Block party seeks to increase organ transplant access for communities of color

More than people are waiting for an organ donation and organizers of a block party outside Howard University Hospital Sunday are hoping to break down fitness care impediments for people of color Talisha Taylor received an organ transplant in she s one of the meager who got matched I waited eight years for my liver Taylor stated A long hard eight years It ostensibly felt like years in and out of the hospital all the time For weeks at a time I was in the hospital Taylor ultimately received a transplant but there s a long list of people across the country waiting for an organ That s why Howard University Robustness Center partnered with Infinite Legacy and Black Physical condition Connect to throw a Summer in the District Block Party We recognize that the number one difficulty with transplantation is a shortage of donors noted Dr Clive Callender with the Minority Organ Instructor Transplant Ed Project Seventeen people die every single day because of the shortage of donors and the people who need organs and tissues the greater part are people of color particularly African Americans There are more than requests for organ donations according to details from the Organ Procurement and Transportation Arrangement and of people waiting for an organ are ethnic minorities Although donations are not matched by race or ethnicity a more diverse pool of donors means more access for those on the waiting list and that s why groups are trying to reach out to communities to empower them about the impact of becoming an organ donor When you get a letter that says Thank you for the donation when you get a letter and that young adult that needed a kidney got a kidney that older adult that needed a liver got the liver that they needed that s really when it hits home commented Roger Mitchell Jr president of Howard University Hospital We don t realize how essential that donating that liver or that kidney or that heart has on the person that receives it Attendees of the block party were given access to strength screenings mental wellness backing and giveaways The major limitations to soundness care in a lot of communities specific people don t even have access to primary care understanding the minimum of their blood pressure rates their diabetes or blood sugar levels mentioned Duclas Charles the founder of Black Fitness Connect The goal is not only to educate people about becoming an organ donor but to prevent the need for donors in the future by promoting a healthy lifestyle It s good to get out and raise awareness about the cause Taylor commented