greg Ostertag, BYU Football Coach Bronco Mendenhall, University of Utah Football Coach Kyle Whittingham, the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the NKF of Utah and Idaho, Dr. Harry Senekjian, kidney donor Anissa Bangeter, and kidney recipient Ryan Black. These spots have been very successful in raising organ donor awareness throughout Utah.
National Education Campaigns
The Foundation enlists the help of all local media in education the public regarding the prevention of kidney disease and the promotion of organ donation. Our annual campaigns – New Year’s Resolution, March is Kidney Month, National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month and Organ Donor Sabbath – reached thousands of people through television and radio interviews and public service announcements as well as newspaper and magazine articles.
Utah Donor Registry for Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation
With over 97,000 individuals currently on the organ transplant waiting list, the “YES UTAH” and “YES IDAHO” registry have taken on added importance. Currently over one million donors are registered in Utah which represents the highest per capita registration of any state. The NKF of Utah & Idaho, a founding member of the Utah Organ Donation Coalition, continues to play a major role in the registry and education of the citizens of Utah and Idaho about the importance of organ donation.
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Kids and Kidneys in Public Schools
In fulfillment of its mission to educate the public about kidney awareness and care, prevention of kidney disease, and to promote organ donor awareness, representatives of the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho present a free, 45-minute presentation designed for junior high and middle school health classes throughout Utah and Idaho school districts.
Students watch a ten-minute video and participate in discussions regarding kidney function, kidney care and prevention of kidney disease as well as hearing personal experiences of organ transplantation and donation. Part of the discussion includes a healthy eating and activity assessment which is completed for self evaluation. Information with an assignment is taken home to be discussed with parents and family members. A test is administered at the end of the presentation. Students who earn 100% receive an “I Love You With All My Kidney” T-shirt.
Teachers and students alike have expressed their appreciation for the valuable information received.
For further information or to request a presentation in your school or health class, call the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho office, 800-869-5277 (statewide) or 801-226-5111 (Utah County).
What Teachers and Students have said:
Utah Coalition on Organ, Eye and Tissue
Continuing efforts are made as the NKF of Utah & Idaho intensified its public education efforts to provide information regarding prevention and treatment of kidney diseases, organ donation awareness and the role of the kidneys in maintaining optimum health.
As a founding member of the Utah Coalition on Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation, the NKF of Utah & Idaho support public education of organ donation awareness through such programs as Partners in the Work Place, where corporate human resource directors include organ donor information as part of their company orientation. Over 300 companies/organizations with approximately 390,000 individuals have become better educated about the miracle of organ transplantation and have received organ donation information, materials and pins.
Good Samaritan Donors Increase
As a way to increase the number of organ donors, and to decrease the wait time and the number of those waiting for an organ transplant, the Coalition and the Utah Donor Registry have formed a partnership with the local transplant centers and developed a Good Samaritan Kidney Donor Program for people willing to be considered and evaluated as a kidney donor. Patients who need kidney transplants have always been encouraged to find living donors, often a relative or friend, but many times no living related person or friend is available or is an acceptable match, forcing hundreds of patients to wait many years to receive their transplant from the national waiting list. The response by the people of Utah and Idaho to the “Good Samaritan” donor program continues to grow.